Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • 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.

    Courtesy of Chris Cantrell

From: Chris Cantrell
Veracruz - NCAR/NSF C-130, March 5, 2006

First local C-130 flight from Veracruz

This picture shows us getting ready for the first local flight of the NCAR/NSF C-130 flying out of Veracruz. We flew toward Mexico City, did some measurements in the Mexico City basin, and then flew West and South of the city before returning to Veracruz. The flight lasted about 7 1/2 hours. Most of the instruments are the aircraft were operational, so we should have a good data set for conditions when the wind is blowing from the Northeast.

Our instrument makes measurements of OH (hydroxyl radicals), H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), MSA (methane sulfonic acid), HO2 (hydroperoxy radicals), RO2 (organic peroxy radicals), HNO3 (nitric acid), and NH3 (ammonia). It uses the technique of selected ion chemical ionization mass spectroscopy.

More later,
Chris

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