NASA has detected hundreds of unexpected flashes reflecting off our planet
http://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-has-det...our-planet
EXCERPT: Hundreds of large flashes have been filmed reflecting off our planet, and they've helped NASA solve a mystery that stumped the likes of Carl Sagan more than two decades ago. These flashes are so large, you can see them from space, and they were originally thought to be caused by sunlight reflecting off the surface of the ocean. But then NASA started spotting them on land, and no one could say why. [...] "The source of the flashes is definitely not on the ground. It's definitely ice, and most likely solar reflection off of horizontally oriented particles," says [Alexander] Marshak. The research has yet to be peer-reviewed, so certain aspects of the discovery could change once it's been independently verified...
How the Colorado River’s Future Depends on California’s Salton Sea (interview)
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/05/16/salton-sea/
EXCERPT: California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, is an accident. It was created in 1905 when a levee broke on an irrigation canal, flooding a giant desert playa. Today it has become a sticking point in negotiations between three states over the future of the Colorado River. The Salton Sea now is a major stopover for birds on the Pacific Flyway. A total of 424 bird species have been observed on the Salton Sea so far.
The three states – California, Arizona and Nevada – are in the midst of negotiating a drought contingency plan (DCP). It would commit each state to reducing diversions from the Colorado River in order to prevent Lake Mead from shrinking to disastrously low levels. California is relying on Imperial Irrigation District to make a significant contribution, because it is the largest single diverter of Colorado River water. But if the district reduces its diversions, that will mean less farm runoff draining into the Salton Sea. This means the sea will shrink, causing a cascade of ecological problems for which the district is partly liable.
To help us understand all this, Water Deeply recently spoke with Michael Cohen, a senior research associate at the Pacific Institute, a water policy think-tank based in Oakland. Cohen specializes in Salton Sea and Colorado River issues....
MORE: https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/05/16/salton-sea/
http://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-has-det...our-planet
EXCERPT: Hundreds of large flashes have been filmed reflecting off our planet, and they've helped NASA solve a mystery that stumped the likes of Carl Sagan more than two decades ago. These flashes are so large, you can see them from space, and they were originally thought to be caused by sunlight reflecting off the surface of the ocean. But then NASA started spotting them on land, and no one could say why. [...] "The source of the flashes is definitely not on the ground. It's definitely ice, and most likely solar reflection off of horizontally oriented particles," says [Alexander] Marshak. The research has yet to be peer-reviewed, so certain aspects of the discovery could change once it's been independently verified...
How the Colorado River’s Future Depends on California’s Salton Sea (interview)
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/05/16/salton-sea/
EXCERPT: California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, is an accident. It was created in 1905 when a levee broke on an irrigation canal, flooding a giant desert playa. Today it has become a sticking point in negotiations between three states over the future of the Colorado River. The Salton Sea now is a major stopover for birds on the Pacific Flyway. A total of 424 bird species have been observed on the Salton Sea so far.
The three states – California, Arizona and Nevada – are in the midst of negotiating a drought contingency plan (DCP). It would commit each state to reducing diversions from the Colorado River in order to prevent Lake Mead from shrinking to disastrously low levels. California is relying on Imperial Irrigation District to make a significant contribution, because it is the largest single diverter of Colorado River water. But if the district reduces its diversions, that will mean less farm runoff draining into the Salton Sea. This means the sea will shrink, causing a cascade of ecological problems for which the district is partly liable.
To help us understand all this, Water Deeply recently spoke with Michael Cohen, a senior research associate at the Pacific Institute, a water policy think-tank based in Oakland. Cohen specializes in Salton Sea and Colorado River issues....
MORE: https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/05/16/salton-sea/