Current Events

  • 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.

Space Weather Activities, Projects & Problems

Hands-on activities, longer term projects, and tricky problems to tickle your brain - we've got them all here for you.
This is the front of a Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance (SID) monitor, which can detect sudden changes in Earth's <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/ionosphere.html">ionosphere</a> caused by <a href="/sun/atmosphere/solar_flares.html">solar flares</a> and similar <a href="/sun/solar_activity.html">solar activity</a>. The Earth's ionosphere is critical to our ability to communicate via <a href="/physical_science/magnetism/em_radio_waves.html">radio waves</a> over long distances.<p><small><em> Image courtesy Stanford SOLAR Center.</em></small></p>

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Hands-on Activities for Classroom & Home

Hands-on Activities, Lesson Plans, Games and Quizzes for use in the Classroom or at Home These ...Read more

Projects - for Science Fairs & Beyond

Interested in doing a project related to space weather for a science fair? The Stanford SOLAR ...Read more

Problems - for Practice or Homework

This page is currently under development. It will soon have of a list of problems related to ...Read more

Historical Events

5/24 Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, died on this date in 1543 Details
5/30 7.5 magnitude quake hits Quetta, Pakistan in 1935
5/31 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits Peru in 1970

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Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

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Tuff
xTuff : A type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption

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Research Highlights

Scientists Study "Glaciovolcanoes," Mountains of Fire and Ice, in Iceland, British Columbia, U.S.

Glaciovolcanoes, they're called, these rumbling mountains where the orange-red fire of magma meets the frozen blue of glaciers. Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which erupted recently, is but one of...Read more

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