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National News See other National News Articles Title: Salton Sea is emitting foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas On scorching days when winds blow across the California desert, the Salton Sea regularly gives off a stench of decay resembling rotten eggs. New research has found that the shrinking lake is emitting the foul- smelling gas hydrogen sulfide more frequently and at higher levels than previously measured. The findings document how the odors from the Salton Sea add to the air quality problems and health concerns in communities near the lake, where windblown dust drifts from exposed stretches of lakebed and where people suffer from high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. “The communities around the Salton Sea are on the front lines of a worsening environmental health crisis,” said Mara Freilich, a co-author of the study and assistant professor in Brown University’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences. The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake, covering more than 300 square miles in Imperial and Riverside counties. Hydrogen sulfide is released as a byproduct of decaying algae and other organic material in the lake, where accumulating fertilizers and other nutrients from agricultural runoff and wastewater feed the growth of algae. Hydrogen sulfide, or H2S, is toxic and studies have found that health effects of exposure at certain levels can include dizziness, headaches, vomiting, cough, chest tightness and depression. Although being exposed to high levels in the workplace is a widely known health hazard, less is known about the health effects of chronic exposure to the gas at lower levels. People who live near the Salton Sea, many of them farmworkers, have complained for years that the stench, which tends to emerge most strongly in August and September, can give them headaches, nausea and nosebleeds. Read more: California turns on water to create new wetlands on the shore of the shrinking Salton Sea Freilich and other researchers analyzed existing air-quality data from three monitoring stations maintained by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Indio, Mecca and the reservation of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. They worked with the local nonprofit group Alianza Coachella Valley to install an additional air-quality sensor on a wooden piling protruding from shallow water near the north shore. The sensor has often detected hydrogen sulfide at high levels. Examining data from different monitoring sites between May 1 and July 25, 2024, they found a striking contrast. Although the monitor on the Torres Martinez reservation detected hydrogen sulfide at levels exceeding the state air-quality standard for only four hours during that time, the sensor over the water found 177 hours with levels above the threshold. The scientists said their results indicate that a significant portion of the gas that’s being released by the Salton Sea isn’t being measured, even as the stench drifts through the area's predominantly Latino communities. FROM GOOGLE Salton Sea Earthquakes Faults The Salton Sea, located in Southern California, is associated with both volcanoes and the San Andreas Fault, which is a major earthquake-prone region. The area around the Salton Sea is part of a tectonically active zone where the Pacific and North American plates interact, leading to frequent seismic activity. The region also contains geothermal features, including volcanoes and hot springs, which are part of the Cerro Prieto Geothermal area and the Brawley Seismic Zone. The Salton Sea itself has been found to influence seismic activity along the San Andreas Fault. As the lake has dried up, it has reduced stress on the southern section of the fault, potentially delaying the occurrence of a major earthquake. However, the southern segment of the San Andreas Fault has not produced a major earthquake in over 300 years, and scientists believe it is overdue for a significant rupture. The interaction between the Salton Sea and the San Andreas Fault is complex, with the drying of the lake potentially affecting the frequency and severity of earthquakes in the region. The area is closely monitored due to its potential to trigger large earthquakes that could impact the Los Angeles metropolitan area Poster Comment: House votes 266-148 to repeal D.C. law allowing noncitizens to vote. 56 Democrats joined Republicans. Senate showdown ahead https://citizenwatchreport.com/house-votes-266-148-to-repeal-d-c-law-allowing- noncitizens-to-vote-56-democrats-joined-republicans-senate-showdown-ahead/ Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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