Let's not forget those from the big tech (you know the names) who kneeled before the king.
77,302,580 Americans made it happen. 87,037,184 voting-elligible Americans sat it out.
U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
41–50 of 540 posts
Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#42[flagged]
Because the information could sensibly inform public policy, potentially has serious effects on everyone, and doesn't obviously lend itself to private actors paying for its collection because there's no great way to monetize it. Though I wonder how genuine the question really is.
Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The system, which began operating in 2016, was designed to run for at least 25 years It's likely that a majority of the cost to collect the data has already been paid for...
Evidence?
The system cost like $350 million to build, and $40m/year to operate+maintain. Sending ships to remove 900+ pieces of hardware under 2 miles of ocean won't be cheap either.
Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why not name them? Zuck Musk Bezos Pichai Thiel Add more
Missed Tim Cook. Let’s map their names to the companies they run. Then reflect on whether we buy their products: Apple, Google, Amazon, Tesla/SpaceX, Meta.
Maybe we need a new FAANG acronym for the new American authoritarian-cozy rightward-veering tech industry.Google
Let’s see, we’ve got:
Meta
Amazon
Appl… oh
Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#45Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#46> Democrats in Congress have said they will “fight” plans to dismantle the system
Putting “fight” into quotes here is terrific amount of low level shade for a scientific publication. chef’s kiss
Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#47This makes sense. Facts cease to exist because you ignore them. I think Huxley wrote that.
The Power of Positive Thinking is one of the few books Donald Trump has really internalized and it shows in his approach to a lot of issues.
There’s also the deluded cynics who profit from fossil fuels. Why mess up their good time??
Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#48Re: U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse
#49[flagged]
Where I work we research some environmental data like ocean temperature (at depth and at surface), currents, acidity, salinity, and oxygen content. Most of this occurs at the surface, but a lot occurs via CTD (many depths) and autonomous drones along the continental shelf in BC, Canada.
You'd think this stuff isn't worth monitoring, but it paints a very interesting picture of where things were, where they are now, and where they're going.
We also do experiments on key species of the food web, analyze environmental DNA to see what's present and where, and generally try to figure out what this data says about living things and how they will handle these changes.
The bottom line is that something as significant as ocean currents will have massive implications for crucial things like transport, food, agriculture, and more.
This stuff is integral to the stability of everything you care about.
And it's not looking great. Acidity is increasing, temperature is increasing, oxygen is decreasing, food webs are transforming; we need to know what this means ASAP, and we need to figure out how to adapt. This isn't your kids' kid's problems alone. You will likely experience impacts in your lifetime.
A simple example: fat, nutrient-rich foundational species of the BC Coast's food web are gradually decreasing in population and presence, being replaced by less nutrient-dense species from warmer climates. Countless juvenile fish which underpin our commercial fishery stocks depend on the richer, more nutritious species to thrive. This could impact their populations and lead to even more expensive fish; and we're talking about species which were plentiful and affordable in my lifetime. As those species decrease in quantity, the higher trophic levels suffer as well. This will be reflected in countless ways.
We need to measure this stuff because it's the beating heart of our planet, and it's changing for the worse (as far as our well-being is concerned).