The realest posters

PRESENTED BY THE HySPEX CLASSIC SWIR-384

My wrist is wonky today so I can’t type much, but want to give folks a taste of AGU24, the amazing gathering of 30,000 climate scientists in DC this week. I also want to let everyone who’s here in DC know about tonight’s Green New Deal happy hour at metrobar. If you swing by, I’ll buy you a drink.

I absolutely love the poster sessions at AGU - thousands of presentations in a single cavernous room, grouped by topic, with the authors there to discuss their work. The experience of scrolling pasts hundreds of posts on social media on your phone has nothing on the real deal in physical space.

Just so fun to wander and explore and learn. I went to several posters on methane pollution detection, like real-time monitoring with high-end spectrographic cameras by Dr. Andre Butz. The HySpex Classic SWIR-384 is today’s imaginary sponsor, available today for spying on frackers for only $200,000 or so.

I love NYC but boy, until Eric Adams bans them, it’s a very good idea to wear a mask when taking the MTA. Columbia student Ninh Nguyen and high school senior Steffi Song found the pollution levels were way too high for accurate measurement by the popular Purple Air detectors, and that the deep stations had by far the worst pollution. There is no meaningful air circulation or ventilation in the subway system.

The indefatigable Dr. Andrew Dessler, one of the field’s most committed climate-science communicators, presented his work on another hidden “climate tax”: the increase in Texas electricity prices thanks to greenhouse pollution. The rise in hot days caused by the Texan oil industry is bringing the market-priced Texan power grid to its limit more frequently.

I also discussed Malibu’s fast-spreading Franklin Fire with scientists who study wildfires and the changing climate of the American Southwest.

What else should I check out at AGU24? What big or minute scientific questions do you have? If you drop a comment, I’ll track down an answer for you.

Climate Action Today:

• 6 PM: Hill Heat
  AGU24 Green New Dealers Happy Hour
  

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