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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 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.

   

From: Jean Pennycook
Cape Royds, Antarctica, December 24, 2007

Life On the Ice Beach

Penguins are not the only animals that use Cape Royds for a temporary home. These Weddel seals use the ice as a resting place far away from the open ocean and their main predator, Killer Whales. The sea ice dynamics against the cliffs of the Cape create tidal cracks and therefore holes to the ocean where the seals can swim to and then haul themselves up onto the ice. In this picture you can see today's group that are using this ice for a resting place. These seals do not eat penguins and the penguins frequently pass very close to them without a care. There are no land predators for these seals so they are not afraid of me and I am able to get close for some good pictures. They look soft and friendly, but they will bite hard if disturbed. There are many color variations, my favorite are the grey ones you see in the fist picture. Antarctic Marine Life

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Postcards from the Field: Adelie Penguins 2007

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