Environment

LANL: Leaky Plumbing Impedes Greenland Ice Sheet Flow

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 25, 2016
On the Greenland Ice Sheet, the ice flow more than doubles in speed in many regions during summer, as surface melt drains to the bed and lubricates the motion. This acceleration sends ice to the sea faster. However, the motion also slows down in late summer, fall, and winter, which largely offsets the summer speedup. New modeling data shows that a complex drainage system beneath the ice holds the giant sheet back more than previously understood. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Surface meltwater that drains to the bed of the Greenland Ice Sheet each summer causes changes in ice flow that cannot be fully Read More

PEEC Bird Of The Week: The Hairy Woodpecker

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 24, 2016
Hairy woodpecker. Courtesy photo
 
By BOB WALKER
PEEC

The Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) is one of the most common and abundant of the North American Woodpeckers.

They are not as common at the Los Alamos Nature Center as the Acorn Woodpeckers frequently seen, but there have been many reports of Hairy Woodpeckers in the area.

Slightly smaller than the Acorn Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker enjoys the suet feeder and the various seed mixes we use. Away from feeders, they tend to be shyer than Acorn Woodpeckers.

The Hairy Woodpecker has a black-and-white striped face, all-white belly, Read More

WIPP Cleared To Resume Waste Emplacement

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 23, 2016

WIPP News:

Today the Department of Energy (DOE) authorized Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP) to resume waste emplacement in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

This decision confirms that all pre-start corrective actions identified in the two operational readiness reviews have been completed and properly validated and other required actions were completed.

It is anticipated that the first waste emplacement will be completed in early January 2017 after final ground control preparations are completed.

Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) Manager Todd Shrader said, “Extensive efforts to identify Read More

DOE Awards Cooperative Agreement To Nambe Pueblo

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 23, 2016

CARLSBAD — The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office has awarded a $250,000 five-year cooperative agreement to the Nambe Pueblo for the coordination of activities to ensure the safe transportation of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

Activities under the cooperative agreement focus on technical assistance to be provided through training and exercises for the New Mexico Pueblo to prepare emergency responders and emergency management for continued assurance of safe and uneventful transportation of radioactive waste through the Pueblo Read More

Bandelier Closed Due To Weather

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 22, 2016

Bandelier entrance sign. Courtesy/NPS

BANDELIER News:

Bandelier has closed today due to the winter snow storm and will not open again until at least 10 a.m. Friday. 

Also, the Visitor Center will be closed Dec. 25, but, weather permitting, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 will be normal days with the park and Visitor Center open. Read More

PEEC And BBBS Ask For Help To Get Kids Outside

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 22, 2016
Big Brothers and Big Sisters Mountain Region provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Courtesy image
 
PEEC News:
 
Want to help kids get outside? The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) and Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) are providing an opportunity to make a difference in a powerful and personal way by starting a new program that can flourish with the help of volunteers.
 
BBBS has a long waiting list, especially for boys wanting a
Read More

Letter To The Editor: Obama’s Last Chance To Protect Grand Canyon

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 22, 2016
By Hannah Perkins and Dan McGuinness
Environment New Mexico, Golden Dawn Gallery
 
While climbing into ancient cavates and hiking through the beautiful wilderness of Bandelier National Monument a few weeks ago, I was struck by the thought, what if we hadn’t protected this?
 
What would have happened to sites of the ancestral pueblo culture and the miles of natural wonders if this hadn’t been designated as a national monument one hundred years ago?

Bandelier National Monument doesn’t just preserve history, culture, and nature. It also allows tourism to thrive in Los Alamos and other

Read More

Daily Postcard: Snow Falls As Christmas Nears

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 22, 2016

Daily Postcard: Snow is covering the area this morning including Aster Street in the Pinon Trails neighborhood in White Rock. The National Weather Service reports a daytime high of 35 with this morning’s snow likely turning to rain this afternoon. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible. Tonight’s low will reach around 31. Friday’s forecast includes a high of near 43 with a 30 percent chance of snow and a low of around 26. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

 
Read More

LANL’s Short Animation On Asteroid Ocean Impacts Takes A First Prize

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 21, 2016
Asteroid visualization team. Courtesy photo
 
By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post
 
For the second year in a row, a Los Alamos data visualization team won the Best Visualization and Data Analytics Showcase Award at Supercomputing 2016 in Salt Lake City last month.
 
The content of their 4-minute video illustrates varying degrees of threats from different types and sizes of asteroids landing in the ocean.
 
There’s a lot of traffic bustling about in the vicinity of Earth, not only the objects that orbit the planet, but also asteroids that
Read More

Santa Fe National Forest Announces Holiday Closures

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 21, 2016
SFNF News:
 
SANTA FE ― All Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) offices will be closed Monday, Dec. 26 and Monday, Jan. 2 in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. 
 
Forest offices will resume regular business hours Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Jan. 3, respectively.
 
Cut-your-own Christmas tree permits are still available at SFNF offices and select vendors through Friday, Dec. 23. Fourth-graders with an Every Kid in a Park pass are entitled to a free Christmas tree permit. For more information, review the press
Read More

PEEC: Planetarium Line-up For Dec. 23

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 21, 2016
 
PEEC News:
 
At 7 p.m., Friday, Dec 23, local astronomers will share information about the sun and the winter solstice in the Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium.
 
The winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, also signifies the first day of winter. Astronomers will use the planetarium dome to reveal how this cosmic dynamic works and share more information about our solar system.
 
The nature center is closed Dec. 23-24 as well as Jan. 1 for the holidays. Otherwise, the nature center will be open regular
Read More

DOE Awards Co-op Agreement To New Mexico Energy, Confederated Tribes Of Umatilla Indian Reservation

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 20, 2016

DOE News:

CARLSBAD — The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office Monday awarded a $375,000, five-year cooperative agreement to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Pendleton, Ore. for the coordination of activities to ensure the safe transportation of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

Activities under the cooperative agreement focus on technical assistance to be provided through training and exercises for the Indian Nation to prepare emergency responders and emergency management for the continued assurance of safe

Read More

Secretary Jewell Celebrates Milestones For Smart Western Water Management

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 19, 2016
USDI News:
 
LAS VEGAS ― U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor celebrated milestones for two collaborative efforts the Interior Department has spearheaded to help secure sustainable water supplies for future generations.
 
They made the announcements at the Colorado River Water Users Association meeting in Las Vegas.
 
First, Secretary Jewell finalized the framework to adaptively manage the Glen Canyon Dam over the next 20 years, with the goal of creating certainty and predictability for water
Read More

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell Leads Call To Protect National Laboratory Employees From Blacklisting

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 19, 2016

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell

CONGRESSIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA15) today led 26 members of Congress, including Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), in sending President-elect Donald Trump their vow to defend the scientific freedom of employees at the Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories, following reports that Trump’s transition team sought personal information regarding department employees’ work on climate change.

Swalwell’s district includes Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories. The Trump transition Read More

Daily Postcard: Moon Glows Through Trees

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 19, 2016

Daily Postcard: The moon glows through tree branches at a residence Thursday night on Oakwood Loop near downtown Los Alamos. Photo by Leland Lehman/ladailypost.com Read More

WIPP’s Long Closure Nears End

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 18, 2016

WIPP officials at the Carlsbad Town Hall Meeting from left, Phil Briedenbach, president and project director of the Nuclear Weapons Partnership, DOE’s operational readiness review team leader, Ed Westbrook, Carlsbad Field Office Manager Todd Shrader, along with John Heaton, the moderator. ScreenShot Photo

 

By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post

Thanks to Internet video streaming, informational meetings in the two-and-a-half year struggle to re-open the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Southern New Mexico are accessible not only to the people of Carlsbad but for people Read More

Joaquin Prescribed Pile Burn Continues On Santa Fe National Forest, Jemez And Cuba Ranger Districts

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 15, 2016
SFNF News:
 
SANTA FE ― Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest are planning to continue the Joaquin prescribed pile burn on Thursday, Dec. 15, if conditions, including air quality and weather forecasts, remain favorable. 
 
The 60-acre treatment area sits on the boundary between the Jemez and Cuba Ranger Districts.
 
Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire-adapted ecosystems. These fires mimic natural fires by reducing forest fuels, recycling nutrients and increasing habitat
Read More
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