Using gravity to predict floods… it’s a weighty topic…. on this CurrentCast.

NASA satellites monitor changes in the earth’s gravity field. Yes – gravity changes!  JT Reager of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory says shifting water masses play a role.

Reager: “If you have more water in a region, you have more mass there. And more mass is associated with more gravity. And therefore changes in water can cause changes in gravity.”

So think of river basins as buckets. When they’re almost full of snow, soil moisture, and groundwater, the NASA satellites will measure a small increase in gravity – alerting us that the system is saturated and more likely to flood with added precipitation.

Reager says that by combining gravity measurements with weather forecasts, we could see floods coming about five months in advance.

CurrentCast is produced in partnership with Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. Learn more online at CurrentCast.org.

July 10, 1876: Birth of Earle B. Phelps. “Earle Bernard Phelps (1876–1953) was a chemist, bacteriologist and sanitary expert who served in governmental positions and as an academic in some of the leading universities in the U.S. He is known for his contributions in sewage disinfection, water chlorination, sewage treatment, milk pasteurization, shellfish control, and […]

via July 10, 1876: Birth of Earle B. Phelps — This Day in Water History

In the 46 years since that first Earth Day, how far have we come?

Sometimes it feels a lot like one step forward, two steps back.

And so on this Earth Day 2016 we ask you to remember all the future Earth Days facing the children of Flint, Michigan – and how uncertain that future will be.

A Message For Earth Day – Support the children of Flint, Michigan

“The 2014-2016 Flint water crisis has touched the hearts of people nationwide, and the response to flintkids.org is inspiring and deeply appreciated.
We know the needs of Flint children exposed to lead, particularly those most vulnerable – children ages 0-6 – are ongoing and long-term.
When you make a donation to the Flint Child Health & Development Fund, you can be assured that your gift will be used for critical interventions today and well into the future.”

WasteWater Education and it’s Board of Directors are making a group donation to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint to support the current and future needs of those children affected.

We are asking all our colleagues, friends and professional connections to join us!

See: https://www.cfgf.org/cfgf/GoodWork/FlintArea/WaterCrisis/tabid/855/Default.aspx

“Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha of Hurley Medical Center and Michigan State University, founding donor of the Flint Child Health & Development Fund who has been at the forefront of this issue, says “If there was ever a time to invest in our children, it is now. Our Flint children deserve every opportunity to be healthy and successful. The creation of this Fund will further ensure that our children are afforded the resources and interventions to overcome this population-wide exposure to lead.”

Source: Community Foundation of Greater Flint

https://health2016.globalchange.gov/

The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment

Information about handwashing and hand hygiene

Source: Handwashing – Clean Hands Save Lives | CDC

Water resources information, from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Source: Water Resources of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey

Source: Symphony of the Soil | Symphony of the Soil is a documentary film about the importance of soil.