Source: Documents reveal Trump’s plan to gut funding for Nasa and climate science | Nasa | The Guardian The administration is planning to slash budgets at both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (Noaa) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), according to internal budget documents, taking aim specifically at programs used to study impacts from the climate crisis. Craig McLean, a longtime director of the office of oceanic and atmospheric research (OAR) who retired in 2022, told the Guardian that the cuts were draconian and would “compromise the safety, economic competitiveness, and security of the American people”. If the plan is approved by Congress, funding for OAR would be eviscerated – cut from $485m to $171m – dismantling an important part of the agency’s mission. . . . God laughs! Well NOAA can be replaced by a box of sharpies: Bob Wilson
interesting that leon wants to cut climate studies, after starting a car company based on reducing carbon
That is why I think he has descended into "John Nash" style insanity. In 2017 when he quit because of the withdraw from the Paris Accords but today, a 180 degree change. But I've seen two examples of sudden insanity before. John Nash eventually recovered over years but I don't think Tesla and his other private businesses have that long. Bob Wilson
They have already cut so many jobs at NOAA and meteorologists are already complaining about loss of upper level data sets due to lack of staffing. This data loss hurts the whole world because even the EU and Asian weather services depend on this data. In the bigger picture this clumsy and unsophisticated anti-modernism attempt to turn back the clock on society to make the rich even richer and the poor even poorer is going to to lead to all kinds of unexpected tragedies. The history books will teach future generations about how this led to some of the most easily avoidable problems that they pretended no longer existed because they thought they could make up their own reality to serve their needs. Going backwards in life, either personally or as a whole society is one of the most destructive things you can do. We'll realize that we paid a heavy price for it when we one day look back on it...
Rumor has it that the climate is being ruined by Musk's numerous rockets, which are piercing the upper atmosphere. In the time of the dinosaurs, no one launched rockets and the dinosaurs lived long, happily and happily. And then they died on the same day.
While there's potential for rocket emissions to eventually add up at scale, currently there's not enough launches to come anywhere close to all the way more massive emission sources that the other 8 billion people are generating.
"look at all the oil they made for us, very forward thinking creatures" I prefer to believe that @bisco known that petroleum was derived from marine and freshwater algae. Most was formed during dino times (252 to 66 million years ago). There just seems to have been a lot of geologically trappable goo then.
Had it also something to do with not a lot of fungi well-adapted to breaking it down yet? Thought I read that somewhere. Maybe our goo decomposes faster now.
(Proper) wood containing lignin escaped decomposition for many millions of years before fungal enzymes evolved to handle it. The weird trick was/is that lignin is a disordered polymer. Most enzymes fit into 'slots' on their targets. Lignin does not offer slots like that. The weird counter trick was/is enzymes launching small highly reactive (oxygen-containing) molecules at random, some of which hit and break lignin. During that 'missile gap' most of world's coal was laid down. That is all about wood and not petroleum (or precursors). The latter is enzyme-friendly so to speak; it can only in the long term escape fungi (or bacteria for that matter) by being where oxygen is not. Thanks for opportunity to speak on one of my faves
"While there's potential for rocket emissions to eventually add up at scale, currently there's not enough launches to come anywhere close to all the way more massive emission sources that the other 8 billion people are generating." I'd like to part that out. Solid rocket fuel and hypergolics are of interest for pollution of troposphere because combustion products are novel. Those are not likely to become much more than now in future rocket launches, being non reusable. Reusable rocket use oxygen and kerosene or methane. Their combustion products are not novel in troposphere, but very much so in stratosphere. Those launches will increase very much in future, and stratosphere scientists are looking at that. Or, I would be very surprised if they are not.
On topic, US govt agencies launch balloons to measure 'up there' from many locations daily and distribute data freely. There may be fewer of those in future. US govt agencies operate a large number of look-down satellites that also provide information essential for weather monitoring and modeling. There may be less promulgation of those in future.
It's time to replace scientific probes and research rockets with metal phalluses and a ladies' stroll.
Personally, I would like every aircraft with automatic tracing systems add temperature, humidity, and the difference between GPS and airspeed. In effect, make every one of those vehicles into a weather balloon replacement. Bob Wilson
A few commercial aircraft sample [CO2] en route. T is always measured but probably not logged/saved. RH not ever I think. These are sampling platforms of high number, but mostly operating from 9 to 12 km. An incomplete vertical slice. Slice problem is same for wind speeds.
I have to do the maths but I suspect low earth orbiting satellites could cover the rest of the column as well as surface or near surface sources. Bob Wilson
