Environment Discovery

Scientists remove a nest of Asian giant hornets in Washington State. Photo Credit: WSDA Asian Giant Hornets The first nest of Asian giant hornets (murder hornets) in the United States in 2021 was eradicated on August 25  in Washington State. A resident noticed a live murder hornet on August 11, and experts from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture placed tracking devices on three of the hornets to find the nest. (That must have been challenging)! Scientist don't know exactly how the Asian giant hornets arrived here. Like many invasive species, the hornets may have traveled  on container ships. First found in the U.S and Canada in December 2019, murder hornets  ( Vespa mandarinia ) are the largest hornet species in the world. Their stinger is longer than most hornets' and they can sting through standard beekeeping attire. Their venom is more toxic and they can sting more than once.  Murder hornets don't generally a

  Photo by Allen Kaluzniak I've always found space exploration fascinating. I still remember the excitement when hearing about our first attempts to orbit the earth, our challenge to reach the moon. I still feel my family's amazement as Neil Armstrong took his first steps there in 1969.  The moon is garnering new interest lately. NASA's Artemis Mission will establish a long-term presence on the moon to continue scientific discovery and technology innovation. As such, they plan to implement  sustainable infrastructure using in-situ resources .  Understanding the critical importance of water, NASA's astronauts will collect and remove large amounts of water and icy regolith, a loose rocky soil layer, from an area near the moon's south pole. To find the best way to accomplish this, NASA opened the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge  in November 2020.  On August 18, 2021 NASA awarded $500,000 in prizes to the winners of Phase 1 . In this phase, teams designed a system to col

  Northeast Florida Coastline Aerial Photography by Donna Kaluzniak After spending a lifetime in the water industry I'm still in love with water. I found Global Water Works (GWW) (actually they found me), and love the organization and the website. With over 1500 members , Global Water Works is a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the world's water crises in the next generation.  Water technology is one of the main topics, but all water issues and new solutions are discussed and highlighted. Various groups within the site focus on topics such as Atmospheric Water Generation (getting water from air); NextGen (info and tools for the next generation); Plastic Pollution; Women in Water; Smart Water (digital water solutions); GlobalWaterWorks for the Navajo Nation and more.  GWW has an up-to-date list of events - water conferences, webcasts, and expos - for everything water. And virtual collaboration meetings for GWW members are offered as well. Water is a critical resou

The deadly Covid-19 virus has most everyone staying home for social distancing to flatten the curve. Many national and state parks are closed, beaches are closed, and some states have stay-at-home orders. The situation is stressful for the healthy--even more so for those who are sick, or have loved ones who are sick. And especially for those who have lost someone. Getting a dose of nature can help relieve that stress , even if it's just looking out the window. If you have a yard or a patio, try watching the backyard birds, lizards, squirrels, and other neighborhood critters. (Just be sure to stay at least 6 feet away from the neighbors). Enjoy the fresh air. Look up at the clouds. And if you can't get outside, studies show just looking at photos of nature can help you relax.

North American Right Whale and Calf Image Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,  NOAA Research Permit #665-1652  The North American right whales are the most endangered large whale species. Less than 400 of these majestic whales remain. The coastal waters off Georgia and Florida are the only known calving areas. In fact, the first right whale calf of the 2018-2019 season was spotted on December 28 near the mouth of the St. Johns River, swimming north. Right whales were nearly hunted into extinction, but today the major threats are from ship strikes or becoming entangled in fishing gear. Aerial surveys are conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute from December through March to help reduce ship strikes, but whale spotters can relay information to a central number to notify boaters, harbor pilots and ships' captains of their locations. Become a Right Whale Spotter The Nassau County Sierra Club and the Amelia Island Right Whale

Dolphin at Marineland, FL Photo by Donna Kaluzniak My last blog post was about The Ocean Cleanup , a massive project for removing plastic debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). After successfully completing Pacific trials in September 2018, the long trip to the GPGP began. On October 16, 2018 System 001, nicknamed "Wilson," was deployed. After tweaking and testing Wilson through November and December, it appeared the system was attracting and concentrating plastic, but could not retain it. At the end of December, the crew found that an 18-meter end-section of the system became detached. The December 31, 2018 Project Update noted the crew planned to return to port earlier than planned, and as soon as weather permitted. This allows them to make necessary upgrades to the system. Even with the malfunction, Wilson and the crew are bringing back 2,000 kilograms of plastic recovered by the system and from ghost net fishing. Some setbacks are to be exp

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay  I've talked about The Ocean Cleanup before on this blog. The Ocean Cleanup is the most ambitious project of its kind. The goal is to clean up 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world. Located between California and Hawaii, it's one of five gyres (circular systems of ocean currents) that accumulate plastic garbage. Once the plastic is retrieved, it's hoped that most of it can be recycled. The GPGP is twice the size of Texas and contains an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic with a total weight of about 80,000 tons. The Ocean Cleanup technology includes passive floating barriers to concentrate and capture the debris. Natural ocean forces are used to capture the debris. Electronics used for monitoring and controlling the system are all solar powered. The system is modular, allowing improvements to be made based on experience and funding. What's Been Comp

Comet 46P/Wirtanen Image Credit: NASA Just a quick post to let you know about this year's brightest comet. On December 16, 2018 Wirtanen, also called Comet 46P, will be closer to the earth than it has been for over four centuries. It will be a mere 7.1 million miles away, or about 30 times the distance of the moon. Wirtanen may be visible to the naked eye, but ambient light and the nearly full moon could make it hard to see. Binoculars or a telescope would be better. Check the website Time and Date to find out the best time to view the comet. Wirtanen will appear as a diffuse green object. If you can't get outside to watch it, go to The Virtual Telescope Project to watch it online!

Jupiter's South Pole Photo captured by the NASA's JunoCam, Enhanced by Donna Kaluzniak On December 21, 2018, NASA's Juno spacecraft will mark its halfway point for collecting data on the planet Jupiter. Juno is soaring over Jupiter's clouds in an elliptical orbit around the north and south poles. Juno was launched August 5, 2011 and reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016. The goal is to discover more about the planet's structure, origins, atmosphere, and magnetic fields. Juno's already provided a first photo of Jupiter's ring, and scientific data on its radiation belts. But what makes this mission so special to me is the JunoCam Community .  The JunoCam community encourages the public to actively participate in this mission! Yes, you can take part in this historic, scientific, and extremely cool project. The JunoCam website gives you all the information you need to participate in planning, discussion, decision making, image processing, and analysi