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  • Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong corr...Read more

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    Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather

    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period. Data analyzed in this study cover the period from 431 to 1649, during which time up to 48 volcanic eruptions are identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. You can find the study (open access), published on 6 June 2013 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article. Find out more about how volcanoes can influence climate.
  • EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, acco...Read more

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    EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US

    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. For more information on the tornado, visit http://ow.ly/i/2hfDG.
  • 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.

Interactives from the National Science Foundation

Check out these interactives from the National Science Foundation (NSF) covering a range of scientific topics!

A Matter of Scale

A Matter of Scale

This interactive provides a pictorial tour of our multiscale universe, from minute subatomic realms to the vast reaches of intergalactic space. Learn how science funded by the NSF is helping us learn more about our world on a vast range of scales.

The View Through the Telescope

The View Through the Telescope: Images from NSF Observatories

Check out these fantastic images captured by astronomical observatories supported by the NSF. You can see and learn more about the observatory that made each picture.

The Secret Lives of Wild Animals

The Secret Lives of Wild Animals

Take a behind-the-scenes peek into the secret lives of five different animals and the habitats in which they live. This interactive features zebras, seals, deer, dragonflies, ocelots and agoutis.

Last modified May 13, 2008 by Randy Russell.

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Images & Multimedia

Here you will find links to all sorts of pictures, animations, videos, sounds, and interactive multimedia that are on Windows to the Universe Explore collections of images in the Image Galleries. Watch...more

Newly Unveiled Satellite Map of Antarctica Is a Unique Tool for Scientists, Educators and the Public

Representatives from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) worked together...more

Reef Health Depends on Algae Chomping Fish

The health of coral reef ecosystems is endangered by many different forces – warming seas, carbon dioxide, diseases, fishing, and pollution to name a few. Can reefs recover once they become unhealthy?...more

Injecting Sulfate Particles into Stratosphere Could Have Drastic Impact on Earth's Ozone Layer

Some scientists are looking for methods that will help cool the Earth and cancel out global warming. But a new study says that one of these methods would have a huge impact on the Earth's protective ozone...more

Catching a Glimpse of a Black Hole's Fury

With the help of some powerful telescopes, a team of scientists has been spying on a black hole at the center of a galaxy that is 950 million light years from Earth. This is not just any black hole. This...more

Newly Born Twin Stars are Far From Identical

Two stars, each with the same mass and in orbit around each other, are twins that one would expect to be identical. So astronomers were surprised when they discovered that twin stars in the Orion Nebula...more

Deadly Tonga Earthquake Revealed as Three Big Quakes

Geologists have learned that a magnitude-8.1 earthquake and tsunami that killed 192 people on September 29, 2009 in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga was in fact a triple-whammy. The 8.1 "great earthquake"...more

Ecologists Use Oceanographic Data to Predict Future Climate Change

Scientists are using what they know about ocean circulation and the past climates in the Arctic region to predict the future impacts of climate change. They think if the changes that are currently happening...more

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The Spring 2011 issue of The Earth Scientist is focused on modernizing seismology education. Thanks to IRIS, you can download this issue for free as a pdf. Print copies are available in our online store.

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