[GWSG] Less groundwater; Paris to Pittsburgh; COP 24 analysis; C grasses; divestments; new coal bankruptcy

[Tilley, Al]

1. A U of Arizona study of groundwater levels has found that potable waters often do not go as deep in the ground as supposed and may have been contaminated by fracking for gas and oil. “The new research found the average depth of transition from fresh to brackish groundwater in the U.S. overall is about 1,800 feet, which contradicts previous studies suggesting that fresh groundwater extends down to 6,500 feet.” https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/us-groundwater-peril-potable-supply-less-thought?fbclid=IwAR2zCHb6-udpYKrLcl1jijbzr8Vb4DIfN1_ED_e91DMgPNT6yuX1LMGnQgw
[https://cdn.uanews.arizona.edu/s3fs-public/styles/2015_story_featured_fp/public/story-images/debra_perrone.jpg?itok=5BbObONV]<https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/us-groundwater-peril-potable-supply-less-thought?fbclid=IwAR2zCHb6-udpYKrLcl1jijbzr8Vb4DIfN1_ED_e91DMgPNT6yuX1LMGnQgw>

U.S. Groundwater in Peril: Potable Supply Less Than Thought<https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/us-groundwater-peril-potable-supply-less-thought?fbclid=IwAR2zCHb6-udpYKrLcl1jijbzr8Vb4DIfN1_ED_e91DMgPNT6yuX1LMGnQgw>
uanews.arizona.edu
The U.S. groundwater supply is smaller than originally thought, according to a new research study that includes a University of Arizona hydrologist. The study provides important insights into the depths of underground fresh and brackish water in some of the most prominent sedimentary basins across the U.S. The research by scientists from the University of Saskatchewan, the UA and the University of California, Santa Barbara was published Nov. 14 in Environmental Research Letters.



2. Paris to Pittsburgh aired on the National Geographic channel Dec. 12. The profile of climate action on the local and state levels is a heartening hour and a half of up-to-date information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe1kLjww7bw
[https://www.bing.com/th?id=OVF.%2bBXHyOiQG4B%2bysaaSRxOhw&pid=Api]<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe1kLjww7bw>

Paris to Pittsburgh - Full Episode | National Geographic<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe1kLjww7bw>
www.youtube.com
As the weather grows more deadly and destructive, Americans are demanding solutions to climate change — and they aren’t waiting on Washington to act. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class ...



3. The Guardian goes over what was accomplished at COP 24 and what lies ahead to be done. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/16/what-was-agreed-at-cop24-in-poland-and-why-did-it-take-so-long
[https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fb7a40698a153e0c5d40c3dd88fe4c9d9eab887d/0_47_3500_2100/master/3500.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&s=3231b059f1a77e8a10cb7c84cfd753cb]<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/16/what-was-agreed-at-cop24-in-poland-and-why-did-it-take-so-long>

What was agreed at COP24 in Poland and why did it take so long? | Environment | The Guardian<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/16/what-was-agreed-at-cop24-in-poland-and-why-did-it-take-so-long>
www.theguardian.com
Were countries united at the talks? The US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait joined forces to prevent the conference fully embracing the IPCC’s findings, watering down a statement to a weak ...



4. Seagrasses store carbon four times as quickly as forests, and store ten times as much per unit of area. Deep water seagrass beds are much more common than we had supposed but are threatened. https://www.wabe.org/deep-seagrass-bed-could-stall-climate-change-if-climate-change-doesnt-kill-it-fi/
[https://www.wabe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gettyimages-454427891_custom-36d471720410cb6431d89e0c31878279437006c1.jpg]<https://www.wabe.org/deep-seagrass-bed-could-stall-climate-change-if-climate-change-doesnt-kill-it-fi/>

Deep Seagrass Bed Could Stall Climate Change, If Climate Change Doesn't Kill It First | 90.1 FM WABE<https://www.wabe.org/deep-seagrass-bed-could-stall-climate-change-if-climate-change-doesnt-kill-it-fi/>
www.wabe.org
Amid a sea of dire climate change news, researchers say they’ve found a rare bright spot. A meadow of seagrass among Australia’s Great Barrier Reef — estimated to be twice the size of New Jersey — is soaking up and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to global warming.


Seagrass permaculture grows seagrasses on racks in deep waters. When they die, they take their carbon to the bottom where much of it remains for hundreds to thousands of years. Brian Von Herzen has designed a form of marine permaculture which uses wave power to pump nutrient-rich cooler water from lower to the upper layers where it feeds kelp in an open framework. The seaweed provides a nursery for fish and shellfish, and when it dies sequesters carbon on the sea floor. By absorbing carbon, it neutralizes acidification so that creatures can form shells. Because it is placed at least 25 meters deep it will not interfere with surface shipping. https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/coming-attractions/marine-permaculture
[https://www.drawdown.org/sites/default/files/solutions/solution_marinepermaculture01.jpg]<https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/coming-attractions/marine-permaculture>

Marine Permaculture | Drawdown<https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/coming-attractions/marine-permaculture>
www.drawdown.org
Project Drawdown is the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. We gathered a qualified and diverse group of researchers from around the world to identify, research, and model the 100 most substantive, existing solutions to address climate change. What was uncovered is a path forward that can roll back global warming within thirty years.


 Von Herzen’s Climate Foundation at Woods Hole has been piloting his marine permaculture systems for the past few years. (I know I’ve run this before. I may run it again as we find out new details, just as a reminder that we know a cheap and ready way to sequester substantial amounts of carbon.)   http://www.climatefoundation.org/marine-permaculture.html
[http://www.climatefoundation.org/uploads/3/0/2/0/30209783/sardines.jpg?312]<http://www.climatefoundation.org/marine-permaculture.html>

Climate Foundation: Marine Permaculture<http://www.climatefoundation.org/marine-permaculture.html>
www.climatefoundation.org
The Climate Foundation is dedicated to moderate and reverse the effects of climate change in critical ecosystems.



5.  Six years ago Stephen Mulkey (as list members may recall, he’s an ecologist, not a physicist) told Bill McKibben at a rally that the board of Unity College had voted to divest from fossil fuels. Now more than a thousand institutions have followed suit with just under $8 trillion of investments, and the fossil fuel industry is concerned. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/16/divestment-fossil-fuel-industry-trillions-dollars-investments-carbon
[https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f731b64c76a7eef42bc58410d8d9fdf6f42eeaef/0_97_4163_2498/master/4163.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctb3BpbmlvbnMucG5n&s=d054b8c79c9286ebfd021031633ca808]<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/16/divestment-fossil-fuel-industry-trillions-dollars-investments-carbon>

At last, divestment is hitting the fossil fuel industry where it hurts | Bill McKibben | Opinion | The Guardian<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/16/divestment-fossil-fuel-industry-trillions-dollars-investments-carbon>
www.theguardian.com
I remember well the first institution to announce it was divesting from fossil fuel. It was 2012 and I was on the second week of a gruelling tour across the US trying to spark a movement. Our ...



6. The sixth largest coal company in the US has filed for bankruptcy, the fourth to do so in the last few years. https://cleantechnica.com/2018/12/16/6th-largest-us-coal-company-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/
[https://cleantechnica.com/files/2018/12/westcoal.png]<https://cleantechnica.com/2018/12/16/6th-largest-us-coal-company-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/>

6th Largest US Coal Company Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy | CleanTechnica<https://cleantechnica.com/2018/12/16/6th-largest-us-coal-company-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/>
cleantechnica.com
With 19 mines in the US and in Canada, Westmoreland Coal Co. is the 6th largest coal company in America, but it recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.



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