“A roaring glacial melt in Greenland where it’s 22C today and Danish officials say 12 billions tons of ice melted in 24 hours, yesterday”

On July 31st, the highest point on Greenland’s ice sheet experienced melting for only the ninth time in 2000 years. Here are all the years that has happened, including twice in the last decade.

Directly observed:

2019

2012

Seen in ice cores:

1889

1192

1094

992

758

753

244

From IFLScience: Things are only set to get worse in Greenland, too. The problem of melting polar ice creates a nasty positive feedback loop that meddles with the planet’s ability to cool off. Since ice is reflective, it does a good job at bouncing solar radiation back into space. However, with less ice, more of this heat energy is soaked up by the Earth and becomes trapped in the atmosphere.

While seasonal melting of the ice sheet is nothing unusual, these levels are staggeringly high and close to rivaling record levels seen in 2012 when the ice sheet lost about 250 billion tons of ice.

As if all of this wasn’t enough to jar you off your chair, considerable chunks of the Arctic are currently on fire – literally. This year’s baking weather has also seen an “unprecedented” number of fires burning in parts of the planet north of the Arctic Circle, including Greenland, Russia, Canada, and Alaska.

For years the water leaked in small pools despite community members reporting directly to city agencies. It worsens daily now and creates a mosquito breeding pond outside the Garden children’s area and the playground. It wastes water and likely does damage underground.

As the city heats up, sprinklers need to be kept on for children to cool off. The Council Member’s funding for the playground’s renovation is deeply appreciated and a few years away. We need a fix now.

Meanwhile the Department of Design and Construction replaces old water mains on both sides of the Park…

Call 311, get the complaint number, if you don’t get a satisfactory response? Send it to the Community Board 3 District Office. They will follow up –

sstetzer@cb3manhattan.org
212-533-6015

jshelton@cb3manhattan.org
212-533-5300 x205

“The global tree restoration potential”

The Guardian:

“..scientists have made the first calculation of how many more trees could be planted without encroaching on crop land or urban areas.”

As trees grow, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global heating. New research estimates that a worldwide planting programme could remove two-thirds of all the emissions that have been pumped into the atmosphere by human activities…”.

The analysis found there are 1.7 Billion hectares of treeless land on which 1.2 Trillion native tree saplings would naturally grow. That area is about 11% of all land and equivalent to the size of the US and China combined.

The scientists specifically excluded all fields used to grow crops and urban areas from their analysis. But they did include grazing land, on which the researchers say a few trees can also benefit sheep and cattle.

“This new quantitative evaluation shows [forest] restoration isn’t just one of our climate change solutions, it is overwhelmingly the top one,” said Prof Tom Crowther at the Swiss university ETH Zürich, who led the research. “What blows my mind is the scale. I thought restoration would be in the top 10, but it is overwhelmingly more powerful than all of the other climate change solutions proposed.”

Crowther emphasised that it remains vital to reverse the current trends of rising greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and forest destruction, and bring them down to zero. He said this is needed to stop the climate crisis becoming even worse and because the forest restoration envisaged would take 50-100 years to have its full effect of removing 200bn tonnes of carbon.

“Without freeing up the billions of hectares we use to produce meat and milk, this ambition is not realisable,” he said. Crowther said his work predicted just two to three trees per field for most pasture: “Restoring trees at [low] density is not mutually exclusive with grazing. In fact many studies suggest sheep and cattle do better if there are a few trees in the field.”

Crowther also said the potential to grow trees alongside crops such as coffee, cocoa and berries – called agro-forestry – had not been included in the calculation of tree restoration potential, and neither had hedgerows: “Our estimate of 0.9bn hectares [of canopy cover] is reasonably conservative.”

“..scientists said [avoid] monoculture plantation forests and respect for local and indigenous people were crucial to ensuring reforestation succeeds in cutting carbon and boosting wildlife.”

Published in AAA Science Magazine: “The global tree restoration potential”

“The potential for global forest cover

The restoration of forested land at a global scale could help capture atmospheric carbon and mitigate climate change. Bastin et al. used direct measurements of forest cover to generate a model of forest restoration potential across the globe (see the Perspective by Chazdon and Brancalion). Their spatially explicit maps show how much additional tree cover could exist outside of existing forests and agricultural and urban land. Ecosystems could support an additional 0.9 billion hectares of continuous forest. This would represent a greater than 25% increase in forested area, including more than 500 billion trees and more than 200 gigatonnes of additional carbon at maturity. Such a change has the potential to cut the atmospheric carbon pool by about 25%.

Abstract

The restoration of trees remains among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation. We mapped the global potential tree coverage to show that 4.4 billion hectares of canopy cover could exist under the current climate. Excluding existing trees and agricultural and urban areas, we found that there is room for an extra 0.9 billion hectares of canopy cover, which could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon in areas that would naturally support woodlands and forests. This highlights global tree restoration as our most effective climate change solution to date. However, climate change will alter this potential tree coverage. We estimate that if we cannot deviate from the current trajectory, the global potential canopy cover may shrink by ~223 million hectares by 2050, with the vast majority of losses occurring in the tropics. Our results highlight the opportunity of climate change mitigation through global tree restoration but also the urgent need for action.”

The Guardian:

“According to the UN, Ethiopia’s forest coverage was just 4% in the 2000s, down from 35% a century earlier”

“The planting is part of a national “green legacy” initiative to grow 4 Billion trees in the country this summer by encouraging every citizen to plant at least 40 seedlings. Public offices have reportedly been shut down in order for civil servants to take part.

Dr Dan Ridley-Ellis, the head of the centre for wood science and technology at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Trees not only help mitigate climate change by absorbing the carbon dioxide in the air, but they also have huge benefits in combating desertification and land degradation, particularly in arid countries. They also provide food, shelter, fuel, fodder, medicine, materials and protection of the water supply.

“This truly impressive feat is not just the simple planting of trees, but part of a huge and complicated challenge to take account of the short- and long-term needs of both the trees and the people. The forester’s mantra ‘the right tree in the right place’ increasingly needs to consider the effects of climate change, as well as the ecological, social, cultural and economic dimension.”

From Landscape Architecture Magazine by Zach Mortice:

“STATION TO STATION”

“It’s a very simple concept, these small interventions in multiple networks really have power.” -Gerchick

More than 300 species of birds migrate through New York City along the Atlantic Flyway each year. The goal of the art installation and avian habitat Birdlink, by Anina Gerchick, Associate ASLA, is to get a fraction of them to linger in the city for a bit.

Birdlink is an assemblage of stair-step bamboo and gabion planters stacked almost a dozen feet high, and intended to offer food and habitats for birds and other pollinators in urban areas outside major wildlife hubs such as Central Park or Jamaica Bay on Long Island. If you look closely, you’ll see bird varieties that shift with the seasons, as tides of migratory birds arrive and depart in New York City.”

“BirdLink is one part ecological public art, one part bird migration science”

“..planters are filled with native perennials, selected for their berries and seeds. There’s winterberry, beach plum, milkweed, goldenrod, switchgrass, and several sedges…”

“Species traveling along the Atlantic Flyway that might stop off at a Birdlink include red-headed woodpeckers,seaside sparrows, and eastern whip-poor-wills.  Long-distance travelers might be killdeer from Mexico and yellow warblers from Central and South America.”

Outdoors Activities During Mosquito Season

When is mosquito season in New York City?

Mosquitoes are generally active from April through October.

Is there a specific time of day when mosquitoes are most active?

Mosquitoes tend to be most active, and tend to bite more, between dusk and dawn, especially the species that can transmit West Nile virus.

Should I take personal precautions against mosquito bites during the day?

It is not necessary to take personal precautions during the day when mosquitoes are much less active. However, long pants, loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and socks should be worn during the day in areas where there are weeds, tall grass, or bushes. In addition, insect repellents containing the active ingredients DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus helps people reduce their exposure to mosquito bites that may cause West Nile virus. For more information, see the Insect Repellent Use and Safety Fact Sheet. Taking these precautions will minimize the possibility of exposure to mosquitoes.

Should I stay indoors and limit outdoor activities?

It is not necessary to limit outdoor activities but precautions should be taken from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

What can I do to reduce my risk of becoming infected with West Nile virus?

From June through October, when mosquitoes are most active, take the following precautions:

• Wear protective clothing such as long pants and long-sleeved shirts, particularly between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are searching for a blood meal.
• Avoid shaded, bushy areas where mosquitoes like to rest.
• Limit outdoor evening activity, especially at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Use an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus to help reduce exposure to mosquitoes. Always read the repellents label. For more information, see the Health Department’s Insect Repellent Use and Safety Fact Sheet.

What can I do to help reduce exposure to mosquitoes?

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing or slow moving water. Also weeds, tall grass, and bushes provide an outdoor resting place for mosquitoes. Standing water can accumulate in unused tires, cans, and other receptacles that collect water. Eliminate standing water and prevent mosquitoes:

• Eliminate any standing water that collects.
• Remove all discarded tires.
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or similar water holding containers.
• Make sure roof gutters drain properly. Clean clogged gutters in the spring and fall.
• Change the water in bird baths at least every 3 or 4 days.
• Turn over wheelbarrows when not in use.
• Remind or help neighbors to eliminate mosquito-breeding sites.

Some local hardware stores may carry a product called Mosquito Dunk® that contains a larvicide – Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) – for use in areas of standing water around the home. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommends eliminating standing water around the home to reduce breeding sites for mosquitoes and warns that direct handling of larvicides may cause skin and eye irritation. Use these products only as directed by manufacturer.

How will the public be notified in advance about spraying activities?

Residents can learn about adulticiding schedules in advance through public service announcements, the media, the online Mosquito Spraying Events Schedule, or by calling 311. DOHMH will provide notification at least 24 hours prior to a spray event.

If the City sprays pesticides, what should I do during the spraying?

If spraying occurs in an area where you are, DOHMH recommends that all individuals take the following precautions to avoid direct exposure to pesticides and to reduce the risk of any reactions to pesticides:

• Whenever possible, stay indoors during spraying.
• Some individuals are sensitive to pesticides. Persons with asthma or other respiratory conditions are encouraged to stay inside during spraying since there is a possibility that spraying could worsen these conditions.
• Air conditioners may remain on. But if you wish to reduce the possibility of indoor exposure to pesticides, set the air conditioner vent to the closed position, or choose the recirculate function.
• Remove toys, outdoor equipment and clothes from outside areas. If toys are left outside, wash them with soap and d water before using again.
• Wash skin and clothing exposed to pesticides with soap and water.
• Always wash your produce thoroughly before cooking or eating.

Anyone experiencing adverse reactions to pesticides should seek medical care or call 311 or the NYC Poison Control Center at (212) POISONS (764-7667) .

For more information on West Nile virus, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/health/wnv.

More Mosquito Info

• Learn About Mosquito-Borne Illnesses: West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, Dengue Fever, and Chikungunya
• Insect Repellent Use and Safety
• Mosquito Control Events Schedule
• Personal Precautions Against Mosquitoes
• Reducing Mosquito Exposure

DOH Alert:  DOHMH.Alert@dccnotify.com 

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 4:25 PM

NYC DOHMH Alert #18 – West Nile Virus – Detection of First Positive Mosquito Pools in 2019

• West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Staten Island and Queens.

• Mosquito activity in New York City usually peaks in July. To date, no human cases have been reported in NYC this year.

• WNV disease should be suspected in patients presenting with viral meningitis or encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, and/or symptoms compatible with West Nile fever, particularly now through October 31.

• The most sensitive screening test for WNV in humans is IgM enzyme immunoassay on cerebrospinal fluid and/or serum. Testing is widely available at commercial laboratories.
• PCR testing, while confirmatory, is less sensitive. However, it may be the best option for patients who are severely immunosuppressed and unable to mount a detectable immune response.

• Advise patients, especially adults 50 years and older or persons with weakened immune systems, to protect themselves from mosquito bites.

• Report all cases of encephalitis or any laboratory evidence of current or recent infection with WNV or any other arboviral infection to the Health Department.

West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes from Staten Island, Queens, and Brooklyn. You can find real-time surveillance data to monitor WNV activity in NYC at nyc.gov/health and search “WNV activity”. To date, there are a total of 61 positive mosquito pools (54 in Staten Island, 6 in Queens, and 1 in Brooklyn) in 2019 compared to 243 positive pools at the same time last season (2018). Mosquito populations are rising significantly following recent heavy rains. The Health Department has begun widespread larviciding and enhanced mosquito surveillance activities.

To date, there have been no human cases of WNV in NYC this year. As of July 9, 2019, a total of 39 cases of WNV disease have been reported this year across the United States, including one case in New Jersey.

West Nile Virus Surveillance and Reporting

The Health Department reminds medical providers to be alert for possible cases of WNV disease now through October 31, the peak adult mosquito season. Consider WNV in any patient with unexplained encephalitis, viral meningitis, or acute flaccid paralysis, as well as in patients with symptoms compatible with West Nile fever, which can include fever, maculopapular rash, headache, fatigue, weakness, joint and muscle pain, as well as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Laboratory Testing

Specimens for serologic testing for WNV should be sent to a commercial laboratory or your hospital laboratory, if available. The most sensitive screening test for WNV in humans is IgM enzyme immunoassay (EIA) on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or serum. WNV-specific IgM antibodies are usually detectable within 8 days of symptom onset. Viral RNA testing using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be done on CSF and serum but it is less sensitive than the immunoassay. A positive PCR result confirms infection, but a negative result does not rule it out. Always attempt to submit serum for serology when submitting specimens for PCR as a negative PCR does not necessarily rule out infection. PCR testing on CSF, or serum or plasma may be useful for severely immunocompromised patients and the only way to diagnose WNV infection in individuals who are unable to mount a detectable humoral immune responses. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining is also offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if brain tissue is available for testing. Health care providers wishing to submit CSF from patients with encephalitis to the New York State Wadsworth Center for the viral encephalitis PCR panel must adhere to the submission guidelines, which are available online (links listed below). In special cases, the NYC Health Department can assist with testing or transporting specimens to Wadsworth, e.g., cases potentially due to an unusual source of transmission, such as transfusion, transplant or laboratory exposure.

Updated “Guidelines for West Nile Virus Testing and Reporting Cases of Encephalitis and Viral Meningitis, West Nile and other Arboviral Infections” are available online at: http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/wnv/wnv-testing-instructions.pdf. This document includes a list of commercial laboratories that provide West Nile virus serologic testing, viral PCR or viral isolation testing, and links to the Wadsworth Center guidance for submitting CSF and serum for the PCR Viral Encephalitis* and Arboviral Serology* panels.

Viral Encephalitis PCR Summer Panel and Arboviral Serology Screen testing at Wadsworth Center’s Viral Encephalitis Laboratory (VEL)

PLEASE NOTE: Always attempt to submit serum for serology along with specimens submitted for the Arboviral PCR panel.

Instructions, forms and information for submitting specimens to the Wadsworth Center VEL for viral encephalitis PCR testing can be found at wadsworth.org/programs/id/virology/services/encephalitis:

1) Collection and submission of specimens for viral encephalitis testing

2) Infectious Diseases Requisition Form

3) The Wadsworth Center VEL shipping address for viral PCR panel specimens

Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya

Zika, dengue, and chikungunya are three other types of arboviruses occasionally diagnosed among NYC residents. These viruses are associated with travel to an endemic area or, for Zika virus, condomless sex with a person who has traveled to an endemic area. None are associated with encephalitis, but can result in illness similar to West Nile fever in which patients present with fever and rash.

For information on recognizing, diagnosing, and reporting these diseases, visit our website at nyc.gov/health and search by disease, or use the links below:

• Zika information for providers: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/providers/reporting-and-services/zika.page

• Dengue testing and reporting guidelines: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/cd/dengue-testing-and-reporting-guidance.pdf

• Chikungunya testing and reporting guidelines: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/cd/chikungunya-testing.pdf

Reporting to the Health Department:

Encephalitis should be reported routinely throughout the year, as required by the NYC Health Code. Arboviral infections, including West Nile virus, with laboratory evidence of recent or current infection should be reported immediately, as required by the NYC Health Code. For consultation or to report a case of WNV or other arboviral infections to the NYC Health Department:

• Call the Provider Access Line at 866-692-3641, or

• Fax the completed Universal Reporting Form to 347-396-2632, or

• Complete the electronic Universal Reporting Form at nyc.gov/health/diseasereporting

The successful detection and control of WNV in NYC has been due in large part to our Health Department’s ongoing excellent partnership with the city’s medical and laboratory communities. Thank you for your continuing efforts.

Sincerely,

Sally Slavinski, DVM, MPH, DACVPM

Assistant Director

Zoonotic, Influenza and Vector-borne Disease Unit

Bureau of Communicable Disease

Emily McGibbon, MPH

Research Scientist

Zoonotic, Influenza and Vector-borne Disease Unit

Bureau of Communicable Disease

_______________________________________________________________________________

“Millions of solar panels clustered together to form an island could convert carbon dioxide in seawater into methanol, which can fuel airplanes and trucks, according to new research from Norway and Switzerland and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, PNAS, as NBC News reported. The floating islands could drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.”

A single floating solar farm could produce more than 15,000 tons of methanol a year — enough to fuel a Boeing 737 airliner on more than 300 round-trip flights between New York City and Phoenix, according to NBC News reported.

Youth 4 Nature: Here

Share your personal, local story!

The deadline to submit a story and be considered to attend the UNSG Climate Action Summit has been extended! Share your story by July 28, 11:59pm PDT for the chance to join Youth4Nature in New York this September.

“We believe that youth have strong and compelling stories to share about the connections between nature and the climate crisis. Therefore, Youth4Nature is calling on young people from all over the world to submit their stories about nature-based solutions. Our goal is to elevate the voices of youth, amplify them across media, and build the potential of young people to be stewards for a “nature for climate” movement.”

“The forest does not know this. It does not think. It just acts. Because it is so good at sprouting, resprouting, reiterating, and repeating the entire process, it can keep up the living and dying for as long as it takes, even if that is a thousand years. The trees are not conscious. They are something better. They are present.”

NYTimes:  By arborist and author William Bryant Logan  July 20, 2019

“The insistence of wild growth at Fresh Kills Landfill should make us rethink nature”

“At the time of its closing in 2001, Fresh Kills contained more than 150 million tons of New York City garbage. Where there had once been salt marshes and wildlife, gas-emitting hills of garbage rose up to 225 feet high… After the Sept. 11 attacks, a section of the site reopened for a time to serve …as a search and sorting place for remains and effects recovered from the World Trade Center wreckage.”…

“We know how long it takes most kinds of leavings to decay. Organic material goes quickly: cardboard in three months, wood in up to three years, a pair of wool socks in up to five. A plastic shopping bag may take 20 years; a plastic cup, 50. Major industrial materials will be there for much longer: An aluminum can is with us for 200 years, a glass bottle for 500, a plastic bottle for 700, and a Styrofoam container for a millennium …”

“My God, I breathed. It was suddenly, momentarily beautiful. From a coyote’s-eye view, you could see what the trees were up to: Growth, failure, decay and the drip of acid water through the gravel were mixing a dirt out of the detritus. This hideous forest, I suddenly realized, was there to repair the damage done, and not at our bidding. Its intent was not to look good. Its intent was to stay alive, year by year, century by century, until at last it had recycled even the nylon stocking…”

“…We need to change our thinking: Ask not just what these landscapes look like, but also what they are doing. Fresh Kills Landfill taught me that they may be places of struggle and healing as well, particularly when they come to restore what people have deranged.”