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.

    Image courtesy of Kate Pound.

From: Kate Pound
Christchurch, New Zealand, October 4, 2007

En Route to Antarctica - First Stop New Zealand

Hello Everyone!

We are not in Antarctica yet - but we are getting closer! We are now in Christchurch, New Zealand. We still have to get all our Extreme Cold Weather Gear from the Clothing Distribution Center as well as complete several other administrative and outreach events. In the meantime we have been trying to get on to New Zealand time after our long flight here. We crossed the International date line en route from Los Angeles to Auckland, so that means that we are one day ahead of people in the US - we actually missed the 2nd of October entirely; we left Los Angeles on the evening of Monday October 1st, and arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on the morning of Wednesday October 3rd! Can you explain how that is? You will notice that we were welcomed in Christchurch by a rain/hail storm - we got quite wet wheeling our luggage carts to the rendezvous spot. You can also see from the postcard that we flew across the New Zealand Southern Alps, where we had a brief view of the mountains through the clouds that covered most of the land. Once we got settled in Christchurch we took a brief walk around the botanic gardens. Notice all the flowers - what season is it here - and why? I have to go now – we are doing a presentation tonight and I have to get ready. I'll write again soon.

Bye,
Kate

Postcards from the Field: ANDRILL

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