Pressure on Cuba is Needed, but a Siege and Oil Embargo is Not the Best Way

      I certainly agree with the Trump camp that we need to put pressure on Cuba to reform and cooperate with international norms, although that has not happened since the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power. In one sense, Cuba is a satellite state of the former USSR and now a satellite state of the USSR’s heir, Russia. However, it is close enough to the U.S., and we can exert enough leverage to keep it from being a problem. Sure, regime change would be the best outcome for the country and particularly for its people, but that is probably too complicated at the moment. Cuba has also meddled in Venezuela. The U.S has successfully recued that meddling as the interim government announced that the Cuban security apparatus favored by Maduro is leaving the country.

     It is unclear what the current U.S. oil embargo will achieve. It may spur the Cuban government to cooperate and make changes, but many are doubtful. It has already affected trade and tourism as fuel shortages affect the country. I was a bit annoyed to hear that the oil supplied freely to Cuba from Venezuela, or rather, in exchange for that security apparatus, was more than the country needed, and so they sold it to other buyers. They should have built more storage and stored more of it. Mexico has been supplying oil to Cuba for years as a humanitarian gesture, but stopped recently at the request of the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly negotiating with the Cuban government, but not much is known about those negotiations.

     Cuba is also a sore spot in any notion of controlling the hemisphere via the Monroe Doctrine, or as the newly termed 'Donroe Doctrine.' Cuba is basically a bad actor aligned with our adversaries and the world’s other bad actors, particularly Russia, but also Iran and Venezuela. The U.S. has strongly disrupted ghost fleet oil trade in the Caribbean, where sanctioned Russian, Venezuelan, and Iranian crude and diluent were flowing freely. I praise that effort. We should not tolerate it at all.

     The latest potential confrontation in the region involves a ghost fleet tanker currently off the East Coast of the U.S., which is thought to be bound for Cuba with Russian oil. I expect the U.S. will intercept and interdict it. It is exhibiting the usual tricks to disguise its position, country of origin, destination, and the oil was loaded in a ship-to-ship transfer.

     The UN recently condemned the U.S. executive order imposing a fuel blockade on Cuba.

“The U.S. executive order imposing a fuel blockade on Cuba is a serious violation of international law and a grave threat to a democratic and equitable international order,” the experts said.

“It is an extreme form of unilateral economic coercion with extraterritorial effects, through which the United States seeks to exert coercion on the sovereign state of Cuba and compel other sovereign third States to alter their lawful commercial relations, under threat of punitive trade measures,” they said.

     I think that statement goes a little too far, as does the following one.

“There is no right under international law to impose economic penalties on third States for engaging in lawful trade with another sovereign country,” the experts said.

     I would argue that deliveries of internationally sanctioned oil cargoes do not constitute “lawful trade.”

“A democratic international order cannot be reconciled with practices whereby one State claims the authority to dictate the internal policies and economic relations of others through threats and coercion,” the experts said.

     Here, I would argue by asking, “Are not sanctions a method of 'dictating economic relations of others through threats and coercion'?

     Although I disagree with the UN’s wording above, I agree with them about it being a humanitarian issue that needs to be addressed. We should not punish a population for the actions of its government. The UN goes on to say that energy is a basic requirement for many things: electricity, sanitation, transportation, communications, etc. The Trump doctrine of seemingly using every bit of real, imagined, legal, and illegal leverage is probably going too far in this case. The country is in economic despair and has been beset with power outages for years. People need to refrigerate their food and make money to survive. I really think we should allow Mexico to resume its oil shipments to Cuba. We certainly don’t want Russian oil delivered. Well. It looks like the U.S. will allow Venezuelan oil to be delivered to Cuba, so that is good. That also suggests that the U.S. will definitely stop the Russian oil from being delivered, and I hope that does happen.

     AFP reports:

The Treasury Department said it would allow "transactions that support the Cuban people" that include Venezuelan oil for "commercial and humanitarian use."

“To qualify, the exports would need to go through private businesses and not the vast government or military apparatus in the communist state.”

     Caribbean leaders were concerned that a continued blockade would trigger migration from the country and contribute to destabilizing the region.

     Cuba is a communist dictatorship that is allied to U.S. adversaries. It is also very close to the U.S. Thus, it does need to be watched closely. It really is a shame that they can’t evolve enough to have a democratically elected government and join the international community.  

  

 

References:

 

Russian ‘dark fleet’ tanker believed to be delivering oil to Cuba, detected off US coast amid Trump ban. Emma Bussey. Fox News. February 24, 2026. Russian ‘dark fleet’ tanker believed to be delivering oil to Cuba, detected off US coast amid Trump ban

UN experts condemn US executive order imposing fuel blockade on Cuba. United Nations. Press Release. 12 February 2026. UN experts condemn US executive order imposing fuel blockade on Cuba | OHCHR

US eases Venezuela oil ban to Cuba as crisis alarms Caribbean. AFP. February 25, 2026. US eases Venezuela oil ban to Cuba as crisis alarms Caribbean

The Gas Turbine Crunch May Be Easing, but There Are Still Significant Supply Chain Constraints on Gas Power Projects

      Right now, there is still a wait, up to four or even five years, to get a gas turbine. In 2021, the wait was just two years. However, that wait is about to begin easing as manufacturing output increases. According to investment bank Jefferies, gas turbines are “increasingly not the primary bottleneck” for large loads seeking power. The three big gas turbine manufacturers in the U.S. are GE Vernova, Siemens. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, each announced increasing manufacturing capacity since the beginning of 2025.

     According to Utility Dive:

“We expect at least 19 GW of total available equipment capacity by 2028, increasing to 49 [GW] and 76 GW by 2029 and 2030,” Jefferies said. The company still expects “the key large-frame turbine OEMs to be over 90% booked for 2028 and over 70% booked for 2029, while [behind-the-meter] OEMs are likely 65% and ~33% booked for the same timeframe.”

      The higher available capacity for behind-the-meter (BTM) applications bodes well for AI data centers. While many are utilizing internal combustion engines burning natural gas, turbines are more efficient. Jeffries expects BTM deployments to grow by 25 GW by 2030. They expect BTM to be a “bridge solution” that could last up to a decade, but cheaper and lower-maintenance grid power would be preferred.

“While we continue to argue that in the long-term, large loads will prioritize cheaper, reliable grid power (now 5-7 years away), we also acknowledge that it is possible to remain off-grid for longer,” the Jefferies analysis said. “A gas reciprocating engine, which can last 40-80k+ hours before first major maintenance, can support a data center for +11 years running at 80% capacity factor, longer with batteries.”

     The bottleneck in gas turbines has been well explained. Manufacturers were hesitant to increase capacity over the past few decades due to no real demand growth for power generation. That has changed over the past few years as AI data center buildout has expanded significantly.

     Siemens announced plans to spend $1 billion and add 1500 jobs in gas turbine manufacturing. Mitsubishi announced plans to double its gas turbine production over the next two years. GE Vernova announced plans to spend $600 million, add 1500 jobs, and deliver up to 80 heavy-duty turbines per year, up from an average of about 51 per year in the five years from 2021 to 2025. According to Wood Mackenzie’s Ed Crooks, the consultancy forecast is that the US will add about 63 GW of gas-fired generation capacity, including combined-cycle plants, peaking plants, and coal plant conversions, by 2030. That is more than double the capacity added over the previous five years. They also point out that coal plant retirement delays will keep more baseload power available to the grid, helping to meet power demand growth. However, it is unclear how much of that coal power will actually be used. He notes that coal plants will benefit from higher power prices, making them more economical. Meanwhile, many data centers are being powered by reciprocating ICE engines burning natural gas and, in some cases, diesel. Diesel is a dirty form of energy for mass use since it puts out large amounts of fine particulate matter.

“The latest Wood Mackenzie data show that US utilities already have at least 178 GW of new large loads either committed or already under construction, with more than 450 GW more known but currently uncommitted.”

     That is a lot of gigawatts.

  

 

References:

 

Natural gas equipment bottleneck is easing, analysts say: Manufacturers GE Vernova, Siemens and Mitsubishi “have all announced significant capacity expansions since the start of last year,” said Wood Mackenzie’s Ed Crooks. Diana DiGangi. Utility Dive. February 24, 2026. Natural gas equipment bottleneck is easing, analysts say | Utility Dive

Supply chain constraints limit the growth of gas-fired generation in the US: Renewables and storage, and slower retirements of coal plants, are needed to meet rising demand. Ed Crooks. Wood Mackenzie. February 20, 2025. Supply chain constraints limit the growth of gas-fired generation in the US | Wood Mackenzie

 

Study Links Alzheimer’s Disease Risk to Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution

   

      A study published in PLOS Medicine links Alzheimer's disease with long-term exposure to particulate pollution. The study is large, involving 27.8 million Americans. Alzheimer’s affects 57 million people globally, including 7.2 million in the U.S. over age 65. There is no known cure for it. Thus, prevention is emphasized. The study suggests that improving air quality, especially fine particulate pollution, can aid in that prevention. Environmental health researcher Yanling Deng of Emory University, Georgia, and her colleagues, examined data on more than 27.8 million U.S. Medicare recipients aged 65 years and older from 2000 to 2018.

“The data is clear enough to suggest that we need to treat air quality as a brain‑health issue, not just a lung‑health issue,” said professor Bryce Vissel of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), who was not involved in the present study, in a statement.

     The study suggests that direct effects on the brain are the main mechanism rather than common chronic conditions such as hypertension, stroke, or depression, which have also been linked to Alzheimer’s and are thought to be indirect causes compared to fine particulate pollution (PM 2.5), which is now thought to be a direct cause.    

“Dementia risk is not just about personal choices. It is also about the air we breathe and the environments we live in over decades,” added epidemiologist professor Susanne Röhr, also of UNSW, who was also not involved in the present study.

     According to Masashi Kitazawa, professor of Environmental & Occupational Health at UC Irvine:

"Remarkably, results from this study predict a possibly direct toxic mechanism of (particulate matter) to (Alzheimer's disease)," said Kitazawa, who was not involved in the study.

     Other scientists and medical professionals cautioned that correlation does not imply causation.

      The study suggested that those who have had a stroke are more likely to be affected.

"Our findings suggest that individuals with a history of stroke may be particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution on brain health, highlighting an important intersection between environmental and vascular risk factors," the authors added.

     It is not yet clear why this is the case.

"It could be related to a previously damaged brain − from stroke − being weaker in fighting off toxins," suggested Ahmad, who is also an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

     The bottom line is that fine particulate pollution contributes to Alzheimer’s both indirectly and directly, although there are certainly other factors as well.

     The researchers suggest that the direct link between Alzheimer’s disease and particulate matter likely involves the mechanisms of neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and vascular injury.

 

 

References:

 

Study of 27.8M Americans may have revealed direct Alzheimer's cause. Maria Azzurra Volpe. Newsweek. February 17, 2026. Study of 27.8M Americans may have revealed direct Alzheimer's cause

The role of comorbidities in the associations between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease: A national cohort study in the American Medicare population. Yanling Deng , Yang Liu, Hua Hao, Ke Xu, Qiao Zhu, Haomin Li, Tszshan Ma, and Kyle Steenland. PLOS Medicine. February 17, 2026. The role of comorbidities in the associations between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease: A national cohort study in the American Medicare population | PLOS Medicine

Air pollution may directly increase Alzheimer's risk, study finds. Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAY. February 18, 2026. Air pollution may directly increase Alzheimer's risk, study finds

Air pollution may directly contribute to Alzheimer’s disease: Cohort study finds people with stroke may be extra susceptible to air pollution’s impact on the brain. Eureka Alert. Press Release. February 17, 2026. Air pollution may directly contribute to Alzheimer’s disease | EurekAlert!

 

EIA: Some Planned Coal and Gas Plant Retirements May Be Delayed in 2026 as They Were in 2025

     The Energy Information Administration (EIA) notes that in 2025, there were planned retirements of 12.3 GW of coal and gas power-generating capacity, but only 4.6 GW was actually retired. This was a result of the DOE ordering plants to remain operational, presumably to preserve baseload power in case it is needed. The moves have been controversial, with some utilities saying it is costing them and their ratepayers money to keep those plants available. The 4.6 GW retired in 2025 was the lowest annual level of such retirements since 2008.

     In 2026, there are plans to retire 10.9 GW of power: 6.3 GW of coal (58%) and 4.6 GW of natural gas (42%). 3.5 GW of the 10.9 GW of planned retirements, or about one-third, includes plants that delayed retirement in 2025. The planned coal retirements in 2026 represent about 4% of total current coal capacity.

     The 4.6 GW of planned natural gas plant retirements in 2026 represent about 1% of the total gas operating capacity. EIA notes:

“Most of the retiring natural gas capacity (76%) is at older steam turbine units, which are less efficient than the newer combined-cycle units.”

     As the graph shows, nearly half, just under 5 GW, of the planned 2026 retirements are slated for December.

     It should also be noted that 7.7 GW of the planned 10.9 GW of planned 2026 retirements, or 71%, are delayed from the 2025 planned retirements. That means only 3.2 GW of new retirements are in the works for 2026.

     It should be pointed out that much of the coal and gas capacity slated for retirement is old, inefficient, costly to run, and currently has low or very low utilization rates.

     They note that two aging California gas plants with a combined capacity of nearly 1.4 GW are scheduled to retire after being delayed in 2020 and then in 2023 to support increasing power demand. More efficient combined-cycle units are being added at those sites. Gas plants scheduled for 2025 retirement in Illinois and Texas were delayed by the DOE.

     

 

 

References:

 

Retirement delays of U.S. electric generating capacity may continue in 2026. Energy Information Administration. Today in Energy. February 23, 2026. Retirement delays of U.S. electric generating capacity may continue in 2026 - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Guyana is Diversifying Its Economy to Avoid Becoming Overly Dependent on Oil Revenue

      The future is looking bright for the South American country of Guyana, where its 1 million residents have just achieved the highest global oil production per capita from its offshore fields. In order to avoid the resource curse of other oil-rich economies like Venezuela, Angola, and Nigeria, where corruption and inflation were results, the country is busy diversifying its economy. According to the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, they want to become like “Norway on steroids.”

     ExxonMobil discovered oil offshore Guyana in 2015, and since then, it has become a major source of Western Hemisphere oil. Oil sales began in 2019. The adjacent country of Suriname is also likely to have a similar trajectory, as oil is developed offshore there in fields with similar geology.

“For 25 years Norway used all of its resources to build out the systems, the infrastructure, and the investment in human capital and technology to be where they are,” Ali said during an interview at the Guyana Energy Conference in Georgetown on Wednesday. “If you look at where we are today and the type of investment we have made in terms of education, technology, I think we are Norway on steroids.”    

     Ali is focused especially on developing the agriculture and mining sectors. He also wants to transport natural gas from the offshore fields to fuel onshore power plants and manufacturing. As the wealth rolls in, the country has been building infrastructure like bridges as well as hotels and retail outlets. The construction boom has brought in lots of Cuban workers. The transformation will take time since the country is among the poorest in the region and has had high food and housing costs. Electricity costs are also high, but new natural gas power plants powered with domestic gas should help to keep them in check in the future. Oil production now accounts for about 75% of the economy. Ali plans to fund airports and roads in order to develop more ecotourism in the country. However, it has not been easy going. A 300MW natural gas power plant project is two years behind schedule, with costs ballooning to $2 billion.

“We have gone in the opposite direction,” he said. “I will say, in a humble way, that Guyana has demonstrated to the world that we have created a model of utilization of oil revenue to propel growth, advance wealth, and develop human capital.”

     It seems like a smart move for the country, and I wish them luck!

  

References:

 

Guyana plans 'Norway on steroids' to avoid oil curse. Kevin Crowley. Bloomberg. February 19, 2026. Guyana plans 'Norway on steroids' to avoid oil curse

 

Optimizing Wetlands Water Table Depth for GHG Emissions Reduction: Water Level Just Below the Surface with Space for an Oxygen-Rich Zone Above, Limits Methane Emissions and Favors CO2 Emissions, Which Have a Lower Global Warming Potential (GWP)

     New research points to a sweet spot for optimizing greenhouse gas emissions reduction by finding the optimum water table level in wetlands that inhibits methane release. Since methane has a much higher short-term global warming potential than CO2, reducing those emissions is more impactful. Wetlands need not be flooded. Many are seasonally flooded, but there are also wetlands that are not flooded but do have very shallow water tables. The conditions for delineating a wetland include the presence of wetland soils, wetland plants, and connection to local hydrology, either surface water and/or shallow groundwater.   

     It was generally thought that flooding wetlands leads to less greenhouse gas emission since the carbon in the soil below is sequestered and doesn’t reach the atmosphere. However, new research suggests that the release of methane from flooded wetlands makes total greenhouse gas emissions from those flooded wetlands exceed those of less flooded wetlands. This is especially true in shorter time frames since methane has a higher global warming potential (than CO2) in shorter time frames. Thus, comparing effects depends on the time frames analyzed.

     New research from the University of Copenhagen on wetlands in Denmark was recently published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment that quantifies the emissions effects of wetland flooding and suggests an optimized water table depth for the lowest emissions. The Science X staff at Phys.org explains CO2 sequestration in wetlands:

“Wetlands make up only about 6% of the land area but contain about 30% of the terrestrial organic carbon pool. Therefore, CO2 emissions from wetlands are central to the global climate balance. In Denmark, the plan is to flood 140,000 hectares of low-lying land such as bogs and meadows as part of the Green Tripartite Agreement. Flooding such areas will slow down the decomposition of organic material in the soil and keep the CO2 in the soil rather than allowing it to be released to the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect. At least, that has been the rationale until now.”

     The implications of the study suggest that large-scale flooding is not a good idea:

"Most people currently expect that converted Danish low-lying soils will be flooded on a large scale. But our research shows that this is not a good idea. By keeping the water level slightly below ground level, methane produced can be partly converted to the less harmful greenhouse gas CO2 before it is released, thereby limiting methane emissions," says Professor Bo Elberling from the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, who led the study.

     This makes sense to me as someone who has evaluated and designed household sewage treatment systems. For them to function properly, they need to be built above the water table, including any seasonal water tables. When we evaluated soil, we looked for indications of submerged conditions, such as the typical grey color of submerged soils and redoximorphic soil features such as mottling, and what are known as redox concentrations and redox depletions, zones where mainly iron has been leached out and accumulated, respectively. Keeping the septic system leach field above the water table, even by a few inches, means that oxygen will be available to supply the aerobic bacteria that decompose the sewage effluent, effectively treating it.

     Soils below a water table will develop redoximorphic features, and eventually, the submerged organic matter will produce methane through anaerobic bacterial decomposition. That methane will then be released into the atmosphere.

     The new study explains that the presence of an oxygenated zone above the wetland water table contains microbes that can oxidize much of the methane arising from the submerged soils below. Those microbes are known as aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) or methanotrophs. These MOBs counteract the release of methane into the atmosphere.  

“Here, Elberling and his colleagues have measured CO2 and methane emissions from the soil continuously for several years and have now modeled a 16-year period from 2007 to 2023. The researchers also monitored the water level, plant life and soil and air temperatures. This large database was then used in a model to simulate observations and to investigate the most optimal water level in relation to the emission of both CO2 and methane.”

"Based on our data from 2007 to 2023, we can see that the most climate-friendly water level in Maglemosen is around 10 centimeters below ground level. This is the level that overall provides the best balance between methane and CO2 emissions," says Elberling.

“The researchers emphasize that the precise recommendation of the depth of the water level will vary from wetland to wetland and will probably be somewhere between 5 and 20 centimeters below ground level. But the main point is clear: "A stable water level below ground level will almost always provide the greatest climate benefit," says Elberling.    

    

 

     While ensuring an optimal water table level in Denmark will be an engineering challenge, the professor notes that the Netherlands has done it quite well. In fact, parts of the country would be underwater if they did not manage the water table. Solar-powered pumps will likely be utilized to manage the water table.

     Other variables were identified in the study. Plant communities matter. Some plants, like canary grass, are very good at taking up soil gases like oxygen and methane through their roots and releasing them into the atmosphere. It is estimated that about 80% of the methane is released by plants. Another variable is nitrous oxide, another potent greenhouse gas. If the water table is allowed to fluctuate, there will be more nitrous oxide released into the atmosphere.  

     Similar studies of greenhouse gas releases from wetlands show that partially flooding previously drained wetlands can lower CO2 emissions more than it will increase methane and nitrous oxides. Thus, each area is slightly different depending on water table depths, past actions, and effects of changes. One study of the methane emissions of wetlands noted that while water level was the main factor affecting emissions, other factors affected seasonal emissions. These include fluctuations in temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, and gross primary production.

  

 

References:

 

Wetlands do not need to be flooded to provide the greatest climate benefit, shows study. Science X staff. Phys.org. January 29, 2026. Wetlands do not need to be flooded to provide the greatest climate benefit, shows study

Optimized wetland rewetting strategies can control methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen responses to water table fluctuations. Bingqian Zhao, Wenxin Zhang, Peiyan Wang, Adrian Gustafson, Christian J. Jørgensen & Bo Elberling. Communications Earth & Environment volume 7, Article number: 109 (2026). Optimized wetland rewetting strategies can control methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen responses to water table fluctuations | Communications Earth & Environment

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands, just add (fresh) water. Laura Oleniacz, North Carolina State University. Phys.org. November 9, 2022. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands, just add (fresh) water

Measuring and modeling methane emissions in wetlands. Aaron Sidder, American Geophysical Union. Phys.org. March 1, 2024. Measuring and modeling methane emissions in wetlands

Bacteria in lakes fight climate change: The role of methanotrophs as biological methane filter. Max Planck Society. Phys.org. August 12, 2024. Bacteria in lakes fight climate change: The role of methanotrophs as biological methane filter

Offshore Wind Farms Can Weaken Ocean Currents, According to New North Sea Simulations

     I have often noted that wind farms are a form of inadvertent geoengineering in that they change local wind patterns by reducing local wind speeds. New research shows that offshore wind farms also affect ocean currents and near-surface temperatures.

     New research published in Communications Earth & Environment shows that large-scale wind farms in the North Sea reduce wind velocities by up to 20% if offshore wind deployment there increases up to 10-fold by 2050, as projected. They also have hydrodynamic impacts, slowing ocean currents and heating up surface water layers.

      Phys.org explains:

“Offshore wind turbines change the air and ocean currents. The rotors extract wind energy and influence surface currents, while the turbine pillars underwater act as obstacles and slow down tidal currents. These wake structures, known as wake effects, interact with each other and determine the complex physical impacts of offshore wind farms.”

     Dr. Nils Christiansen from the Hereon Institute for Coastal Systems—Analysis and Modeling, a geophysicist and the lead researcher, notes:

"Our simulations paint a new, finely structured flow pattern that is not only evident within the wind farms but can also spread across the North Sea—with surface speeds slowing by up to 20% in an expansion scenario for 2050," says Christiansen. This can lead to large-scale changes in sediment transport or the mixing of seawater. These factors also shape the marine ecosystem.

     These potential changes in ocean currents may have other impacts, including on shipping, disaster management, environmental protection, and fisheries.

     The researchers modeled the issue with simulations and found that the distance between turbines, the location of wind farms, and local tidal conditions are decisive factors in determining the extent to which currents, temperatures, and water mixing change. In particular, spacing individual turbines further apart can reduce the turbulence caused by tidal wakes.

     While the quantification of the effects of variables is complex and mathematical, the paper explains some of the basic effects below:

“Drag from offshore wind turbine installations—both in the atmosphere and the ocean—has been shown to influence ocean dynamics at local to regional scales, leaving an impact on the marine environment. Designated to harvest energy from the wind field over the sea, wind turbines reduce the kinetic wind energy at hub height and create a downstream momentum deficit. This deficit is characterized by high turbulence from horizontal wind shear and wind speeds up to 40% lower than the ambient wind field. These atmospheric wake structures propagate both laterally and vertically behind offshore wind farms (OWFs), reaching the sea surface at distances of approximately ten rotor diameters8. Observations in the North Sea have shown that near-surface wakes can extend up to 100km downstream of large turbine clusters, depending on wind farm properties and atmospheric stability.”

 

 

References:

 

Offshore wind farms change ocean current patterns, simulations show. Torsten Fischer. Phys.org. February 16, 2026. Offshore wind farms change ocean current patterns, simulations show

Cumulative hydrodynamic impacts of offshore wind farms on North Sea currents and surface temperatures. Nils Christiansen, Ute Daewel & Corinna Schrum. Communications Earth & Environment. volume 7, Article number: 164 (January 13, 2026). Cumulative hydrodynamic impacts of offshore wind farms on North Sea currents and surface temperatures | Communications Earth & Environment

Farmers in New South Wales, Australia, Use Scrap Wool on Fields to Reduce Evaporation, Increase Soil Moisture, and Provide Slow-Release Nutrients

     According to a Daily Galaxy article, farmers in New South Wales, Australia, are using wool waste, the part of the wool that is unusable for fiber, as a farm field additive. This waste wool has been costly to dispose of and has, in the past, been considered a nuisance. Now, it is being applied to fields considered marginally suitable for crops in order to fertilize the fields and retain moisture in the soil. The wool contains carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen, and its structure is suitable for retaining moisture. The wool is able to absorb and retain moisture. The wool can be used in its raw form, as wool hydrolysate, or as pellets, mats, or it can be composted and used. Using the wool as mulch offers moisture retention and weed control. The nitrogen is released slowly, which is ideal for increasing soil fertility.

     

     Wool fibers consist of approximately 16 to 17% nitrogen, 3 to 4% sulfur, and 50% carbon. These are bound in keratin, which resists decomposition. It also contains lanolin, which is a mixture of wax and sweat. The wool fibers have hygroscopic properties. This means they absorb and retain moisture better than other materials. They also release that moisture when it becomes dry. They also help to aerate the soil and prevent compaction. Wool is also considered to be a fire-retardant material.

“Fibers can absorb between 1.5 and 2 times their own weight in water, holding it near the root zone where plants can access it. When mixed into soil, the fibers create micro air pockets, addressing the compaction that often accompanies degradation. The combination of moisture retention and aeration is unusual. Most soil amendments provide one or the other.”

     The raw wool can clump and block water movement. Thus, it is being processed into other forms like pellets/granules and composite mats that may also contain other organic matter. The wool has been found to increase moisture retention time by 25-40%.

     Field trials were conducted from 2022 to 2025. The Australian sheep industry produces about 200,000 tons of waste wool annually. Thus, reusing it beneficially would be a great boon to developing a waste wool circular economy.

“In Victoria during 2024, more than 40 wool recycling startups began operations, creating approximately 2,500 jobs in rural areas.”

     The results of field trials were published in papers in the journal Agronomy and in the journal Animal Science and Genetics. It can get very hot in Australia, and the country is susceptible to droughts that can deplete soil moisture. Below is the abstract and conclusions in the Agronomy paper.

     It can get very hot in Australia, and the country is susceptible to droughts that can deplete soil moisture. According to the paper in Animal Science and Genetics:

“The term soil flash drought (SFD) is used to describe a rapid decline in soil moisture. This phenomenon has been a major challenge for agriculture in recent decades. More than 74% of land is already experiencing drought, and more land areas are predicted to experience it due to the transition to a warmer climate (Ma, Yuan, 2025).”

     A ton of waste wool can produce nearly 900 kilograms of pellets. Those pellets have a market value roughly three times that of raw wool. Waste wool-based mulches and soil amendments are also being tested in several European countries.

 

 

References:

 

A country is covering its barren fields with sheep’s wool, and the results are turning heads. Arezki Amiri. Daily Galaxy. February 17, 2026. A country is covering its barren fields with sheep’s wool, and the results are turning heads

Turning Waste Wool into a Circular Resource: A Review of Eco-Innovative Applications in Agriculture. Francesca Camilli, Marco Focacci, Aldo Dal Prà, Sara Bortolu, Francesca Ugolini, Enrico Vagnoni, and Pierpaolo Duce. Agronomy. 2025, 15 (2), 446. Turning Waste Wool into a Circular Resource: A Review of Eco-Innovative Applications in Agriculture | MDPI

Using the natural properties of sheep wool in the design of drought-reducing composites. Julita Szczecina, Marcin Niemiec,Piotr Szatkowski, Ewa Szczepanik, Ishenbek Zhakypbekovich Alykeev, and Edyta Molik. ANIMAL SCIENCE AND GENETICS. Volume: 21, No.: 2, 2025. Published: 29-06-2025. Using the natural properties of sheep wool in the design of drought-reducing composites

 

Sewer Overflow Wastewater Spill into the Potomac River Near Washington D.C. May Be Largest in U.S. History

   A huge sewage and wastewater spill, possibly the largest in U.S. history, spilled toxic sewage into the Potomac River. DC Water reported that on January 19, there was a collapse in a section of the Potomac Interceptor located along the Clara Barton Parkway at the 495 interchange and C & O Canal National Historical Park.

     According to DC Water:

“Based on flow monitoring data collected before and after interim bypass pumping was activated, DC Water estimates that approximately 243 million gallons of wastewater has overflowed from the collapse site. The vast majority of this volume, approximately 194 million gallons, occurred within the first five days, prior to the overflows being significantly reduced through bypass pumping operations.”

“Efforts to reach the collapse site and finalize the repair strategy remain challenging due to the discovery of a rock dam inside the interceptor, which is significantly restricting internal access. DC Water is implementing a revised construction and repair approach that is expected to take 4-6 weeks and includes:

·        Construction of a new bypass pump location to enable the safe removal of rock at the collapse site.

·        Creation of a new upstream access point to facilitate repairs and enhance worker safety.

·        Development of a new downstream connection to the Potomac Interceptor to improve wastewater conveyance and reduce future risk.

·        Installation of an upstream bulkhead to restrict wastewater flow to the damaged section as much as possible.”

“In the interim, the existing bypass system remains operational and is successfully diverting wastewater around the damaged pipe section and back into the Potomac Interceptor. Some limited overflows have occurred, primarily due to increased wastewater flow associated with snowmelt and brief pump maintenance and operational issues. For example, during overnight pump maintenance, up to 300 gallons of wastewater escaped but was contained and did not reach the Potomac River.”

“Until full functionality is restored to the Potomac Interceptor, there remains a residual risk of additional limited overflows.  However, both the likelihood and volume of any future releases are expected to remain minimal.”

     Early water testing showed extremely high levels of E. Coli. 

     They report that there have been no significant overflows since the connector was successfully bypassed. Water testing is occurring daily. They reached the collapsed sewer line section on February 19, a month after the spill. It is a slow process. First, the wastewater had to be blocked off and rerouted through the bypass. Then, a way to access the damaged section had to be devised.

     Water testing by the University of Maryland School of Public Health found E. coli at very high levels and Staphylococcus aureus, including its resistant version known as MRSA, in the river. They also note:

“Up to 75,000 sewage overflows happen every year in the United States, according to UMD’s Water Emergency Team (WET), exposing residents to raw sewage, waterborne pathogens and possibly antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The effects are serious, including illnesses such as bacterial infections that can cause serious illness and death.”

     DC Water reported that they reached the damaged section after installing a steel bulkhead gate.

“Crews were able to reach the damaged pipe section, after the successful installation of a steel bulkhead gate that is now blocking all flow in the pipe. At the same time, the enhanced bypass pumping system is fully operational and diverting wastewater around the collapse site and back into the Potomac Interceptor further downstream. This critical step has enabled workers to access the site safely and begin assessing the pipe for repairs. The manual nature of this work underscores the complexity of the situation and the debris at the collapse site must be removed to fully expose the pipe for engineers to evaluate the damage inside.”

     Trump recently weighed in on the broken infrastructure, blaming it on Maryland Governor Wes Moore. However, Moore pointed out that DC Water, who owns and operates the infrastructure, is under federal jurisdiction. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser visited the site on February 19.

“Repairs are expected to be completed by mid-March, restoring full flow and function to the Potomac Interceptor. At that point the bypass pumping system utilizing the C & O Canal will no longer be needed.  Once the collapse site is cleared, work will begin to remove a 30-foot rock dam blocking the pipe. Crews will need to proceed carefully not to trigger another collapse, due to the uncertain integrity of the remaining pipe.”

     The Potomac Interceptor was built in 1960 and is now 66 years old. The spill is perhaps an important indicator that we need to pay more attention to aging infrastructure, although underground pipes of any sort are difficult to monitor.

     DC Water CEO David L. Gadis summarized what happened in a February 11 post:

“On the evening of Monday, January 19, 2026, security cameras detected unusual activity near one of our odor control facilities along the Clara Barton Parkway. That alert led our teams to discover a collapse in a section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line, which resulted in an uncontrolled overflow of wastewater into the Potomac River. From that moment forward, DC Water crews and contractors mobilized around the clock - through sub-freezing temperatures and severe winter weather - to contain the overflow, protect public safety, and begin repairs to the 72-inch pipe. By January 24, an emergency bypass was activated to reroute flows and stop the discharge.”

   

 

 

References:

 

Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history. Tara Suter. The Hill. February 12, 2026. Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history

DC Water’s Potomac Interceptor. Potomac Interceptor Project | DC Water

DC Water Releases Key Findings on Extent of Sewer Overflow and Potomac River Impact. DC Water. February 6, 2026. DC Water Releases Key Findings on Extent of Sewer Overflow and Potomac River Impact | DC Water

An open letter from DC Water CEO David L. Gadis about the Potomac Interceptor, DC Water. February 11, 2026. An open letter from DC Water CEO David L. Gadis about the Potomac Interceptor | DC Water

UMD team finds E. coli, MRSA in Potomac River after sewage spill: Researchers find extremely high levels of disease-causing bacteria including an antibiotic-resistant strain, raising public health concerns. University of Maryland. School of Public Health. February 5, 2026. UMD team finds E. coli, MRSA in Potomac River after sewage spill | University of Maryland | School of Public Health

DC Water Reaches Collapsed Pipe Section; Damage Assessment Underway. DC Water. February 19, 2026.

UPDATE: Potomac Interceptor Collapse, February 18. DC Water. February 18, 2026. UPDATE: Potomac Interceptor Collapse, February 18 | DC Water