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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 126
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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recognize the Geronimo Creek Atmospheric Monitoring Station for |
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31 years of ongoing measurements of the aerosol optical depth, |
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total precipitable water, and total column ozone in the |
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atmosphere over Guadalupe County; and |
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WHEREAS, These ongoing measurements have become the |
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longest series of such measurements in the United States since |
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the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory measured aerosol |
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optical depth and total precipitable water at Table Mountain, |
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California, from 1926 to 1957; and |
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WHEREAS, The measured and photographic clarity of the sky |
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over the station has improved despite the periodic arrival of |
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volcanic aerosols from the historic 1991 eruption of Mount |
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Pinatubo in the Philippines, smoke from western states and |
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Mexico, dust from the Sahara Desert, and smog from the Ohio and |
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Tennessee Valleys; and |
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WHEREAS, The average total water vapor, which is the |
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principal greenhouse gas, has remained stable for 31 years, |
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despite the increase caused by the historic 1997-1998 El Niño |
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effect and the decrease caused by the extraordinarily dry |
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2010-2011 La Niña effect; these measurements were made by |
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instruments calibrated at Hawaii's high-altitude Mauna Loa |
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Observatory annually from 1992 to 2018; and |
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WHEREAS, Important discoveries at the Geronimo Creek |
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Atmospheric Monitoring Station led to a 1993 Rolex Award; the |
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station's findings have appeared in leading scientific journals, |
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including an error in the National Aeronautics and Space |
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Administration's ozone satellite that was published in Nature in |
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1993 and the discovery by Sarah Anna Mims of living microbes in |
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biomass smoke from Yucatan, Mexico, that began the new field of |
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science called pyroaerobiology, published in Atmospheric |
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Environment in 2004; and |
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WHEREAS, Forrest M. Mims III, scientist-in-residence at |
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the station, has described atmospheric conditions over Guadalupe |
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County while representing the county at the Alamo Area Council of |
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Governments; he has also described these conditions in many |
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scientific papers and in many of his science columns for the |
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Seguin Gazette and the San Antonio Express-News; he has devoted |
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many years to encouraging children, students, and citizen |
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scientists to employ photography and simple instruments he has |
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designed to record the clarity of the atmosphere over Texas; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize the Geronimo Creek Atmospheric |
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Monitoring Station as it begins its 32nd year of measurements of |
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aerosol optical depth and total precipitable water, the longest |
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such series in the United States; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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the station as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate. |
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Campbell |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on March 9, 2021. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |