In collaboration with Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota, scientists have built a new map of Antarctica using high resolution satellite images to show the continent in "stunning detail," USA Today reports.
Why it matters, per Axios Science Editor Andrew Freedman:In order to determine the stability of Antarctica's massive ice sheets, particularly the West Antarctic Ice Sheet that has been losing mass, scientists need accurate maps of the ground the ice is resting on. Improvements in mapping could enable researchers to narrow the range of uncertainty regarding future sea level rise from Antarctic ice melt.
The NHC is projecting that Hurricane Florence will be a Category 4 storm with 145 mph sustained winds 5 days from now.
Why it matters: That’s the strongest five-day intensity forecast for an Atlantic hurricane they’ve issued in the past two decades. Keep in mind though, intensity forecasts are much more uncertain than track forecasts.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk elevated longtime company official Jerome Guillen to head of automotive operations and announced several other executive promotions Friday — moves that come just hours after news of two high-level departures.
Why it matters: The executive changes, announced in an email to employees touting "tremendous progress" at the electric automaker, arrive amid a troubled stretch for the company, including events over the last day alone that sent its stock tumbling.
Due largely to an unusual weather pattern across the North Atlantic, Tropical Storm Florence is increasingly likely to threaten the East Coast of the U.S. sometime next week, possibly as a major hurricane of Category 3 intensity or greater.
Why this matters: Computer model guidance for Florence have been volatile, exhibiting what forecasters call the "windshield wiper effect" of oscillating back and forth from run to run. However, they've now narrowed somewhat, agreeing that the storm will either pass close to or move into the East Coast next week — a potentially damaging scenario.
Gabrielle Toledano, Tesla's chief people officer, will not be coming back after her leave of absence, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: This comes the same day Tesla's chief accounting officer Dave Morton announced his resignation due to "the level of public attention placed on the company." The company's stock has already suffered, dropping as much as 8.5% before the start of regular trading Friday morning, per Bloomberg. The company had already lost two other executives in the first quarter of the year.
After just a month at the company, Tesla's chief accounting officer Dave Morton resigned over "the level of public attention placed on the company," the company announced in an SEC filing Friday.
The details: Tesla shares dropped about 9% on the news pre-market. Morton, who left on September 4, said in a statement that he believes "strongly in Tesla, its mission, and its future prospects, and I have no disagreements with Tesla's leadership or its financial reporting."
President Trumpwill not voluntarily answer questions about obstruction of justice, gambling that Robert Mueller won’t have the stomach for a court fight.
A source close to Trump’s legal team tauntingly tells us it’s “Mueller’s moment of truth.”
