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Category: climatology – Page 31

Spectrum services restored across Texas, spokesperson says

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Spectrum has restored an outage that impacted users across Texas for about seven hours Tuesday, according to a company spokesperson.

“As of 7:30 p.m. Spectrum services have been restored in parts of Texas that were affected by a third-party infrastructure issue caused by the impact of Hurricane Beryl. We apologize for the inconvenience,” a spokesperson said in the latest update KXAN received via email Tuesday evening.

KXAN has followed up with Spectrum, asking for more details about what exactly this piece of infrastructure is and if it has a backup or reinforcement element.

UPDATE: Spectrum blames damage caused by Hurricane Beryl for massive internet outage across Texas

We’re based in Austin, Texas and this outage is affecting us. Well, it affected us for 30 seconds which is how long it took to switch over to Starlink. Go SpaceX!

So I’m bouncing this message off of a constellation of satellites orbiting the Earth.

5:40 P.M. UPDATE: Spectrum has issued a statement saying a massive outage of its internet, phone and cable TV service across the state is due to damage caused by Hurricane Beryl. “The outage is due to a third-party infrastructure issue caused by the impact of Hurricane Beryl,” the company said at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. “We apologize for the inconvenience and are working with the third party to resolve this as quickly as possible.” The Bexar County…

Predicted Weakening of Ocean’s Overturning Circulation

“My work shows that we need to look more carefully at how ocean biology can affect the climate,” said Dr. Jonathan Lauderdale.

How will climate change influence the ocean’s circulation in the future? This is what a recent study published in Nature Communications hopes to address as a researcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) investigated how could hinder the ocean’s mechanisms of transferring carbon between the ocean floor and the planet’s atmosphere. This study holds the potential to help researchers, climate scientists, and the public better understand the long-term impacts of climate change and what steps that can be taken to mitigate them.

For the study, Dr. Jonathan Lauderdale, who is a Research Scientist in the Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate (PAOC) at MIT used models to challenge previous studies pertaining to the transfer of nutrients, specifically carbon, between the ocean floor and the Earth’s atmosphere, with an emphasis on a specific class of molecules called “ligands”. These previous studies dating back 40 years have hypothesized that weaker ocean circulation results in reduced levels of carbon dioxide being transferred to the atmosphere.

However, Dr. Lauderdale’s models indicate opposite results, meaning the amount of carbon dioxide being transferred to the atmosphere increases with decreasing ocean circulation. Upon further investigation, Dr. Lauderdale found that ligand concentrations between different ocean regions play a crucial role in determining this new trend regarding ocean circulation and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

9000-year-old ‘Stonehenge-like’ structure discovered at the bottom of Lake Michigan

Dr. Mark Holley, a distinguished underwater archaeology professor at Northwestern Michigan University, recently unearthed a prehistoric structure in the bay that has drawn comparisons to England’s iconic Stonehenge. Located approximately 40 feet beneath Lake Michigan’s surface, this remarkable find is poised to transform our understanding of the region’s ancient history.

The submerged stones, although smaller than those at Stonehenge, appear to be meticulously arranged. These stones, varying in size from basketballs to compact cars, form a meandering line over a mile long. Among them, a particularly notable rock stands out. It measures three and a half to four feet tall and five feet wide, and features a carving of a mastodon—a testament to an era when these majestic creatures roamed the Earth.

The stones are estimated to be around 9,000 years old, predating Stonehenge by about 4,000 years. This period follows the end of the Ice Age and the formation of Grand Traverse Bay, when the lake bed had not yet been submerged.

Texas Dam Under ‘Potential Failure Watch’

In addition to storm surge along the Texas coast, Hurricane Beryl is expected to bring flooding to rivers and creeks inland. That’s raising new concerns about a dam that’s already damaged from flooding earlier this year. Watch the video to see where the problem is and how it could impact drinking water for millions of people. — Videos from The Weather Channel | weather.com

Inside The Secret Deals Between Tech Companies And Nuclear Power Plants

Tech companies, including Amazon Web Services, are striking deals with U.S. nuclear power plants to secure electricity for their data centers, driven by the skyrocketing demands of artificial intelligence. This move promises 24/7 carbon-free power but stirs controversy, as it could divert existing energy supplies, raise prices, and increase reliance on natural gas. These nuclear-powered data centers might accelerate the AI race, but they also spark debates over economic development, grid reliability, and climate goals. Could this be the future of tech or a risky gamble with unforeseen consequences?

As reported by WSJ, tech businesses searching the country for electrical supplies have focused on one important target: America’s nuclear power facilities.

The owners of about one-third of the United States’ nuclear power reactors are in negotiations with technology companies about providing electricity to new data centers needed to satisfy the needs of an artificial intelligence boom.

Exploring the radiative effects of precipitation on Arctic amplification and energy budget

One of the key metrics for climate modeling is radiative forcing. Most climate models, including the general circulation models (GCMs), focus on the effects of different atmospheric factors on radiative forcing. However, there are still large uncertainties in satellite observations and multi-model simulations associated with some atmospheric factors.

Among them, clouds are a known source of uncertainty in GCMs, leading to radiative biases. However, another possible source of radiative uncertainty is associated with .

In principle, precipitating particles affect by disrupting incoming shortwave and outgoing longwave radiations. But most conventional GCMs in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) treat precipitation diagnostically and exclude the radiative effects of precipitation (REP). Extracting the magnitude of REP in climate models is challenging because of complicated atmosphere-ocean feedback and multi-model variabilities.

Planetary Boundary Layer Revealed: Satellites Illuminate Atmospheric Mysteries

New research has unraveled the complex dynamics of the planetary boundary layer, enhancing satellite detection of atmospheric pollutants and aiding environmental management and climate modeling efforts.

A new study has provided groundbreaking insights into Earth’s planetary boundary layer (PBL), a crucial area that affects air quality and climate. By analyzing satellite data, researchers have explored how the temperature gradient from the surface to the atmosphere impacts the identification of atmospheric pollutants, offering a deeper understanding of atmospheric thermal contrasts (TC).

The endeavor to keep tabs on and curb air pollution has been stymied by the enigmatic nature of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). This atmospheric strip, in constant caresses with the Earth’s surface, is a hotbed for pollutants. Yet, its mercurial dance through time and across geographies presents a formidable scientific puzzle. Given these hurdles, an in-depth dissection of the thermal contrast (TC) that delineates this layer is imperative.