Department of Earth & Environmental Science at New Jersey City University

How climate change alters the water cycle;
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-023-00104-6 -info

Hello everyone, sadly, today is the last day of the Department of Earth & Environmental Science at New Jersey City University .The department has been sunsetted and due to close at midnight tonight. We thank all of our majors for their support, and effort towards their degrees. New Jersey City University is committed to their graduation and finishing their program progress.  Take care everyone, and be well.

Why Record-Breaking Wildfires Are Burning In Canada - Videos from The Weather Channel Nearly every province in Canada has at least one active wildfire. Hundreds of fires are said to be burning “out of control.” Recently, the all-time record for most area burned in Canada was broken — the most since 1989. With much more summer ahead, this wildfire season could shape up to be qui...

Your July Temperature Outlook - Videos from The Weather Channel Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari has your July temperature outlook. - Videos from The Weather Channel | weather.com

Light pollution is having a moment!

Science Magazine recently published a special issue on the topic, examining the effects of light pollution on the natural world, human health, and the night sky.

Here are some of the key findings from the issue:

♦︎ Light pollution can have a significant impact on wildlife. It can disrupt natural patterns of behavior, migration, and reproduction.
♦︎ Light pollution can also have a negative impact on human health. It can disrupt sleep, increase the risk of chronic diseases, and even cancer.
♦︎ Light pollution can also contribute to climate change. It can increase energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

As the journal notes, the good news is that light pollution is not inevitable. By using less light, directing it more carefully, and choosing the right type of light, we can reduce light pollution and protect the night sky.

Here are some things you can do to help:

✨Turn off lights when you don't need them.
✨Use motion-sensor lights or timers to turn lights on and off automatically.
✨Choose light fixtures that emit less light pollution.
✨Support policies that promote light pollution reduction.

Together, we can make a difference for the night sky and the planet!

https://www.science.org/toc/science/380/6650

How did the Canadian wildfires start? A look at what's causing the fires that covered the East Coast in smoke Canada is on track to have its most destructive wildfire season in history — and climate change has set the stage.

On Thursday, the Assembly passed a bill (S1727/A3393) that designates Franklinite the official mineral of the state of New Jersey.
“Franklinite is as unique to New Jersey as the Pine Barrens are, and was the driving force behind the state’s thriving mining industry in the 19th and 20th centuries,” Assemblyman Parker Space (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris), one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said. “The discovery and mining of this rare ore built Franklin. Its importance can’t be overstated.”

In 1819, French geologist Pierre Berthier discovered Franklinite, a reddish-brown or black zinc ore found only in Franklin and Ogdensburg boroughs and named for Benjamin Franklin. More than 33 million tons of zinc were mined over 250 years, and used in products ranging from sunblock to car tires, to cosmetics and brass. More than 350 minerals were found in the areas two mines, 19 of them found nowhere else on Earth.

According to an oral history shared in the Daily Record back in 2015, driven by the demand for that rare ore, Franklin became a booming mining town for 60 years. However, after the ore was exhausted, the Franklin Mine eventually shut down in 1954, and Sterling Hill Mine in Ogdensburg in 1986.