Current Events

  • 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 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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Postcards from the Field: Antarctica

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