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 Matthew Miller

From: Matthew Miller
NOAA RV Ronald H. Brown, October 31, 2008

Halloween on the Brown

Happy Halloween, everyone! We here on the Ronald Brown are getting into the Halloween spirit. The PMEL and LIDAR research groups have disappeared and pirates have taken their place. The shrill battle cry of "Arrrgh!" echoed across the mess deck during lunch. The ship's lounge has been decorated with spider webs and pumpkins and I'm even told that there will be trick-or-treat candy available if you knock on the doors of some of the research containers on weather decks of the Ronald Brown.

The cheerful Halloween spirit of the scientists and crew even managed to work into the atmospheric observations. The balloon for one of today's upper-air measurements was replaced with the Great Pumpkin to spread Halloween cheer. In the picture that goes with this post card you can see Lelia Hawkins in her pirate costume and Dan Wolfe inflating the pumpkin balloon. Lelia drew the pumpkin design on the balloon while it was uninflated, and the balloon drew a large audience. The radiosonde attached to the pumpkin balloon reached a maximum height of 23,464 meters at 31.7 millibars, which was an above average performance for the balloon soundings to date for the VOCALS campaign.

Postcards from the Field: Climate Science from the Southeast Pacific

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