Current Events

  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.
  • Earth's Center Is 1,000 Degrees Hotter Than Previously Thought, Synchrotron X-Ray Experiment Shows
    Scientists have determined the temperature near the Earth’s center to be 6000 degrees Celsius, 1000 ...Read more

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    Earth's Center Is 1,000 Degrees Hotter Than Previously Thought, Synchrotron X-Ray Experiment Shows

    Scientists have determined the temperature near the Earth’s center to be 6000 degrees Celsius, 1000 degrees hotter than in a previous experiment run 20 years ago. These measurements confirm geophysical models that the temperature difference between the solid core and the mantle above, must be at least 1500 degrees to explain why the Earth has a magnetic field. For more information about this study, see the press release from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.
  • Ocean Volcanic Rocks Contain Samples of Recycled Crust
    Scientists have long believed that lava erupted from certain oceanic volcanoes contains materials fr...Read more

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    Ocean Volcanic Rocks Contain Samples of Recycled Crust

    Scientists have long believed that lava erupted from certain oceanic volcanoes contains materials from the early Earth’s crust. But decisive evidence for this phenomenon has proven elusive. New research from a team including Carnegie’s Erik Hauri demonstrates that oceanic volcanic rocks contain samples of recycled crust dating back to the Archean era 2.5 billion years ago. Their work is published in Nature. Oceanic crust sinks into the Earth’s mantle at so-called subduction zones, where two plates come together. Much of what happens to the crust during this journey is unknown. Model-dependent studies for how long subducted material can exist in the mantle are uncertain and evidence of very old crust returning to Earth’s surface via upwellings of magma has not been found until now. For more information about these results, see the press release from the Carnegie Institution.
A student takes an up-close look at the Blue Sky exhibit at the National Center for Atmospheric Research
Courtesy of UCAR

Atmospheric Science Games and Activities

The Clouds in Art Interactive

Atmosphere And Clouds Word Search

Air Quality Word Search (Printable) -- And the Answer Key

Air Quality Word Scramble

Carbon Cycle Game

Climate Crossword Puzzle

Little Shop of Physics Online Experiments

Weather Crossword Puzzle

Interactive Game - Air Defenders

Kids' Global Warming Game

Last modified August 17, 2009 by Lisa Gardiner.

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Atmospheric Science Games and Activities

The Clouds in Art Interactive Atmosphere And Clouds Word Search Air Quality Word Search (Printable) -- And the Answer Key Air Quality Word Scramble Carbon Cycle Game Climate Crossword Puzzle Little Shop...more

Arts and Culture about Clouds, Weather, and Climate

Whether it is how an artist paints the shapes of clouds or how a poet describes a gloomy weather day, there are many ways to connect the arts and culture with clouds, weather, and climate. In this section...more

Clouds

Clouds can come in all sizes and shapes, and can form near the ground or high in the atmosphere. Clouds are groups of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the sky and are formed by different processes....more

How Hurricanes Form

A thunderstorm in the tropics can grow into a massive hurricane under certain conditions. Sometimes several tropical thunderstorms are able to organize, rotating around a central area of low pressure....more

Hurricane Movement

How do we know which way a hurricane will go? Forecasters track hurricane movements and predict where the storms will travel as well as when and where they will reach land. While each storm will make its...more

Storm Surge

When a hurricane or other tropical storm approaches a coastline, sea level can temporarily rise as much as 20 or 30 feet higher than normal. This is called storm surge. The rising water may totally submerge...more

Regions of the Ionosphere

The ionosphere can be further broken down into the D, E and F regions. The breakdown is based on what wavelength of solar radiation is absorbed in that region most frequently or on what level of radiation...more

Hail

Hail develops in a cumulonimbus cloud from graupel, large frozen raindrops, that are tossed around the cloud by wind. The top of a cumulonimbus cloud reaches to high altitudes where temperatures are cold...more

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