NASA's Earth Observatory update

MARCH 20, 2023 Natural Events

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Precipitation Piles on in California Successive atmospheric rivers in March dropped even more rain and snow throughout the state. (Mar 17, 2023)

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Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine The mountains of southeastern California are home to a large rare-earth element mine.       Low Water Level on Lake Kariba As water dropped to critically low levels, electricity production suffered and power outages plagued Zimbabwe and Zambia.       Muddy Water and a Wide Floodplain The mighty Amazon River carries a huge amount of sediment and occasionally delivers muddy water to nearby lakes.       Potosí and Cerro Rico The Bolivian mining city—one of the highest cities in the world—grew at the foot of an eroded volcano riddled with silver.       Floods Swamp Australia's Northern Territory Days of rain have swollen rivers and lakes in the sparsely populated territory.       Flooded Rice Fields in Louisiana The low-lying alluvial plain of the Mississippi River Valley is home to much of the nation's rice farms.       For the Longest Time Tropical Cyclone Freddy, an unusually long-lived storm, wandered in the Indian Ocean for more than a month.

LATEST IMAGES FROM THE PAST 7 DAYS view archive of natural events

Floods Swamp Australia's Northern Territory Days of rain have swollen rivers and lakes in the sparsely populated territory. (Mar 10, 2023)       For the Longest Time Tropical Cyclone Freddy, an unusually long-lived storm, wandered in the Indian Ocean for more than a month. (Mar 8, 2023)

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IMF:Global Portfolio Asset Holdings Decrease Amid Elevated Uncertainty

 

Dear maria, We just published a new blog—please find the full text below.  Global Portfolio Asset Holdings Decrease Amid Elevated Uncertainty (Credit: Stripped Pixel/Adobe Stock) By Evrim Bese Goksu, Alicia Hierro, Rita Mesias, and Wilson Phiri A Chinese insurance company buys listed shares of a Swiss bank. A UK pension fund invests in US Treasury bonds. A multinational tech company holds shares of an investment fund in the Cayman Islands. All the above are examples of portfolio investment assets. These can include both equity and debt securities, though they differ from direct investments in that investors do not control the management of the units in which they invest. Foreign portfolio investments help global financial markets function and provide investors with the benefits of international diversification. These investments are also beneficial as a source of financing for host economies. Unlike foreign direct investment, portfolio investments tend to be volatile and, if not well monitored and managed, they can trigger macroeconomic challenges such as overheating of the host economy, loss of export competitiveness due to exchange rate appreciation, and higher vulnerability in the event of a crisis. Our latest Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey shows that, amid multiple shocks, global portfolio investment asset holdings decreased by 15 percent in the first half of last year, the most since 2008. The decrease is attributed to both the reduction in investments and valuation effects. Elevated risk aversion amid increasing energy prices, heightened geopolitical and inflation risks, and tightening monetary policies in advanced economies weighed heavily on capital markets and portfolio investments. The newest CPIS looks at cross-border portfolio investment holdings through June. As the Chart of the Week shows, the top 10 portfolio investment holding countries, collectively accounting for about two-thirds of global positions tracked by the CPIS, experienced a sharp decline since the last reporting period six months earlier. View the interactive version here. The drop was largely driven by a decline in investments by the United States (in Germany and the Netherlands), Luxembourg (in the United States, Ireland, and Japan), Ireland (in the United States and United Kingdom), and Japan (mainly in the United States). On the other hand, portfolio investment holdings of the Cayman Islands increased by 6.2 percent due to investments in the United States and Japan. The IMF’s CPIS collects data on portfolio investment assets from more than 80 countries. It is the only global bi-annual survey of cross-border portfolio holdings by counterpart economy and by sector of holders and nonresident issuers. It shows which countries invest in a particular country, how the investments are distributed across institutional sectors as well as the currency distribution of such assets. Complete results are available at http://data.imf.org/CPIS. Jeff Kearns Managing Editor IMF Blog jkearns@IMF.org   Thank you again for your interest in IMF Blog. Read more of our latest content here. Take good care!

NSF update

19 Μαρτίου 2023 στις 5:42 μ.μ.



Keep up with the latest from the U.S. National Science Foundation. This is a daily look at notable news, scientific findings and stories brought to you by NSF.




NSF News
A decade of unveiling the hidden universe: ALMA at 10March 13, 2023
On March 13, 2023, astronomers around the world mark the 10th anniversary of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, the world's…



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Were galaxies different in the early universe?March 13, 2023
An array of 350 radio telescopes in the Karoo desert of South Africa is getting closer to detecting "cosmic dawn," the era after the Big Bang when…



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Research shows why cancer stops responding to kinase-blocking drugs and comes back strongerMarch 13, 2023
More than 70 FDA-approved cancer drugs are kinase inhibitors, which work by blocking kinases — enzymes that add phosphate groups to molecules in the…

Dear Colleague Letters: Planning Grants for the Historically Black College and University Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) Program

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Document Number: nsf23067

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Dear Colleague Letter: Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences (HEGS) Research Experience for Graduates (REG) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Supplements to support students from Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges


The Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program (HEGS) has published a new dear colleague letter inviting requests for supplemental funding to support students from Minority Serving Institutions and community colleges. PIs and co-PIs on current HEGS awards are eligible to submit requests, and submissions are requested by April 14, 2023.

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Document Number: nsf23069

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Dear Colleague Letter: DMR-NIBIB Collaboration: Exploring Fundamental Drivers of Next Generation Biomaterials for Biomedical Research

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Document Number: nsf23068
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Research News
Researchers work to reduce precious metals in catalytic convertersMarch 15, 2023
Precious metals in catalytic converters such as platinum, palladium and rhodium attract thieves, but University of Central Florida researchers are…



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Chemists discover new form of carbon, graphullerene, graphene's 'superatomic' cousinMarch 15, 2023
Carbon in its myriad forms has long captivated the scientific community. In addition to being the primary component of all organic life on Earth…



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Whole-genome analysis offers clarity on remains of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century CharlestonMarch 14, 2023
The city of Charleston, South Carolina, has been on a quest to better understand the remains of 36 people described collectively as "the Ancestors"…



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Coral reefs in the tropical Pacific could survive into the 2060s, study findsMarch 14, 2023
Scientists at the University of Miami have found that some reefs in the tropical Pacific Ocean could maintain coral cover into the second half of this…



NSF News
NSF Director participates in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy event on President’s Budget request for FY24March 14, 2023
On March 13, U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan participated in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy…
Human Networks and Data Science (HNDS)

The Human Networks and Data Science Program (HNDS) supports research that investigates the behavior of individuals and groups by leveraging data and network science and the development of data infrastructure that makes such work possible.

The guidelines for submitting proposals to the Human Networks and Data Science Program have been updated. Changes include the addition of a second annual deadline for the Human Networks and Data Science Infrastructure track (HNDS-I), and clarification of the language about budget ranges. Click the links below to read the new guidelines.

Note that most submissions to the Human Networks and Data Science Core Research (HNDS-R) track come in through other SBE programs and should follow the submission dates for those programs. Direct submissions to HNDS-R require prior permission from the program officers.

See the guidelines in PDF format
Document Number: nsf23568

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Dear Colleague Letter: Advancing Research in the Geosciences Using Legacy Scientific Ocean Drilling Cores

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Document Number: nsf23070

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NSF News
US-Ireland research program celebrates 17 years with landmark $21 million investmentMarch 17, 2023
Alexandria, VA: The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a joint overall investment of approximately $21 million through a tripartite research…



NSF News
This week with NSF Director PanchanathanMarch 17, 2023
How the investments of yesterday and the actions taken today will continue to shape the future was at the forefront of NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan's mind this week.…


NSF Social Highlight
Let’s look to the futureMarch 17, 2023
Women's History Month is a time to celebrate female role models of the past — women who pioneered in their fields, who broke new ground and glass ceilings, who led the way so that next generations…

ΝΑΤΟ latest

 

NATO Secretary General welcomes Foreign Minister of Iraq to NATO NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein to NATO Headquarters on Monday (20 March 2023). The NATO Secretary General thanked Iraq for its commitment to its partnership with NATO, particularly with respect to fighting international terrorism and promoting stability in the region. Mr Stoltenberg underscored that NATO continues to strengthen Iraqi security forces and institutions through the advisory and capacity-building NATO Mission Iraq. Click here to download the remarks by the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, and the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Mr. Fuad Hussein, as well as the b-roll of their bilateral meeting.  Click here for the transcript of the NATO Secretary General's remarks.  NATO Secretary General welcomes progress on Finland’s road to NATO membership NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen to NATO Headquarters on Monday (20 March 2023) for talks on Finland’s progress toward membership in the Alliance. Mr Stoltenberg welcomed the announcement by Türkiye that they will now move forward on the ratification of Finnish membership, and Hungary's announcement that they will also vote on Finnish ratification in the coming days. Click here to download the joint statement by NATO Secretary General, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Defence of Finland, as well as the b-roll of their bilateral meeting.  Click here for the transcript of the NATO Secretary General's statement.