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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.

    Image courtesy Julia Dooley.

From: Julia Dooley
Mackay Glacier, Antarctica, November 2, 2007

Life in an Antarctic Field Camp

Organizing a science camp for a field party of twelve people to conduct research for six weeks in Antarctica seems like an insurmountable task. And yet, here we are. It took much planning and hard work to get us here, but we've been enjoying our home away from home. We're camped out in an area known as Granite Harbor. As you can see in the photo of our camp, granite formations provide a lovely background to the flat sea ice plane.

Our camp consists of a kitchen tent and a science tent, both of which are heated, six Scott tents that sleep two people, and a potty tent. The kitchen is very cozy and Joan the camp cook keeps us well fed. We look forward to meals at the end of a long day of hard work in the cold climate. Last night we had burritos and the night before that was Pad Thai. We even barbequed steaks one night, making sure we disposed of the coals correctly.

The Scott tents are really quite comfortable for sleeping. I'm told they hold up really well in harsh storms, but I hope the good weather holds so I don't have to find that out for myself. Luckily, we have cots under our sleeping bags that keep us off the cold ice. Now that the sun dips behind the surrounding hillsides for just a short time each night, it's been much warmer for sleeping. And of course, the view from my "front porch" is unbeatable!

We'll be here in Granite Harbor for a few more weeks while we complete the seismic survey of the area in search of Holocene sediment records coming from the Mackay Glacier. You can follow the rest of my adventure through my blog at www.andrill.org/iceberg.

Postcards from the Field: ANDRILL

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