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 Brad Clement

From: Tonya Riggs
Kathmandu, Nepal, September 8, 2008

Blessings for Safe Passage

We arrived in Kathmandu yesterday after over 30 hours of travel. We are literally on the other side of the Earth, very far from home. Given that we changed planes in Los Angeles, California and again in Bangkok, Thailand, we were happy to see that all ten of our bags arrived. It would have been difficult to miss a few key pieces of clothing or climbing gear. Upon our arrival, we spent an hour sorting our gear to make sure nothing was damaged or missing in transit.

Today is our first full day (and last day) in the city of Kathmandu. We need to limit our time here as it is very easy to become ill while visiting. Like in any developing country, our bodies can't handle the local water so we drink only bottled water and avoid fresh fruits and salads so we don't get sick. The pollution is very bad and our eyes and throats burn from the smoke and smog.

This morning we did something very important. We joined our climbing sherpa, Dayula, in a special ceremony. The buddhist people believe it one must receive a blessing from a lama, a high level monk, for safe passage into the mountains. Our lama said many special prayers to ensure our safety while traveling in the high mountains of Nepal. Many sherpas will not step foot on a mountain without first receiving this very important blessing.

Namaste from Nepal, Brad and Tonya

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Postcards from the Field: Annapurna

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