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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.
Joanna Hubbard teaches science in Anchorage, Alaska.
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Image courtesy of Joanna Hubbard.

Joanna Hubbard

This is my 10th year with the Anchorage School District as a science teacher, currently working with K-12 teachers around the district rather than in a classroom. My most recent classroom time was as a 7th grade science teacher here in Anchorage. I have a MS in Science Education and lots of background and training in various areas of biology. Being active outside is a favorite pastime - I enjoy orienteering, hiking, bird-watching, and SCUBA diving. Traveling in the US and around the world to learn new things and meet different people is important to me. Drawing or photography always help me look more closely at everything.

This will be my second trip to Antarctica. I worked in Antarctica in 2000 for two and a half months starting at the end of February at Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula as a science educator with a marine chemical ecology team. We spent the majority of our time there SCUBA diving to collect marine macroalgae (seaweed) and invertebrates. The primary goal of that science group was to understand how these plants and animals use chemicals within their bodies for defense, survival, and structural support; they also did some bio-prospecting for new chemical compounds that might have a positive effect on human health. Archived journals from that experience can be found at tea.armadaproject.org/tea_hubbardfrontpage.html.

This visit, I'm most excited about learning how to 'read' the rocks. My background is in biology, not geology. I can't wait to understand what the scientists are learning about the past environment from clues in the rock core. I'm also looking forward to being on the main continent of Antarctica, inside the Antarctic circle!

Last modified October 3, 2007 by Randy Russell.

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