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 Jean Pennycook

From: Jean Pennycook
Ross Sea, December 31, 2006

Sea Ice Is Breaking Up

As the Antarctic summer progresses, the sea ice melts. This sea ice covers the top of the ocean next to the continent and the Ross Sea. Large cracks open up in the expanse of ice which allows whales to get into parts of the Ross Sea, parts that have not been disturbed or fished since last February. Toothed whales such as Orca eat the large fish that live near the bottom of the sea here. The fishing is good in the Ross Sea so many pods (groups of whales) find their way to this area swimming up the cracks to get first chance at these fertile grounds. The ice is still more than a meter thick, so safe for us to walk on, and since this opening was not too far from the research station, we went out to see them. The opening was about 2 meters wide and these killer whales (Orca) were in a group of about 30, using the crack so that they could come to the surface and breathe as they searched for food. They knew we were there; they looked at us as they surfaced, but did not alter their course or speed. We felt very insignificant against their raw strength and power.

Marine Life

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