Search results for U.S. Geological Survey
Environment
More than 300 glaciers vanish in U.S. West; area shrinks 35 percent over 70 years
More than 300 glaciers have disappeared in the western United States due to climate change, and the area of remaining glaciers has fallen 35 percent, a study found. Researchers analysed glacier changes across six western U.S. states and published the results in PNAS. Since the mid-20th century, total glacier area has shrunk and ice volume has also declined. The study raised concerns about ecosystems, water supplies and risks such as landslides and debris flows.
AI & Enterprise
Sam Altman says an almond uses more water than thousands of ChatGPT queries
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said concerns about how much water AI data centres use are exaggerated and that their usage is similar to office buildings. He made the remarks on the first episode of the podcast \"Sources\". Altman compared ChatGPT water use with California almond farming, saying one almond uses more water than thousands of ChatGPT queries. Reports and surveys cited showed varying water use by facilities and continuing community opposition tied to environmental concerns.
AI & Enterprise
Nvidia unveils hot-water cooling design to cut data centre water use
Nvidia unveiled a new hot-water, closed-loop cooling system it says can almost eliminate water use inside data centres by circulating coolant for the life of a facility. The system uses about 45 degrees Celsius coolant that exits around 55 degrees before being cooled externally and recirculated. Nvidia says suitable climates could cut on-site water use by 100%. The article says overall AI water use also depends on electricity generation and semiconductor manufacturing.
