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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 Jean Pennycook

From: Jean Pennycook
Cape Royds, Antarctica, January 10, 2009

Sorry Wrong Number !

There are thousands of nests in a colony, how does a penguin find its home and mate?

This penguin fresh from feeding and full of food for his chicks came rushing up to this nest and began greeting his mate. For his efforts he received a bite in the neck and a flipper bash. He was sure that THIS was his nest and his mate, so he continued to sing his greeting call, trying to get his mate to respond.

Respond she did, by continuing to bite, jab, and flipper beat him. The neighbors got into the act too and started to attack. You can see that blood was shed as he persisted, to no avail. It was hard to watch.

After about two minutes of abuse, the penguin was pushed away and found himself among other nests. The penguins in these other nests continued to show unwelcoming displays. Only 10 feet away from all of this was his true mate, who finally attracted his attention and they found each other. Seconds later he was on his own nest, guarding and feeding his own chicks, blood still pouring out of his flipper and onto the chicks, but all was well.

For more information about Adelie Penguins go to www.penguinscience.com

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Postcards from the Field: Adelie Penguins 2008

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