Temperature is a main driver for most ecological processes, and temperature time series provide key environmental indicators for various applications and research fields. High spatial and temporal resolutions are crucial for detailed analyses in various fields of research. A disadvantage of temperature data obtained by satellites is the occurrence of gaps that must be reconstructed. Here, we present a new method to reconstruct high-resolution land surface temperature (LST) time series at the continental scale gaining 250-m spatial resolution and four daily values per pixel. Our method constitutes a unique new combination of weighted temporal averaging with statistical modeling and spatial interpolation. This newly developed reconstruction method has been applied to greater Europe, resulting in complete daily coverage for eleven years. To our knowledge, this new reconstructed LST time series exceeds the level of detail of comparable reconstructed LST datasets by several orders of magnitude. Studies on emerging diseases, parasite risk assessment and temperature anomalies can now be performed on the continental scale, maintaining high spatial and temporal detail. We illustrate a series of applications in this paper. Our dataset is available online for download as time aggregated derivatives for direct usage in GIS-based applications (Reconstructed MODIS Land Surface Temperature Dataset - http://gis.cri.fmach.it/eurolst/).

Source: Metz M, Rocchini D, Neteler M. (2014) Surface Temperatures at the Continental Scale: Tracking Changes with Remote Sensing at Unprecedented Detail.Remote Sensing 6(5): 3822-3840. doi: 10.3390/rs6053822

A new opinion piece published in the journal Global Change Biology looks at the development of biodiversity scenarios and their inclusion of  future land-use changes.

Abstract: 

Many economists warn that Trump’s plans are likely to worsen the inflation he’s vowed to eradicate, drive up the federal debt and eventually slow growth.

The post Frustrated Americans await the economic changes they voted for with Trump appeared first on Boston.com.

Nov. 3—WILKES-BARRE — The great thing about Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago — and even Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles — is that those ball parks still sit exactly where they were when they first opened. Yes Fenway and Wrigley are the two oldest ballparks in Major League Baseball and Dodger Stadium. Chavez Ravine, is the third oldest. The point here is that those ballparks ...

Reaksa was abandoned by her parents and lived with her poor grandmother. Feeling unwanted and unloved, Reaksa followed a group of girls to a village church. That's when she discovered a love she never knew before, and it changed her life. See how.

Early November saw the end of one of the most contentious political presidential elections in quite some time.

Big changes are coming to adhered masonry veneer codes with the 2022 updates to TMS 402 and 602, soon to be adopted in the 2024 building codes. The revisions introduce two design approaches — prescriptive and engineered — giving more flexibility to architects and engineers.

The Lowry has dropped the definite article from its title

Table Talk Foundation’s name was deemed to be ‘too passive’

Richmond Parish Lands Charity has become the Richmond Foundation

Washington — The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission is accepting comments until Oct. 9 on potential revisions to its procedural rules, in part to reflect technological advances, according to a notice published in the Sept. 7 Federal Register.

Washington — The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has extended to Nov. 16 the comment period on potential revisions to its procedural rules, in part to reflect technological advances.

Washington — United Steelworkers is suing the Environmental Protection Agency and its administrator, Andrew Wheeler, over the agency’s recent changes to the Obama-era Chemical Disaster Rule.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced a detailed plan to update its Safety Measurement System website, which provides ratings of truck and bus carriers.

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has no immediate plans to change its regulation on respirable dust in coal mines, MSHA administrator David Zatezalo said Feb. 6 during a hearing before the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee.

Washington — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has determined that the annual training requirements outlined in its Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines rule supply “an experience sufficient to enable miners to apply their knowledge, other training and available written instruction to effectively use the refuge alternative in an emergency.”

Arlington, VA — Criteria for the certification of coal mine rescue teams will “remain in effect, without changes,” the Mine Safety and Health Administration announced Sept. 1, after completing a requisite review under the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 20 proposed new safety measures intended to protect farmworkers from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure.

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has set new recommendations around lower H₂S monitoring, and I have heard that OSHA may consider doing the same. How will these changes affect my gas monitoring program and safety audit?

When I first entered the security industry in 1973, alarm communications were performed by Direct Wire, McCulloh and some high security applications using voice-grade telephone lines configured in “open window” and later “closed window” bridges.

Trenton, NJ — A coalition of state attorneys general has written a letter supporting OSHA’s proposed changes to the agency’s injury and illness recordkeeping rules.

Adhering to changes in fire code on a local basis is not a choice —  it’s a “shall,” not a “should.”

Security professionals discuss recent changes to GSA Schedules.

Washington — OSHA is giving stakeholders another 30 days to comment on its proposed update of crane operator certification requirements, the agency announced in the July 30 Federal Register.

Washington — The Department of Labor’s regulatory agenda for fall 2018, released Oct. 17, contains few changes for OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Washington — OSHA plans to open a new regional office, merge two of its regions and rename its regional offices.

Rosemont, IL — The OSHA region that Bill Donovan oversees will soon be renamed, but what won’t change are the agency’s efforts to promote and protect worker safety and health.

Does the 2012 edition of NFPA 70E have any new retraining requirements?

What does the 2012 edition of the NFPA 70E standard require for arc flash labels?

Chicago – Mild traumatic brain injury caused by blast exposures may alter soldiers’ brains, suggests a study from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking for comment on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on its hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is extending to Oct. 10 the comment period for an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on its hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will conduct multiple public listening sessions regarding an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on its hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The publication of a proposed rule intended to add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers is expected soon, on the heels of a recent delay, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration head Raymond Martinez said during a June 19 hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking industry stakeholders for input on “ways to improve the clarity of current regulations on the use of electronic logging devices and address certain concerns about the technical specifications.”

Washington — The Federal Railroad Administration wants to revise its regulations governing Positive Train Control systems – emergency slowing and stopping systems designed to help prevent train crashes and derailments caused by human error – and reporting on their function.

The technology landscape for smart consumer appliances is undergoing a profound transformation, guided in part by multiple legislative changes set forth by the Biden Administration.

Washington — The Department of Transportation is changing how users access the Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System.

Bethesda, MD – Declining speech-processing abilities in the brain may contribute to hearing loss in older adults, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of Maryland.

Washington — OSHA’s “clarifying amendments” to its beryllium standard for general industry will go into effect July 6, the agency has announced.

Washington — OSHA has issued a proposed rule to amend certain parts of its beryllium standard for general industry in an effort “designed to clarify the standard, and to simplify or improve compliance.”

Washington — OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health has scheduled a teleconference/WebEx meeting for Sept. 9 to discuss potential changes to beryllium regulations, according to a notice published in the Aug. 8 Federal Register.

Washington — As expected, OSHA is proposing changes to its beryllium standards for the construction and shipyard industries.

Washington — OSHA should amend its guidance on the control of reactive hazards element of its standard on process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals (1910.119), the Chemical Safety Board says.

Morgantown, WV — Nanoparticles from printer toner emissions can cause “very significant” changes to workers’ genetic and metabolic profiles, results of a recent study led by a researcher from West Virginia University show.

Washington — OSHA has finalized changes that restructure the agency’s regional operations – and create a new region.

Washington – The Department of Labor claims proposed changes to its Federal Employees’ Compensation Act program would create a more equitable system, but some experts at a July 10 House hearing warned that the changes could drastically affect injured federal workers.