LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has a new K-9 team working to protect Lake County’s natural resources.
The duo of Warden Wyatt Moore with K-9 Vern made their debut earlier this year.
“We’re really proud of our K-9s. They go through a huge amount of training to be a cohesive team so we’re excited about this,” said CDFW spokeswoman Janice Mackey.
Moore has been a warden for just over four years. He’s one of six Fish and Wildlife wardens assigned to Lake County. He is assigned to the Cannabis Enforcement Program while the other five are district wardens.
While Moore also does checks for fishing and hunting compliance, cannabis will be the focus for him and Vern.
“We investigate illegal cannabis cultivation with the associated environmental damage to the watersheds in Lake County,” said Moore.
Mackey added, “Poaching at illegal grows sites is very common.”
Vern, a 2-year-old German shepherd, is the only cannabis dog working in Lake County, Moore said.
Mackey said it’s been some time since the agency had a K-9 working in Lake County.
CDFW put out an interest list for officers interested in working with K-9s and Moore said he had to go through an interview and selection process.
Moore was chosen to be a K-9 handler, and then it was time to look at different dogs.
Vern, with his long sable coat, is a particularly handsome fellow.
“Vern really stood out,” said Moore.
Moore said Vern was imported from a breeder overseas and went through extensive training.
The two of them attended the CDFW K-9 Academy, which lasted a month and a half, in Novato, Moore said. CJ’s Police K-9s conducted the training.
“He’s what’s considered a dual purpose dog,” Moore said of Vern.
Vern is a detection dog who can smell for bear, deer and abalone parts, quagga mussels, and narcotics such as heroin and cocaine.
He also is a protection and apprehension K-9, protecting Moore and other team members.
CDFW said its warden K-9s “must be comfortable in unusual environments such as barriers they don’t expect, the startling noise of running across old file cabinets, old desks that have slippery surfaces, or hunching down and making their way through passages where they can’t stand up straight. Only after passing those skill tests and other tests are they certified for patrol.”
At times during the training, the dogs would be put on a dog-powered treadmill to help deal with their excess energy, CDFW said.
The amount of time a K-9 remains in service will depend on the dog itself, Moore said.
Moore said Vern began his service around the start of March and has been settling in nicely.
“He’s learning the area and he’s liking it,” said Moore.
When not on duty, Vern makes his home with Moore.
In his off time, Moore said Vern likes to play tug with a ball and rope, and loves runs and walks.
“I try to get him out hiking with me, too,” Moore said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Early in the pandemic, it was expected that satellite imagery around the world would show cleaner air as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns.
But not all pollutants were taken out of circulation. For tiny airborne-particle pollution, known as PM 2.5, researchers using NASA data found that variability from meteorology obscured the lockdown signals when observed from space.
“Intuitively you would think if there is a major lockdown situation, that we would see dramatic changes, but we didn't,” said Melanie Hammer, a visiting research associate at Washington University in St. Louis who led the study. "It was kind of a surprise that the effects on PM 2.5 were modest.”
PM 2.5 describes the mass of nose-level particles, often produced anthropogenically, that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers, or roughly 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. PM 2.5 is small enough to linger in the atmosphere, and, when inhaled, is associated with increased risk of heart attack, cancer and a host of other implications for human health.
By combining NASA spacecraft data with ground-based monitoring and an innovative computer modeling system, the scientists mapped PM 2.5 levels across China, Europe and North America during the early months of the pandemic.
The researchers found seasonal differences in PM 2.5 between recent years were driven primarily by the natural variability of the meteorology, not by pandemic lockdowns.
Published June 23 in the journal Science Advances, the new research integrates data from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, as well as meteorological modeling input from the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office.
The meteorological effects analyzed in the study include changes in the sources of mineral dust, the way pollutants react to sunlight in the atmosphere, mixing and heat transfer, as well as the removal of pollutants from the atmosphere by precipitation.
PM 2.5 is among the most complicated pollutants to study because its particle size, composition and toxicity vary greatly depending on its source and environmental conditions.
A gas pollutant known as nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, did see dramatic declines during the lockdowns. A major byproduct of fuel burning by trucks, cars and other vehicles, the decline of nitrogen dioxide was visible from space and from the ground. Images of clear, blue skies where heavy smog had been the norm flooded popular news and social media, suggesting COVID-19 has drastically decreased all pollution in general.
When nitrogen dioxide is emitted, it can also interact with other chemicals in the atmosphere and form PM 2.5. However, the two pollutants do not have a linear relationship. Half as much nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere does not necessarily lead to half as much PM 2.5 produced by nitrogen dioxide.
Because PM 2.5 often comes from the same sources as NO2, the researchers also began to question whether the lockdowns resulted in a decline of PM 2.5.
Early pandemic studies of PM 2.5 changes analyzed data from ground monitoring sites, which test the surrounding air. But because those ground sites are few and far between, their data alone are unable to piece together the bigger picture of PM 2.5 concentrations in the air, Hammer said.
“We were most interested in looking at changes in PM 2.5 because PM 2.5 is the leading environmental risk factor for premature mortality globally,” Hammer said. “We decided to look again, using a more complete picture from satellite images.”
The study was co-led by Randall Martin at Washington University in St. Louis, who pioneered research integrating modeling and remote sensing to study atmospheric pollutants such as PM 2.5.
“Many countries in the world have no operational PM 2.5 monitoring at all,” Martin said. “These tools enable insight into ground level PM 2.5 at the global or regional scale.”
To ensure a comprehensive analysis, the team focused on regions with extensive ground monitoring systems in place and compared monthly estimates of PM 2.5 from January to April in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
When the researchers compared PM 2.5 levels over the three years during the months that coincided with each region's lockdown phases, there weren’t many clear signals over North America or Europe. The most significant lockdown-related differences were detected in China.
“We found the most clearly detectable signal was a significant reduction over the North China Plain, where the strictest lockdowns were concentrated,” Hammer said.
To figure out whether the lockdown was responsible for that signal, and several smaller ones dotted around the areas surveyed, the team ran different “sensitivity simulations” using GEOS-Chem, a chemical transport model to which Martin’s team helps lead.
They simulated a scenario where anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen dioxide were held constant and meteorological variability was solely responsible for year over year differences in PM 2.5 during the key lockdown months.
They also ran simulations in which they reduced transportation-related emissions and other anthropogenic sources of nitrogen dioxide, mirroring lockdown, when fewer people were driving and fewer industrial sites were operational.
They found the simulation where both meteorology and transportation effects were included most closely mirrored the real-world situation.
“Tackling PM 2.5 is a very complex issue, and you have to take into account its multiple sources, not just the fact that fewer people are on the road,” Hammer said. “Just decreasing transportation emissions would not be enough to account for the complexity of the problem.”
Most satellites sample the atmosphere through vertical columns spanning the ground to the edge of space. Identifying the concentrations of airborne particles near the surface, where they affect air quality, cannot be determined from these satellites alone.
The satellite data used in this study, referred to as aerosol optical depth, were related to surface PM 2.5 concentrations using GEOS-Chem, which simulates the composition of the atmosphere, the reactions and relationships among its different components, and the way they move horizontally as well as vertically through the air.
The model is a sophisticated tool that helps paint a more complete picture of air quality, said Ralph A. Kahn, senior research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and adjunct professor at University of Maryland in College Park.
“The bigger story is actually the global characterization of air quality, especially in places where there aren't surface monitors,” said Kahn, who was part of the study. “The satellites provide an important piece of it, the models provide an important piece of it, and the ground-based measurements make an important contribution as well.”
Hammer suspects the change in PM 2.5 levels over the North China Plain was more apparent because of the region’s higher pollution levels during “normal” times.
The new insights also highlight a relevant point that may not at first be intuitive: Average PM 2.5 levels have been dropping steadily in North America and Europe. Pollution concentrations that are already low are more difficult to change, Hammer said.
Brandie Jefferson works for Washington University in St. Louis.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With high temperatures of more than 100 degrees forecast for the next several days, the county of Lake reported there are several facilities — specifically, libraries and peer support centers — where community members can go to beat the heat.
Lake County’s four Public Library branches are open during their normal business hours and Behavioral Health Services’ peer support centers also are open as a refuge from the heat.
The library branches and peer support centers are not formal cooling centers, and capacity is limited, but they are a valuable community resource when temperatures climb.
At the peer support centers, water and snacks will be offered, and restrooms are available. Referrals to social services will also be made. All are welcome.
While you cool off at the libraries, check out the many new materials and digital services the libraries have to offer.
If you are planning to visit, be advised face coverings are required for people that are not vaccinated. Library visitors self-attest they are fully vaccinated by entering the building with no mask on.
Below is a list of Lake County Library locations and their hours of operation, and the peer support centers.
Lake County libraries
Lakeport Library 1425 N. High St. 707-263-8817 Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Redbud Library (Clearlake) 14785 Burns Valley Road 707-994-5115 Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Middletown Library 21256 Washington St. 707-987-3674 Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Upper Lake Library 310 Second St. 707-275-2049 Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Peer support centers
The Big Oak Peer Support Center 13340 East Highway 20, Suite “O” Clearlake Oaks 707-998-0310 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Weekends, noon to 4 p.m.
Circle of Native Minds Cultural Center 845 Bevins St. Lakeport 707-263-4880 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Harbor on Main 154 South Main St. Lakeport 707-994-5486 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
La Voz de la Esperanza Centro Latino 14092 Lakeshore Drive Clearlake 707-994-4261 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Weekends, noon to 4 p.m.
Family Support Center 21389 Stewart St., Suite “E” Middletown 707-987-9601 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — For the first time, the Board of Supervisors has recognized LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which members said they intend to add to their annual recognitions.
At the June 15 meeting, Board Chair Bruno Sabatier presented the proclamation, shown below.
The proclamation notes, “LGBTQ+ residents in Lake County represent our families, our friends, our neighbors, our teachers, our employees and our community leaders. Across all religions, races, and communities there are LGBTQ+ people helping our nation to become a more perfect union in reaching our ideals proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence that all ‘people’ are created equal and therefore deserve to be embraced and treated as equals.”
Sabatier said that, based on what he was told by county staff, this is the first time the county of Lake has offered such a proclamation, and he said he hopes it becomes an annual custom.
“I think it’s important to celebrate because of the changes that we’ve had in our country, in our state and in our communities,” he said.
Sabatier said he had a small pride flag to put on the supervisors’ dais for the month of June.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska thanked Sabatier for bringing forward the proclamation, adding she also hopes it’s done annually from now on.
She said she loved the small pride flag. “I think it’s a great gesture.”
However, she said she wanted to get a big pride flag to display on the outside of the courthouse where the board meets for next year.
Sabatier said there are policies on flags and lowering the flag and they should consider those before making any decision on what observances to add.
Pyska said she appreciated that. “We have a year to get that right.”
Supervisor Tina Scott agreed that they needed to look at their rules to see if they can fly the flag next year.
“A lot of progress has been made but more work needs to be done,” Scott said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — On Saturday evening firefighters were continuing to mop up after a fire that began in the afternoon and burned several structures in downtown Kelseyville.
The Church fire was first dispatched at 3:05 p.m., with forward progress stopped at 4:29 p.m., said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink.
It was initially reported on Church at Fifth street, later moving along Third Street, just a block over from Main Street.
Kelseyville Fire Chief Joe Huggins, the incident commander, said the fire destroyed two homes and two outbuildings, one of which was a large garage with two vehicles inside of it.
The structures that burned were next door to Kelseyville Presbyterian Church.
The fire burned in the creekbed behind Kelseyville Presbyterian, where incident command was located, and was within about 50 feet of the manse, the original church building.
Huggins said the fire burned approximately 3.4 acres.
No injuries were reported, Huggins said.
Shortly after the incident was dispatched, arriving firefighters reported multiple structures were on fire and power lines were down, and evacuations were ordered for all of Church Street.
Incident command ordered all of Church Street to be evacuated within 10 minutes of dispatch, and at 3:40 p.m. ordered mandatory evacuations from Main Street to Highway 29, with Live Oak Drive to First Street placed under evacuation advisory.
Huggins said they had been prepared to extend the advisory evacuation zone to all of Kelseyville proper, which didn’t turn out to be necessary as engines rolled in from around the county to control it.
Engines, water tenders and rescue units responded not just from Kelseyville Fire and Cal Fire but from Lake County Fire, Lakeport Fire and Northshore Fire, Huggins said.
Pacific Gas and Electric also responded to the scene due to the reports of downed power lines by arriving firefighters.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol were on scene to assist with evacuations and traffic control on Church Street, which was closed off for several hours as fire hoses snaked along the street from hydrants to the fire’s location.
After the fire was controlled, firefighters continued mopping up and putting out hot spots near the creek and around the burnout remains of the destroyed structures.
The evacuations were called off just before 6 p.m., Huggins said.
Huggins anticipated mop up and overhaul would continue into Saturday night.
As for the fire’s cause, “We don’t know yet,” said Huggins,
He said investigators had been on scene to try to determine the cause.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders of both the Senate and the Assembly on Friday announced a proposed extension of California’s statewide evictions moratorium, and an increase in compensation for California’s rent relief program.
The three-party agreement on AB 832 — which extends the current eviction moratorium through Sept. 30, 2021 — will ensure that California quickly uses the more than $5 billion in federal rental assistance to help the state’s tenants and small landlords and protect vulnerable households from eviction.
The agreement widens rental assistance by enhancing current law.
Provisions include increasing reimbursement to 100% for both rent that is past due and prospective payments for both tenants and landlords.
Additionally, the bill ensures rental assistance dollars stay in California by prioritizing cities and counties with unmet needs, and uses the judicial process to ensure tenants and landlords have attempted to obtain rental assistance.
Gov. Newsom said the economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to disproportionately impact so many low-income Californians, tenants and small landlords alike. He said he was thankful for the Legislature’s action and looked forward to signing the bill into law as soon as he received it.
“Our housing situation in California was a crisis before COVID, and the pandemic has only made it worse — this extension is key to making sure that more people don’t lose the safety net helping them keep their home,” said Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). “While our state may be emerging from the pandemic, in many ways, the lingering financial impact still weighs heavily on California families. People are trying to find jobs and make ends meet and one of the greatest needs is to extend the evictions moratorium — which includes maximizing the federal funds available to help the most tenants and landlords possible — so that they can count on a roof over their heads while their finances rebound.”
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Lake County Library’s Redbud Branch is returning to its weekly story time for children, hosting Clearlake Police officers at its Thursday event.
Sgt. Ryan Peterson, Officer Michael Perreault, Officer Jesus Loera and Officer Nathan Williams attended the Thursday morning story time reading program.
Peterson said the officers were able to participate with the children in the “Hokey Pokey” while the library staff read the associated book.
Officer Perreault also led the children on a tour of his traffic unit patrol vehicle, Peterson said.
The officers thanked the library staff and children for allowing them to participate.
The Lake County Library-Redbud Branch presents a story time every Thursday morning at 10:15 a.m.
The event is open to all children and is currently being held outside with state health guidelines.
The library is located at 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearake.
For further information, please contact the library in person or by calling 707-995-5115.
This article is being updated with new information.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Saturday afternoon structure fire is spreading through Kelseyville, prompting evacuations.
The Church fire was first reported shortly after 3 p.m. in the area of Fifth and Church streets near downtown Kelseyville.
The fire was reported as a structure fire that spread into vegetation, with the first units on scene reporting that a quarter-acre of vegetation and a structure were fully involved, according to radio traffic.
In less than 10 minutes from dispatch, firefighters reported multiple structures were on fire and power lines were down, and evacuations were ordered for all of Church Street.
Shortly after 3:30 p.m., a spot fire was reported to have jumped to the area of Third Street
Just before 3:40 p.m., incident command ordered evacuations from Main Street to Highway 29, with Live Oak to First Street placed under evacuation advisory.
Resources at the scene just before 4 p.m. included six engines and a rescue unit, with another engine and water tender en route. Cal Fire also put out a call to other fire agencies across the county for fire equipment.
Forward progress was reportedly stopped at around 4:30 p.m.
Additional information will be published as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
A person’s incapacity to manage their own financial, property, legal and health care decisions often authorizes the following persons, as relevant, to act in a representative capacity: The successor trustee, and agents under powers of attorney for finances, property and legal affairs and advance health care directives.
Estate planning allows a person the opportunity to say both “who steps in” upon their incapacity and also “how” and “who” decides that they are incapacitated.
Estate planning documents often define the term incapacity based on a person’s legal disability or health condition. Legal disabilities (prohibitions) include a conservatorship or minority (underage).
The following mental and/or physical health conditions (inabilities) often determine incapacity: Inability to provide properly for one’s own needs for physical health, food, clothing or shelter; or inability to manage substantially one’s own financial resources, or resist fraud or undue influence.
Who decides when a person is incapacitated for purposes of implementing transfers of authority?
Oftentimes a so-called, “certificate(s) of incapacity” issued by either one or two physicians (independent of each other) is used.
Sometimes, the decision can also involve a close relative, friend or even committee executing one or more declarations stating the facts supporting and the determination of incapacity.
Such certificates have to say that the incapacity standard used in the estate planning document has been satisfied to be legally effective.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic the difficulty to see a physician often delayed transferring an incapacitated person’s authority to the person’s successor trustee or activating the incapacitated person’s power of attorney or health care directive.
Once the appropriate certificates of incapacity are obtained, next is implementation. With a trust, a successor trustee will need to sign a declaration of successor trustee.
The declaration states the incapacity standard, the factual basis why it is met, and incorporates the certificates of incapacity as attachments.
With powers of attorney and advanced health care directives, the incapacity certificates are simply attached when providing the document to a third party (e.g., a bank). That is, these documents are only effective with the certificates attached without any additional declaration by the agent.
Executing a living trust, powers of attorney and advance health care directives while one still has capacity can help to avoid a conservatorship, based on the standards of incapacity provided in the probate code, at a later date.
Like a probate of a decedent’s estate, a conservatorship of an incapacitated person is a time consuming and expensive court proceeding.
It can involve litigation among family members over whether the conservatorship is necessary, and if so, who is to be appointed conservator and what powers the conservator is granted over the conservatee’s person (i.e., custody and health care) and/or estate (property, finances and legal affairs).
The foregoing is not legal advice. Consult an attorney if confronting any of these issues.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has a mix of big and little dogs waiting for homes.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Chihuahua, hound, husky, Labrador retriever, McNab, pit bull, Rottweiler, shepherd and Weimaraner.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control website not listed are still “on hold”).
“Delilah” is a 1-year-old female Chihuahua with a short brown coat.
She is in kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-512.
Labrador-Weimaraner mix
This young female Labrador-Weimaraner mix has a short white coat and blue eyes.
She is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-1063.
Female Rottweiler-shepherd
This 2-year-old female Rottweiler-shepherd mix has a medium-length black and red coat.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-791.
‘Ren’
“Ren” is a 2-year-old male McNab-sheepdog mix with a short brindle and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-785.
Male pit bull
This young male American pit bull has a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-1028.
‘Boo’
“Boo” is a 10-year-old male Chihuahua-dachshund mix.
He is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-1039.
‘Koko’
“Koko” is a 10-year-old male Chihuahua mix with a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-897.
Rottweiler-pit bull mix
This 1-year-old female Rottweiler-pit bull mix has a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-731.
‘Brutus’
“Brutus” is a 5-year-old male pit bull terrier with a short gray and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-670.
‘Apollo’
“Apollo” is a 2-year-old male husky mix with a medium-length red and white coat and blue eyes.
He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-783.
Male husky
This 2-year-old male husky has a medium-length red and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-1024.
Female pit bull terrier puppy
This female pit bull terrier puppy has a short black coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 33b, ID No. LCAC-A-853.
Male pit bull terrier puppy
This male pit bull terrier puppy has a short black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 33d, ID No. LCAC-A-855.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Another heat wave arriving this weekend has prompted the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning for Lake and numerous other counties across the state.
The warning is in effect from 2 p.m. Saturday to 9 p.m. Tuesday due to dangerously hot conditions that could reach 110 degrees in Northern California.
The National Weather Service’s forecast said an “exceptionally strong dome of high pressure” that’s persisting over much of the Western United States through next week is bringing the very hot temperatures.
The Lake County forecast anticipates daytime temperatures across the county of 103 degrees on Saturday, 102 on Sunday, 100 on Monday, 102 on Tuesday, 103 on Wednesday and 97 degrees on Thursday.
It will be warm at night, with temperatures forecast to hover in the high 50s and low 60s.
The National Weather Service urges people to take special precautions during this coming heat wave, noting that heat is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities over a 30-year average from 1991 to 2020.
Stay hydrated, don’t stay outdoors for long periods of time and remain in air-conditioned rooms.
For a list of some of the places in Lake County to stay cool, click here.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
NASA is finally headed back to Venus. On June 2, 2021, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that the agency had selected two winners of its latest Discovery class spacecraft mission competition, and both are headed to the second planet from the Sun.
This is the first time since the Magellan mission in 1989 that NASA has committed to sending spacecraft to study the shrouded planet just next door. With the data these two Venus missions – called VERITAS and DAVINCI+ – will collect, planetary scientists can start tackling one of the biggest mysteries in the solar system: Why is Venus, a planet almost the same size, density and age of Earth, so very different from the world humanity calls home?
An Earth gone wrong?
Venus is a rocky planet about the same size as Earth, but despite these similarities, it is a brutal place. Although only a little closer to the Sun than Earth, a runaway greenhouse effect means that it’s extremely hot at the surface – about 870 F (465 C), roughly the temperature of a self-cleaning oven. The pressure at the surface is a crushing 90 times the pressure at sea level on Earth. And to top it off, there are sulfuric acid clouds covering the entire planet that corrode anything passing through them.
But perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Venus is that it may have once looked a lot like Earth. Recent climate models suggest that in the past the planet could have had liquid water oceans and a mild climate. It may have been habitable for as long as 3 billion years before succumbing to some sort of climate catastrophe that triggered the runaway greenhouse. The goal of these two new missions to Venus is to try to determine if Venus really was Earth’s twin, why it changed and whether, in general, large rocky planets become habitable oases like Earth… or scorched wastelands like Venus.
Fresh eyes on Venus
What might come as a surprise is that in the 1960s and 1970s Venus was the central focus of space exploration like Mars is today. The U.S. and Soviet Union sent more than 30 spacecraft in total to the second planet from the Sun. But since 1989, only two missions have gone to Venus, and both were focused on studying the atmosphere – the European Space Agency’s Venus Express and Japan’s Akatsuki.
In contrast, the VERITAS and DAVINCI+ missions will take a holistic view by exploring the geological and climatological history of Venus as a whole, in two very different but complementary ways.
The thick, global layer of sulfuric acid clouds covering Venus make it almost impossible to see the surface with normal cameras. That’s why the VERITAS orbiter – short for “Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy” – will carry a powerful radar system. This radar can peer through the clouds and gather images and topographic data up to 10 times higher-resolution than any previous mission to Venus. This will allow scientists to look for clues about Venus’ earlier climate that may be preserved in rock formations on the surface and might also answer whether the planet is geologically active today. And, finally, this exciting mission will use a special, infrared camera to peer through the atmosphere at very specific wavelengths to take the first global measurements of what Venus’ rocks are made of – something scientists know very little about.
VERITAS’ stablemate is DAVINCI+, or “Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging.” The DAVINCI+ mission also involves an orbiter, but the real star of the show will be the meter-wide atmospheric probe. The probe will drop into Venus’ atmosphere and free-fall through the thick clouds for about an hour before reaching the surface.
On the way down, it will take samples of the atmosphere, specifically measuring a variety of gases including argon, krypton and xenon. Different climate histories for Venus would lead to different ratios of these noble gases in the atmosphere – and so by analyzing these ratios, scientists will be able to work out how much water the planet formed with, and even how much water it has lost over the past 4.5 billion years.
But that’s not all the probe will do. Just before impacting crash landing into an area called Alpha Regio that has some of the oldest rocks on the planet, the probe will take infrared images of the surface as it comes into view through the gloom of the lower atmosphere. Those images will be the first ever taken from above the surface but below the cloud deck, showing planetary scientists Venus as never before.
Now is the time to go back to Venus
I have argued before for returning to Venus, so to say I’m enthusiastic about these missions is an understatement. Venus may hold the key to understanding the past – and possibly the future – of Earth. As astronomers discover more and more Earth-size worlds around other stars, they need to understand whether the outcome we see on Earth – blue skies, water oceans and even a thriving biosphere – is the norm, or if the hellish, barren wastelands of Venus are the rule.
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Several decades of sustained Mars exploration have shown that each mission answers earlier questions and also raises new ones. I don’t know what surprises VERITAS and DAVINCI+, scheduled to launch in the late 2020s, will uncover at Venus, but I do know they’ll discover aspects of the planet that no one had ever imagined. Scientists and mission teams across the world have worked hard to realize a “Decade of Venus,” and it’s starting to pay off. In fact, only a week after NASA’s announcement, the European Space Agency declared its plans for a Venus mission, too. With these new missions, it’s my guess – my hope – that we’re at the start of a new, golden age of Venus exploration.