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

    x

    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

    x

    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

    x

    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 Dara Salcedo

From: Dara Salcedo
T0, March 4, 2006

T0

This is a picture of the site where I am going to be measuring particles (I am in the room on the top of the building). We call it T0 because it is inside of the city and we can consider that the pollutants start their journey there, at "time zero". The pollutants are carried away from the city by the wind and after some time ("time 1") they will reach a second measuring site called T1. There is a third site even farther away called T2. By measuring pollutants at the three sites, we will be able to see how pollutants are transformed as they move way from the city.

Unfortunately, our instruments are not here yet. They are taking longer than expected to cross the US-Mexico border. Hopefully, they are going to be here tomorrow and we will be able to start measuring soon.

You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

First Day in the Field

I finally made it to the T1 site! So far I have gotten a tour of the trailer where a lot of the instruments are that take measurements of many different pollutants in the atmosphere. Not only are there...more

Light extinction of particles

Not all particles are the same, many of them have different shape, size, and composition. Some of them reflect or scatter light, and others absorb it. Two instruments on the image, photometer and nephelometer,...more

What does Tecamac mean?

Measuring site T1 is in Tecámac. This is a little town close to Mexico City. The name Tecámac is a Náhuatl word, an ancient Mexico's language, spoken by Aztecs. In Náhuatl, Tetl or Tec means stone, camatl...more

Peroxides Measured at the T1 Site

Hello again: We are nearing the end of our field campaign in Mexico. It has been a real adventure, with friendly people, great food, and interesting science. I obtained some good hydrogen peroxide measurements...more

Cerro del Chiquihuite

Here is an example of how polluted the City is. This is a picture of "Cerro del Chiquihuite", which is situated around 5km (3miles) north from us. Chiquihuite is very close, indeed. However, we can barely...more

Ruins at Zempoala

On one of our down days, we took a little trip to a small town about 20 km from Veracruz. In the little town of Zempoala (also called Cempoala), there is a large area of partially restored ruins of ancient...more

T0

This is a picture of the site where I am going to be measuring particles (I am in the room on the top of the building). We call it T0 because it is inside of the city and we can consider that the pollutants...more

Shop Windows to the Universe

Become a nitrogen atom in the nitrogen cycle in our Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit/Game. See all our games, activity kits and classroom activities.

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation and NASA, our Founding Partners (the American Geophysical Union and American Geosciences Institute) as well as through Institutional, Contributing, and Affiliate Partners, individual memberships and generous donors. Thank you for your support! NASA AGU AGI NSF