Lake George, near Canberra, is often dry. I travelled past it today, and it is full.

It is sometimes called a natural rain gauge, filling and drying with wet and dry periods.

It is better understood as a gauge of groundwater levels. When the water table is high, it reaches the land surface, and the lake appears.

So Lake George is full of water from the rise in groundwater after the wet La Nina years. But the surrounding landscape is dry.

In the field this week, I have seen no evidence of rainfall replenishment of groundwater in the last six months. Enjoy Lake George while the water is still there!

#groundwater #climate #lakes #science #environment #rain #envionment #earthscience #water

Have you ever wondered about what the temperature of a cave might be, and how it might change over time?

Back in 2020, the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association established a monitoring program. Volunteers from many tourist caves collected data. We got a 'baseline' for cave climate during COVID closures.

And now, two years on, about half of the network is still collecting data. We can see if tour groups can warm up a cave through their body heat, and whether wildfires over the cave or flooding can affect the climate in the cave.

And all of the data can be explored here..
https://ackma.org/CaveClimate/index.asp

#caves #climate #envionment #environmentalscience #COVID #science #temperature #australia #newzealand

Only yesterday I was wondering why the numerous 2023 global climate extreme events weren't being covered more widely in the media.

And then the ABC reports everything very clearly here.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-16/global-climate-records-breaking-rapid-rate/102484434

#ClimateCrisis #climate #climatechange #oceans #temperature #ElNino #science #envionment

Sharing this for those impacted by wildfire smoke in North America.

This link is a bit sensationalised, but for those of us in Australia and who have lived through similar experiences, maybe it is a helpful warning to stay safe if you can do so.

Wildfire’s Toxic Legacy Leaves Children Gasping for Air Years Later https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-australia-wildfire-toxic-legacy/
#wildfire #fire #envionment #ClimateCrisis #climate

From my colleagues down the corridor at UNSW who have been collecting and analysing ear clips of dingoes and wild dogs

"Research suggests that more than half of Australia’s dingoes are genetically pure, not hybrids"

TL;DR they use a better DNA testing method, and find that Australia has four groups of pure dingos that have differences in DNA. Plus a group of dingo/dog mixed DNA. Now to find out if the differences in DNA lead to physical differences.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/29/research-suggests-that-more-than-half-of-australias-dingoes-are-genetically-pure-not-hybrids

#science #environmentalscience #envionment #DNA #dingoes #ecology #DogsOfMastodon #academia #SciComms #UNSW

There are still folks who think they can empower central banks by claiming the sky is falling #envionment #crypto #bitcoin #newyorktimes #NoPayWall #archive

The Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for Bitcoin - The New York Times
https://archive.is/20230410143341/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/bitcoin-mining-electricity-pollution.html

The #UNSW #earthscience teaching lab is all set up for start of term.

We have a new 'cave animal' poster on display for 2023 - this year it is the glow worm. Thanks to the 'Australian Cave Animal of the Year'. We have hundreds of free stickers for the students.

And an isotope analyser is analysing the #carbondioxide and #methane of the air in the lab. In a couple of weeks, students will be collecting air quality data from all over #sydney for their project.

#academia #scicomm #envionment #geology #atmosphericscience #GEOS2291 #GEOS1211 #picarro

Too much #plastic not enough biscuits 😡
#envionment

Getting blocked for calling bicycles sexy 🤣
Well sorry I didn't get a hard-on for cars
#envionment