NASA: there's ice on Mars!!!

This just in:
Today NASA has confirmed the existence of frozen water on Mars, the first such discovery of ice on a distant planet, according to Bloomberg.com
"Water in liquid form is an essential ingredient for life," the web site states.
Whitish, dice-sized chunks, which were dug from the rocky red soil and warmed in the sun, vanished four days after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Phoenix probe dug them up June 15.
They confirm what NASA satellites have suggested for years: Frozen water exists several centimeters beneath Mars's surface.
Scientists believe ice exists on planets including Pluto, though Phoenix is the first probe to confirm it on the ground. The survey is part of NASA's theme in Mars exploration: follow the water," the Web site states.

Sewage spill closes 1.75-mile stretch of Long Beach

A 1.75-mile stretch of coastline in Long Beach is closed due to a 16,000-gallon sewage spill that occurred Tuesday, June 17, in Glendale and entered the Los Angeles River, according to Heal the Bay.
Since the river empties into San Pedro Bay, Long Beach locations are closed as a precaution. Beaches are closed west of Belmont Pier to 3rd Place until testing determines bacteria levels in the water are within state standards.
For further information contact the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services at (562) 570-4199.
If state standards for recreational water quality are not met the beach is posted with signs, warning the public to avoid body contact with the ocean water.
The health warning stays in effect for the beach until water re-sample results are below the state bacteriological standards.

Sea lions didn't exhibit gunshot wounds

Marine biologists say domoic acid outbreaks in Southern California have decreased since the last few years
Specialists said they did not find evidence of gunshot wounds in two sea lions that washed up on the Seal Beach shore last week.
Last Wednesday, lifeguards had reported what they thought were small bullet holes in the carcasses found on the north and south sides of the pier.
Once lifeguards called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for an investigation, the pinnipeds were then hauled off to the Marine Mammal Center in San Pedro for a necropsy to determine the cause of the deaths.
Dr. Lauren Palmer, a veterinarian for the center, said there were no signs that the holes were caused by bullets, after inspecting the badly decomposed bodies last week.
“I found no evidence that they were shot,” Palmer said.
NOAA spokesman Jim Milbury confirmed humans did not cause the sea lion deaths.
“From the outside, you see a bullet hole when in the ex-rays the hole going in would be perfectly round. But it turned out to be splintered,” Milbury said. “It was definitely not human cause.”
Instead, biologists have not ruled out the cause to be from domoic acid poisoning from toxic algae, which Palmer said commonly occurs during spring and could continue throughout the year.
Sardines, anchovies and shellfish often feed off of the bio-toxic phytoplankton and then are consumed by the larger predators such as sea lions, seals, dolphins and birds far off the coast, causing many to be poisoned, ending up dead on nearby shores more frequently in the last five to 10 years.
Although Palmer said the two sea lions were too decomposed to determine if they were infected with domoic acid, this year the amount of poisonings in marine life has actually decreased.
Only about 15 dead sea lions from Long Beach and other beaches off of Southern California have shown up in recent weeks, she said.
“We have not seen nearly as many animals as in the past,” Palmer said. “There were a lot more last year and even more the year before.”
Officials say when 40 to 50 marine mammals start showing up on the coast then it is time to worry.
In 2006, the blooms came earlier and killed more sea life than previous years, with more than 36 sea lions found dead on Orange County beaches. The state also issued a quarantine on clams and mussels due to the outbreak of toxic algae blooms that year.
The phytoplankton produces the toxin, which is a natural process, Palmer said.
But just what exactly is causing the phytoplankton to produce the toxin is not determined.
“It looks like it might be nutrient related, or also could be caused by upwelling,” she said.
Some marine mammals could be affected by recent outbreaks, were others could have been suffering from long-term effects that cause seizures and brain damage in the mammals over time, Palmer said.
Domoic acid was first identified in 1991 in samples of mussels, razor clams and other seafood at several locations along the pacific coast, including California.
But no known cases of human poisoning from this toxin are known to have occurred, according to officials.

California experiences driest spring on record

California experienced the driest spring season on record, as the United States had its 36th coolest March through May spell on record, according to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center.
The average spring temperature of 51.4 degrees F was 0.5 degree F below the 20th century average. The average May temperature of 60.3 degrees F was 0.7 degree F below the 20th century mean, based on preliminary data," the Web site states.
California had its driest spring on record, while Nevada and Utah had their 10th and 11th driest on record. For May, two states were much drier than average -- New Hampshire had its ninth driest May on record and Florida its 10th driest.
As California witnessed the driest last few months in the country receiving the lowest ranking, other states on the central East Coast, where storms and tornadoes recently have touched down, received an increasing amount of precipitation.
For the spring, Missouri had its fourth wettest, Arkansas its sixth wettest, Indiana and Iowa their eighth wettest and Illinois its 10th wettest. For May, Arizona, Maryland, and Nebraska were much wetter than average, with Nebraska ranking fourth wettest and Maryland fifth wettest on record.

'Junk' stalls from San Nicolas Island

The courageous environmental duo, who set sail on June 1 for Hawaii aboard a 20-to-30-foot raft named "Junk" made of 15,000 plastic bottles, are now on their own. The two researchers, who want to bring attention to the damage caused by plastic in the ocean, were escorted for three days by the ORV Alguita catamaran vessel. Now the crew will be sailing solo.
Junk's blog will be updated until the craft makes it to the Big Island, expected to take about 40 days. So far, the vessel is held down at San Nicolas Island after experiencing some "wicked winds"...

Seal Beach: West Nile virus threat high this year

By Charles M. Kelly

Seal Beach Councilman Michael Levitt warned the public that the threat of West Nile virus is high this year.
“There are more dead birds in Orange County that have died of West Nile virus (this year) than since 2004,” Levitt said.
The Seal Beach District 5 representative spoke during the council comments segment of the City Council’s Tuesday, May 27 meeting.
Levitt represents Seal Beach on the board of directors of the Orange County Vector Control District. Vector Control is the agency charged with containing disease carrying-creatures.
West Nile virus is a potentially fatal disease. So far this year, there have been no confirmed human cases, according to information posted on the Vector Control District’s Web site.
Thirteen birds collected in Orange County tested positive for West Nile virus last month, according to a Vector Control statement issued Tuesday, May 20.
The Vector Control announced that nine American crows, two house finches, a hermit thrush and a black-headed grosbeak, all collected between May first and the ninth, were found to be positive for WNV.
Two separate laboratories tested the dead birds.
“Thirteen birds in such a short time frame is reminiscent of 2004 conditions,” said Robert Cummings, scientific and technical director for Vector Control.
“The high number of positive birds, the variety of species, and the wide distribution is a strong reminder that WNV is present and being actively transmitted throughout Orange County,” Cummings said.
In a memo to the Vector Control board for the week ending May 30, District Manager Gerard Goedhart stated, “As expected, the calls to the district on dead birds have increased significantly over the past week. For example, over the last six days there were 110 calls for dead bird pickup. The district has hired one additional part-time employee in the lab to handle the increase.”
So far, there have been no confirmed cases of birds dying from West Nile virus in Seal Beach, Rossmoor, Los Alamitos or Sunset Beach.
The birds were reported by residents from San Clemente to Brea and from Huntington Beach to Fullerton. In all, nine West Nile-positive birds have been collected in the city of Garden Grove since 2008 began. Four birds were collected in one Garden Grove neighborhood alone.
Vector Control is asking the public to report any dead birds they may come across by calling (714) 971-2421, extension 117.
The district is advising people to eliminate standing water wherever they find it. Apparently, mosquitoes can develop in a week in as little as a quarter inch of water.
For more information, visit the district Web site at www.ocvcd.org.

'Junk' on its way to Hawaii from Long Beach

The junk has launched into the ocean...
No, not the 6 billion tons of plastic from California alone that ends up in the Pacific, but rather a man-made craft that was built to bring attention to it.
"Junk," made from 15-000 tightly sealed plastic bottles along with a Cessna cockpit, took off from Long Beach harbor yesterday, on a calm afternoon.

Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal, both environmentalist educators who have worked many years in the field of science, boarded their raft made of trash to bring attention to the world's plastics that have damaged the ocean habitat.

The two left last weekend with a wind generator and one large sail, all the way to Hawaii, and they will not be towed in. They have radio GPS systems, along with two radio phones for contacting help.
The trip will take close to seven weeks to make it all the way to Hawaii, with nothing but dried food, aluminum cans with water(enough for three months) and fishing poles for fishing.

"Take care and we'll see you in Hawaii," said Erikson, as he wrapped up his speech before casting off the dock.

(Photo Credit: Sean Belk)

Look for continued coverage