Regional Coalition Of LANL Communities Discusses Consent Order Negotiations With NMED And EM-LA
RCLC News:
HERNANDEZ — The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities (RCLC) hosted representatives from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the Los Alamos Environmental Management Field Office (EM-LA) to discuss the Consent Order agreement guiding the regulatory environment for cleanup of legacy nuclear waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
NMED Secretary Ryan Flynn gave an overview of the current consent order and expected changes to the upcoming version to be signed, and EM-LA Manager Doug Hintze presented the new campaign approach that will be utilized Read More
WIPP Conducts Limited Scope Performance Tests
Members of the WIPP Emergency Operations Center participate in a drill, simulating an emergency occurrence at the WIPP Facility. Courtesy/WIPPElectric Vehicle Cross-Country Driver Visits Los Alamos Nature Center
Brian Kent and his electric car this morning during a visit to the Los Alamos Nature Center. Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com
Bandelier Pile Burning Along N.M. 4 Wednesday
Pile burning at Bandelier. Courtesy/nps.gov
BANDELIER News:
With the arrival of snow providing good conditions, the fire crew at Bandelier National Monument is planning to burn about 30 piles of fuel materials Wednesday, Nov. 18.
The piles are along N.M. 4 between Ponderosa Group Campground and the Bandelier entrance, totaling about 5 acres. Visitors may see smoke at a number of locations just off the highway, including one near the entrance station. There should be little impact on Juniper Campground, and none in the Visitor Center area. The operation is expected to only take one day. Read More
New Climate Model Predicts Likelihood Of Greenland Ice Melt, Sea Level Rise, And Dangerous Temperatures
Greenland ice loss. Photo by Matthew Hoffman/LANL
LANL News:
A new computer model of accumulated carbon emissions predicts the likelihood of crossing several dangerous climate change thresholds.
These include global temperature rise sufficient to lose the Greenland Ice Sheet and generate seven meters of long-term sea level rise, or tropical region warming to a level that is deadly to humans and other mammals.
“The model is based on idealized representations of societal, technological and policy factors,” said lead researcher Jeremy Fyke, of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Read More
Roger This: Science And Politics Mix It Up
Courtesy/NOAA
Roger This: Science And Politics Mix It Up
By ROGER SNODGRASSA new “hockey stick” argument erupted this summer on Capitol Hill, as Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Science Committee faced off with officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the last several months over a climate study published in Science magazine in June 2015.
The new study, “Possible artifacts of data biases in the recent global surface warming hiatus,”offered a revised version of historical land and sea temperatures that used new data Read More
Wash, Dry And Repeat … Billion Dollar Cleanup Settlement Starts Over
New Mexico Environment Department Cabinet Secretary Ryan Flynn asks for input on a revised consent order from members of the Northern New Mexico Citizens Advisory Board Thursday at the Cities of Gold Conference Center in Pojoaque. Photo by Roger Snodgrass/ladailypost.com
During a break at the NNMCAB meeting Thursday, from left, NNSA Environmental Programs Office Assistant Manager George Rael, talks to EM Los Alamos Field Office Manager Doug Hintze and contractor Bob Zulick. Photo by Roger Snodgrass/ladailypost.com
POJOAQUE Read More
NASA’s Swift Spots Its Thousandth Gamma-ray Burst
GRB 151027B, Swift’s 1,000th burst, center, is shown in this composite X-ray, ultraviolet and optical image. X-rays were captured by Swift’s X-Ray Telescope, which began observing the field 3.4 minutes after the Burst Alert Telescope detected the blast. Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) began observations seven seconds later and faintly detected the burst in visible light. The image includes X-rays with energies from 300 to 6,000 electron volts, primarily from the burst, and lower-energy light seen through the UVOT’s visible, blue and ultraviolet Read More
El Valle Astronomers Host Dixon Star Party Saturday
Capella, left center, and the Pleiades, right, bathed in the Northern Lights. Imaged Oct. 11, 2015 with a Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR in Karasjok, Norway. Courtesy/NOPEl Valle Astronomers will host a Star Party Saturday, Nov. 14. Meet in front of the Dixon Coop Market 4:55 p.m., and President Lee Mesibov will lead the procession up the hill to the Dixon Ballfield.
In the evening twilight, we will be observing details on the waxing crescent Moon. As twilight fades away, you can make out the last stars of summery Sagittarius to its left. Uranus (magnitude
Scenes From Today’s Signing Ceremony Establishing Manhattan Project National Historical Park
From left, Los Alamos County Council Chair Kristin Henderson, former Councilor Fran Berting, Los Alamos Historical Society Executive Director Heather McClenahan, Dr. Ben Neal, second from right, and at far right, Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott join U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and seated, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz at this morning’s signing ceremony, in Washington, D.C., to officially establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Courtesy/NPS
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell Read More
Kiwanis Club Sponsors Storytelling At Nature Center 6 p.m. Today
Gathered around the campfire to listen and imagine. Courtesy/PEEC
PEEC News:
Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) is bringing two great storytellers to the Los Alamos Nature Center at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 to light up one’s imagination.
Gather under the planetarium stars to enjoy nature-inspired storytelling. With master storytellers Teralene (Terry) Foxx and Kimberly Gotches as guides, children and adults will embark on an adventure to meet all kinds of animals, learn about stars, and even go fishing.
This program is free thanks to a generous sponsorship from the Kiwanis Read More
PEEC Workshop Saturday: The New Age Of Birding
Courtesy/PEEC
PEEC News:
Do you enjoy watching birds? Would you like to know how to integrate new technology to further your birding efforts?
Expert birders Bob Walker and Dave Yeamans are leading a workshop 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Los Alamos Nature Center to explore how technology is transforming birding. This workshop is for all levels of birders and focuses on using digital tools.
Technology is quickly changing how we connect with nature. In many ways, the digital age is making it easier to view, identify, and document birds and other wild animals. That is if we know how to use our digital Read More
Interior, Energy Departments To Sign Agreement Establishing Manhattan Project National Historical Park
U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz
DEPT. OF INTERIOR News:
WAHINGTON, D.C. – Tuesday, Nov. 10, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at the Department of the Interior South Building Auditorium, to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
The park will have three locations: Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Tenn. and Hanford, Wash. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis will attend the ceremony along with Senators Martin Heinrich, Lamar Alexander and Maria Cantwell, who Read More
Looking For Deliberate Radio Signals From KIC 8462852
Allen Telescope Array. Courtesy/Seth Shostak, SETI Institute
SCIENCE News:
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.— Could there be intelligent life in the star system KIC 8462852? A recent analysis of data collected by the Kepler space telescope has shown that this star, informally known as Tabby’s Star, evidences a periodic dimming of 20 percent and more.
While several natural explanations for this strong change in luminosity have been proposed, one possibility is that a technologically adept civilization has built megastructures in orbit around star, causing the dimming.
One example
Super Strypi Fails In First Minute Of Launch
The Super Strypi launch vehicle blasted off from a rail launch platform at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii at 5:45 p.m. (HST). Courtesy/U.S. Air Force/University of Hawaii/Spaceflight Now- New Mexico CubeSat team weighs another shot
The maiden flight of the Super Strypi launch vehicle stumbled out of control in the first stage of a low-earth-orbit mission Tuesday night.
Lost in delayed glimpses of the disintegrating rocket were the pieces of a doomed payload, 13 small satellites. The main payload of six small CubeSats
Advanced Reactor Development To Strengthen Nuclear Power’s Role In Combating Climate Change
DOE News:Air Quality Meeting In Four Corners Region
NMED News:Preservation Of 5,900 Acre Double E Ranch Celebrated At WNMU In Silver City
Chromium Project Notice Of Proposed Floodplain Action Public Comment Period Closes Nov. 20
DEEM News:Access To Los Alamos Reservoir And Surrounding Area Closed Nov. 9, 2015 Through June 30, 2016
The access road leading up to the reservoir shows flood damage. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
Pedestrian and motor vehicle access to the Los Alamos Reservoir will be restricted Monday, Nov. 9, and continue through June 2016.
Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities awarded a contract to CBKN Dirtworks, Inc. to restore the reservoir after several flood events filled it with sediment and compromised the access road.
Department officials warn that construction crews with heavy equipment will be utilizing the single dirt road leading up to the Los Alamos Canyon Dam and Reservoir Read More