New Zealand halts new offshore oil, gas exploration permits

by Rick Wilkinson, April 12, 2018 in Oil&GasJournal


The New Zealand government has made the surprise announcement that it will not grant any new permits for offshore oil and gas exploration.

The Labor government of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the move would not be retrospective. The country’s 22 existing offshore exploration permits along with any discoveries made in them could still lead to the granting of production licenses of up to 40 years duration.

Science Fact: Per NOAA, “Global Warming” Pause For U.S. Now Exceeds 22 Years (Wrong?)

by C3 Headlines, April 2018


The chart above was produced by NOAA at their ‘Climate at a Glance’ web page. In the upper right corner of the chart, NOAA shows its calculated per decade trend of -0.02°F for a period that spans 1996-2018.

After posting this chart and an accompanying article, it just seemed that something was likely wrong with the trend calculation produced by NOAA’s web site.

Scientists discover first super salty subglacial lakes in Canadian Arctic

by University of Alberta, April 11, 2018 in ScienceDaily


Super salty water beneath ice could serve as a terrestrial analogue for a habitat for life on other planets.

An analysis of radar data led scientists to an unexpected discovery of two lakes located beneath 550 to 750 meters of ice underneath the Devon Ice Cap, one of the largest ice caps in the Canadian Arctic. They are thought to be the first isolated hypersaline subglacial lakes in the world.