#biocrust
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#in honor of earth month#biocrust#this might be my favorite thing I’ve ever made#this is really old I just felt the need to post it
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A ‘living skin’ is protecting the Great Wall of China from erosion
Compared with the bare sections, biocrust-covered rammed earth was less porous and had higher shear strength and compressive strength, the team reports today.
The researchers suggest these properties and others linked to biocrusts protect the Great Wall from degradation in a few ways, including by reducing wind erosion, preventing water and salt from seeping in, and increasing the overall stability of the rammed earth. Perhaps unsurprisingly, thicker, moss-dominated biocrusts were generally more protective than thinner ones dominated by cyanobacteria.
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@superzobat interesting article re: biocrusts
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tired of soft. call it WAFF and get on with it
#pst#txt#anti-soft agenda#no but really i kinda hate the 'soft' thing thats been happening for a while now#cozy is on thin fucking ice#thinner than the biocrust of the nazca lines
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I think being is a biocrust on the surface of divinity, oxidized by nonbeing.
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The Great Wall of China was built over several centuries starting approximately 221 BC—its function was to protect the people living behind it from enemies attempting to invade from the other side. Prior research has shown that different parts of the wall were made with different materials—mostly rammed earth or stone.
Rammed earth is made by mixing organic materials with inorganic materials. Because of their nature, such materials are more susceptible to erosion. That has led to questions regarding how sections of the wall made with the material have survived for so many years. In this new effort, the researchers wondered if perhaps biocrusts may have played a role.
Continue Reading.
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There's a post going around saying solar panels are destabilizing southwest desert ecosystems. And nowhere does the post mention animal agriculture or alfalfa, which are actually responsible for destabilizing the US southwest. And meanwhile, solar panels can actually restore desert biocrust.
So please keep in mind that industrial animal agriculture would love you to focus all your wrath on renewable energy. They'd love you to blame the southwest water and biodiversity crisis on random shit.
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You know, I've been watching people play the "My Time" games & I noticed something.
We never really get a direct answer as to what the direct cause of the Day of Calamity was.
Like, all we hear is that technology did it, but no one ever says which technology.
I mean, in Sandrock, we see that the Age of Corruption actually had quite a few green technologies. Such as the biocrust & the water purification tank. And in both Portia & Sandrock, we meet AIs that aren't evil & destructive.
As such, this means that it wasn't technology itself that caused the Calamity.
So, what specifically actually caused the sun to hide?
I get the feeling that the answer is much more complicated than what the Church of Light would have us believe.
In fact, why do people assume that it was technology to begin with? How do they even know?
I remember that Duvos was described as a wasteland, so maybe the place where Duvos stands was ground zero for whatever happened?
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Old graveyards that don't see a lot of foot traffic are often havens for soil lichens. Like nostoc, they're an important reminder that bare soil isn't necessarily barren! Biocrusts are fragile and inconspicuous, but serve important ecological roles despite not fitting into our idealized image of what thriving life looks like. Human activity, invasive plants, plants artificially encouraged to grow in normally inhospitable areas via irrigation, and heavy livestock all do significant damage to them, and they do not recover quickly. Most people are oblivious to their entire existence. Look down and tread carefully.
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EEP ZEKE X F!BUILDER part 1!
This was a request (female by request, I swear I'll make more gender neutral in the future!) but I got carried away and I wanna make more for the sweet garden gnome man so yeah! Enjoy, part 2 will come soon!
Zeke had lived in sandrock for the vast majority of his life, and it had changed quite a bit in that time. With the disappearance of his adoptive mother and his adoptive father’s failing mental acuity, not to mention the untimely deaths of so many of the townspeople he’d grown up with, he had closed himself off in many respects.
It wasn’t that he didn’t care for the people of sandrock, on the contrary, he cared about them all greatly. But people were weak, and the desert was merciless, and Zeke had grown tired of loss. That was part of the reason he enjoyed his time in the moisture farm, alone and at peace- even when a plant was lost it could be regrown.
And that was how Zeke liked it. Alone, tending to his plants, and serving the people of sandrock from afar. At least that's how it was until the new builder moved to town.
She was a force to be reckoned with, an unstoppable train constantly barreling forward and making way for progress in a way that Zeke had thought was long gone in sandrock, and much in the same way she bust through the doors of the moisture farm during the googler’s attack she had bust through the gates he had placed in front of his heart.
She reminded him of Martyl in a way, determined and intelligent and caring. Maybe that was why he found himself wondering what kind of flower would make her happiest, or if she wanted to hear about the new data on the biocrust he’d discovered, or if she had enough water to drink, or if she…if she cared that he was a reclusive old man.
He paused, looking at the desert rose he’d been tending during his musings. Why did he always think of her when he tended the flowers?
He wouldn’t get the chance to dive deeper into this thought before the sound of the heavy metal doors of the moisture farm opening once again caught his attention. the builder came bounding in, carrying her heavy bag on her shoulders. He vaguely wondered how she always managed to lug that thing around…
“Zeke!! I have a need for seed!” she sang out as she looked for him, poking her head around the hydrogel. He quietly chuckled and turned to greet her.
“Good morning to you too.”
“Isn’t it? Its also a super hot morning! Which is why I brought you this.” she hummed, digging in her bag before pulling out a bottle of Heat Stroke medicine. Zeke’s smile faltered slightly but he accepted it gratefully. She was always bringing him medicine, always things that were precautionary for the weaker of residents.
A reclusive old man, indeed.
“Thanks, I’ve been feeling a little rough lately. This’ll hopefully help me feel a bit better.” he said, putting it on the shelf behind him, ���what kind of seeds are you looking for?”
“Cantalope jute shoots! I love dan-bi but with all the time she devotes to the flowers in town you’d think she could take a moment to grow these for herself. She’s always looking for one or the other.” she said back, smiling warmly at the mention of their mutual friend. As if what he’d said had only just hit her the smile faded, “Wait, you aren’t feeling well? Have you gone to see Fang? I know he doesn’t talk much but he’s really good with medicine…” she began fussing slightly, a somewhat pout-ish frown taking over her mouth.
Darn, he hadn’t meant to make her worry. Shit. he quickly redirected her attention.
“Nah nah, just haven’t been sleeping great, but hey! Look what I’ve been trying my hand at!” He quickly snips a desert rose off the plant he’d been tending moments before and holds it out to her. Her eyebrows are still knit but she goes with his subject change and takes the rose. Her eyes widen slightly as she inspects the water drops on the petals where he’d been spraying them moments before her entry.
“Wow…this is so pretty…” she whispered as if afraid her voice would somehow disturb the bud.
“I’ve been trying my hand at a few more flowers lately…I usually grow foods here since its what the moisture farm is for but I…thought people might like these.” I thought you might like these.
“I’m sure they will! You’ve got such a green thumb I'm convinced you could grow water lilies in the desert!” she chuckled, gently caressing the petals. She tucked it behind her ear and grabbed the seeds he’d placed on the counter for her. “I’ve got a lot to do today, so I have to run but take care today, okay? Maybe I’ll bring you some coffee beans when my tree is next ripe.”
He smiled at her. “I’d really like that.”
She nodded once more and stuffed the seeds in her bag. She took off towards the moisture farm door once more, pausing to wave goodbye once more before she made her escape. Zeke watched her go with a small smile, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He turned to the freshly cut rose plant and his smile grew. He’d have to grow more.
#my time at sandrock#mtas#mtas builder#builder#my time at sandrock builder#mtas zeke#my time at sandrock zeke#zeke#mtas x builder#mtas x reader#female builder#yay!
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girl help someone took my biocrust blanket (species-diverse community of dirt, bacteria, algae, fungi, lichen, mosses and other organisms that form a living cover that I sleep under at night)
#how am i going to sequester carbon by myself#if you think about it a lot of dead things get to sleep forever under this big ol blanket#biology#botany
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#science#science communication#scicomm#stem#science education#science blog#environmental science#mycology#Lichen#moss#fungi#great wall of china#Architecture
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12/20: Slippy Mudman / Dic kgirl / Dumb Dog / Biocrust | 7PM | $5-$10
Slippymudman - @slippymudman
Dickgirl - @d.ckgirl
Dumb Dog - @dumb.fucking.dog
Biocrust - @biocrust
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under the weather
@flufftober
Flufftober Day 8: Zeke/female builder
Rainy Day
When Selene is late to the Moisture Farm on her usual day, Zeke goes to check on her and make sure everything is okay.
It had always been easy for Zeke to lose track of time when engrossed in his work, doubly so when in the Moisture Farm. Today was no exception; when he finally paused for a water and stretch break, he was surprised to find the sun almost to peak of its height for the day. Checking his watch, Zeke's face twisted into a frown. It was almost eleven, Selene should have been to the Moisture Farm by now. Every Wednesday, she came by in the morning to help out, and then they got lunch together. The only times Selene had ever missed, she'd given him a heads up that there was something else going on that day.
Something wasn't right.
Worry curling in his gut, Zeke hurriedly left the Moisture Farm for Selene's workshop. His mind started jumping to potential scenarios, each worse than the last. A landslide in the ruins, one of her machines malfunctioning and tearing off a limb, a fight with the monsters outside of town having greater numbers than she thought. Before he could spiral too far, Zeke cut himself off. There was no sense in borrowing trouble, especially when he didn't know for sure what was wrong. It could just be that Cooper or Arvio, or one of the other Sandrrockers had roped her into a "quick" errand that ran long.
Coming up to Every Little Thing workshop, Zeke's gaze swiftly swept over the yard. Thankfully, there was no sign of blood or viscera around any of the machines. Patches and Merle were both in their stable, and a cursory glance at their troughs showed they'd been filled and fed this morning. Relief began to trickle through him, however Zeke was still perplexed as to where Selene was now. He decided to check the house, in case she'd decided to take a nap and overslept. Even though she'd given him blanket permission to walk in whenever, Zeke couldn't help but run his fingers over the heart knot on his wrist nervously. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped in.
"Selene?" he called out.
There was no response, but if she was sleeping, there might not be. As he continued down the hall to her bedroom, Zeke was struck by how much darker it was than other times he'd been over. Taking a peek out one of the windows, it was easy to see why. Heavy, angry clouds were gathering in the distance, signaling impending rain. There had been more and more rain of late, what with the success of the desert planting from the new biocrust and Olympia's water. Pulling himself away from the scene, Zeke continued on down the hall. Cracking open the bedroom door, he could just see a vaguely Selene shaped lump buried under the blankets.
"Selene?" he called again.
Selene replied with a whimper. All the concern from earlier surged back up, propelling Zeke across the room. He sat gently on the side of the bed, hands hovering over the builder, not sure what to do.
"What's wrong, little one?"
Selene responded with a whisper so quiet he barely heard it. "Migraine."
While Zeke had never had migraines himself, one of the relic divers from the original rush had. The way she'd explained them, they sounded like a truly miserable experience. He wracked his brain, trying to remember everything Helena had told him about migraines and what had helped her. Light sensitivity had been a big one. Looking around, it seemed that Selene had attempted to add an extra blanket to the windows, but they were only half covering them.
Ever so gently, Zeke pressed a kiss to her temple before getting up and fixing the blankets to properly block out the light from outside. Selene's sigh of relief was audible, even across the room. At least that had helped a little, even if Zeke knew it wouldn't have cured the migraine entirely. It took some doing to make it back to the bed with how dark the room was now, but a small price to pay for his love's comfort.
Back at Selene's side, Zeke stroked her hair. "Do you have any medicine for it?"
"Yeah," Selene breathed. "Under the bathroom sink. Purple jar."
It was easy enough to find the jar; Selene kept her things tidy. A quick stop by the kitchen for a glass of water, and Zeke was on his way back. It took a little doing to get Selene sitting up in order to take the medicine. In the end, Zeke ended up having to help the little builder to a seated position. Once she'd taken the pills, Selene didn't seem inclined to lay back down, but rather pressed herself against his side.
"Zeke, it hurts, it hurts so much," she whimpered.
The pain dripping from Selene's words sliced through his heart. All he wanted to do was relieve that pain for her. A memory pulsed in his mind, a faint sliver of light leading him back to the time Helena showed him pressure points and massages that helped her migraines. "Where does it hurt?"
"Temples, like my skull's in a vice."
Doing his best not to jostle Selene, Zeke brought the arm not wrapped around her up to massage the sides of her head. It took him a minute to find the right spot, but once he did, his little builder began to relax against him ever so slightly as some of the pain ebbed. With a bit of encouragement and quite a bit of patience, he was able to get Selene to lay down, her head in his lap while Zeke carefully pressed and pushed against her scalp. Between the medicine and his careful ministrations, Selene was eventually able to drift off. Once he was certain she was fully asleep, Zeke eased out from under her, sliding a pillow into his place. While Selene stirred ever so slightly, she didn't wake up.
Relieved that he hadn't disturbed her healing slumber, Zeke slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him quietly. Not knowing how long her migraine induced naps were, he made his way out to the living room. Everything was more or less tidy, except for a few dishes in the sink. It didn't take but a few minutes for Zeke to get them washed and put away. Without anything else to pass the time, he perused Selene's jam-packed bookshelf. Finding one that looked promising, he pulled it out and settled into the armchair to read.
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Footsteps startled Zeke out of his book. Looking up, he could see a very rumpled Selene padding into the living room. She made a beeline for the chair Zeke was in, climbing into his lap and curling up there. It was all he could do to breathe with the sheer force of the love and affection he felt for his little builder squeezing at his heart. Swiftly setting the book aside, Zeke brought his arms around Selene to hold her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, just because he could. At the act of affection, Selene gave a little hum of satisfaction before burrowing even further into his embrace, pressing a kiss to his chest where her head rested.
Zeke was fairly certain his heart was going to explode.
"Thank you, my Zephyr," Selene murmured. "I haven't had a migraine that bad since moving to Sandrock."
"I didn't know you had migraines," he said, idly rubbing his thumb in swirls and circles against her thigh.
Selene heaved a sigh. "Yeah, some of them are from muscle tension, or if I sleep funny. Most of them are weather related, before big storms and such."
As if on cue, thunder rumbled outside. The pieces fell together swiftly for Zeke. "So because of greenifying Sandrock and getting more storms, you'll get more migraines?"
He could feel Selene nod against his chest. "Oh, little one."
"It's not too bad if I can get my medicine soon enough. I just haven't had one in so long I didn't realize what it was until too late." Selene lifted her head up to look at Zeke, confusion knitting her brows. "What brought you over here, by the way?"
Against his best efforts, Zeke could feel warmth flooding his cheeks. Unable to meet her eyes, he stared at Selene's lap and mumbled, "You were late coming to Moisture Farm. I was worried something happened." Light, he sounded like a lovesick teenager or overly concerned parent.
The soft press of Selene's lips to his cheeks nearly made him jump, but did make his heart stutter. "You are the sweetest thing ever, you know that?" Looking into her sparkling eyes, Zeke was overwhelmed by the strength and depth of love he saw there. The warmth in his cheeks was now a full on fire, but did nothing to stop the smile spreading across his face in response to Selene's words. Not able to put his feelings into words, Zeke pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. His builder's breathe hitched in response. Pulling away, he settled back into the chair. Selene re-situated herself on his lap as they settled in to watch the rain together.
#zeke x builder#zeke x female builder#mtas zeke#mtas#my time at sandrock#mtas fic#my time at sandrock fic#my writing#flufftober2023#day 8
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#aFactADay2024
#1158: the Great Wall of China has a living skin. a thin "biocrust" of moss, cyanobacteria, lichen and other rootless plants blankets lots of the sections of the Wall that are made of rammed earth. biocrust is typically thought of as harmful as it produces acids that can damage man-made structures (also it can look unwanted), but on the Wall it strengthens it, increasing all the different types of force resistance and reducing erodibility and so on. biocrusts are estimated to cover around 12% of the earth and provide protection to soil in (semi-)arid areas, but due to fires and grazing, biocrusts are being injured. we're beginning to see the effects of biocrust removal on the Great Wall (as it was thought to be hurtful when really it's keeping it together) and understand why this previously overlooked array of cultures is an important ecological element.
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Clade masterlist
Arthropoda
Acari
Anthophila
Collembola
Entomobryomorpha
Myriapoda
Chordata
Batoidea
Cetacea
Dinosauria
Marsupialia
Ornithischia
Sarcopterygii
Saurischia
Selachimorpha
Serpentes
Cnidaria
Ceriantharia
Mollusca
Sacoglossa
Non-animals
Angiospermae
Biocrust (not a clade but there's not really any other way to tag this one)
Diaphoretickes
Eudicotidae
Gymnospermae
Rhodophyta
Slime moulds (same as biocrust)
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