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.

Pick a Postcard - Mythology


Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510): "The Birth of Venus." (c. 1482). Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
Image reproduced by courtesy of Planet Art.

Michelangelo [Michelangelo Buonarroti], 1475-1564. The Creation of Adam Fresco (1510). Detail of the Sistine ceiling. Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
Corel Corporation

Jacopo Carrucci The Three Graces
the Reunion des Musees Nationaux, France.

"Diane Chasseresse," School of Fontainebleau.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.

In the painting "Jupiter In the Guise of Diana and the Nymph Callisto," by Francois Boucher (1759), Jupiter pretends to be Diana and whispers in Callisto's ear.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. (Purchase: Nelson Trust).

Renaissance panel ceiling by Baldassare Peruzzi entitled "The Rape of Ganymede." (c. 1509-14). Villa Farnesina, Rome, Italy.
Image courtesy of PhotoDisc, Inc. Images provided by (c) 1995 Fototeca Storica Nazionale.

Renaissance painting (16th century) depicting Galatea. Villa Farnesina, Rome, Italy.
Image courtesy of PhotoDisc, Inc. Images provided by (c) 1995 Fototeca Storica Nazionale.

Guido Reni The Victorious Samson Baroque painting (17th century). Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna, Italy.
Courtesy of Planet Art.

Giulio Aristide Sartorio The Gorgon and the Heroes. European painting (19th - 20th century). Gallery of Modern Art, Rome, Italy.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art: The George W. Elkins Collection.

Renaissance painting (1538). Venus of Urbino. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Titian [Tiziano Vecellio], c.1488/90-1576
Courtesy of Corel Corporation.

The drawing, "Study of Apollo" by Domenico Veneziano (1410-1461), an Italian Renaissance painter.
PhotoDisc, Inc. Images provided by (c) 1995 Fototeca Storica Nazionale.

The Venus de Milo is perhaps the most famous of all antique statues housed at the Louvre museum in Paris, France.
Planet Art.

This statue represents the Roman god, Neptune, who like the Greek god, Poseidon, ruled the sea. This statue stands on the island of Crete.
Corel Corporation.

Statue of Perseus. Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy
Courtesy of Corel Corporation.

Left section of the freeze (c. 525 B.C.) of the treasure of Siphnioi, entitled "Symposium of the Gods." Delphi, Greece.
Image courtesy of the Superintendency (Ephoria) of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in Delphi. Greek Ministry of Culture-Archaeological Receipt Fund.

Mural of the winged horse Pegasus, Turkey.
Courtesy of Corel Corporation.

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