Situation Report

Sea surface temperatures in October -- orange-red colors are above normal.

cnn.com - by Brandon Miller and Nick Thompson - December 30, 2015

If you're wondering why your white Christmas didn't arrive as scheduled this year, meteorologists have a two-word answer: El Niño.

This year's El Niño weather event -- characterized by warming waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean -- is already one of the three strongest ever recorded. NASA says El Niño conditions are still strengthening, and it could even rival the intensity of the record 1997 event that wreaked worldwide weather havoc.

Southern California Gas Co. released these images of two ways it can potentially stop the Aliso Canyon gas leak by pumping fluid directly into the well or via a relief well. (Image courtesy of SoCalGas) 

dailynews.com - by Gregory J. Wilcox - December 19, 2015

The latest attempt by Southern California Gas Co. to kill its leaking well above Porter Ranch amounts to a deep shot in the dark.

All the repair crew has to do is hit a 7-inch target at the bottom of a shaft a mile and a half under Oat Mountain at the northern rim of the San Fernando Valley.

Undoubtedly, it’s a complicated situation, one industry expert said.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Shorebirds feed in the shallows of Estero Bay State Preserve.  In the background are black mangroves, which are part of a salt marsh, which absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide.  (Photo: File photo by Andrew West)

CLICK HERE - RESEARCH - PLOS One - Living Shorelines: Coastal Resilience with a Blue Carbon Benefit

news-press.com - by Chad Gillis - December 24, 2015

Natural, living shorelines in areas like the Gulf of Mexico absorb a lot of carbon dioxide and will help blunt the effects of climate change.

And coastal wetlands store several times the amount that can be absorbed by mature tropical forests, the research shows.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration studied wetlands in North Carolina and reports that plants, sand and rocks are better for the environment than man-made features like concrete sea walls and high-rise condominiums.

The report, published earlier this month in the journal PLOS One, shows that natural features in coastal areas help keep atmospheric carbon dioxide levels lower.

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases (116 page .PDF report)

healthyamericans.org - Press Release - December 17, 2015

28 States and Washington, D.C. Reach Half or Fewer of Key Indicators

Washington, D.C., December 17, 2015 – A new report released today found that more than half (28) of states score a five or lower out of 10 key indicators related to preventing, detecting, diagnosing and responding to outbreaks.   The report, from Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), concluded that the United States must redouble efforts to better protect the country from new infectious disease threats, such as MERS-CoV and antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and resurging illnesses like whooping cough, tuberculosis and gonorrhea.