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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 of Mark Spear

From: Eric Simms
East Pacific Rise, February 1, 2007

Diving to the Deep

Greetings once again, from the East Pacific Rise!

One of the most useful tools that scientists have for exploring the deep sea is the Alvin research submersible. Here's a postcard showing the submersible just before it begins its dive.

The original Alvin was built in 1964, and since then different versions of the sub have completed over 4300 successful dives to the ocean floor all around the world. Alvin can take a pilot and two scientists to depths of 4500 meters (14,625 feet) – a typical dive lasts eight hours, but at least half of that time can be spent just getting down to the bottom and back depending on the bottom depth. Once on the bottom, manipulator arms controlled by the pilot can collect samples of rocks and organisms to be brought back to the surface. Scientists also leave equipment and location markers on the seafloor to conduct experiments, and cameras on the sub collect photographs and video of each dive.

On this cruise, Alvin is being used to observe how the seafloor has changed since the January 2006 eruption, and to collect samples of the water, rocks and organisms found at the new vent sites. Be sure to check out our cruise log on the SEAS website.

For more information on the Alvin submersible visit http://www.whoi.edu/marops/vehicles/alvin/

Postcards from the Field: Deep Sea

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