EGU Blogs

Highlights

WaterUnderground

From groundwater flow to groundwater glow: why does groundwater fluoresce in ultraviolet light?

19th February 2018
From groundwater flow to groundwater glow: why does groundwater fluoresce in ultraviolet light?

Post by Andy Baker, Professor researching groundwater, caves, past climate, organic carbon and more at the University of New South Wales, in Australia. __________________________________________________ We often come across items that glow after being exposed to ultraviolet light. Fluorescent stickers can be bought for the ceilings of bedrooms; fluorescent hands on analogue clocks and watches; flu ...[Read More]

CR
Cryospheric Sciences

Image of the week – Skiing, a myth for our grandchildren?

February 16, 2018
Image of the week – Skiing, a myth for our grandchildren?

Ski or water ski? Carnival season is typically when many drive straight to the mountains to indulge in their favorite winter sport. However, by the end of the century, models seem to predict a very different future for Carnival, with a drastic reduction in the number of snow days we get per year. This could render winter skiing something of the past, a bedtime story we tell our grandchildren at ni ...[Read More]

GeoLog

GeoTalk: Stephanie Zihms, Early Career Scientist Representative

February 16, 2018
GeoTalk: Stephanie Zihms, Early Career Scientist Representative

In addition to the usual GeoTalk interviews, where we highlight the work and achievements of early career researchers, this month we’ll also introduce one of the Division early career scientist representatives (ECS). They are responsible for ensuring that the voice of EGU ECS membership is heard. From organising short courses during the General Assembly, through to running and attending regular EC ...[Read More]

ST
Solar-Terrestrial Sciences

Social media response to geomagnetic activity

February 15, 2018
Social media response to geomagnetic activity

Social media platforms offer every person with internet access the possibility to share content of various kind. The recent increase in social media use globally give birth to new tools and insights, from a different perspective. The size of, and the global nature of the user driven social media, makes one expect it to include information also about geomagnetic activity related to posts of visual ...[Read More]

CL
Climate: Past, Present & Future

Mountain glacier variations: natural thermometers and rainfall gauges

February 14, 2018
Mountain glacier variations: natural thermometers and rainfall gauges

Name of proxy Fluctuations of mountain glaciers Type of record Geomorphological features Paleoenvironment Continent – High mountain areas Period of time investigated From historical periods (c.a. 300 years ago) to the end of the Pleistocene (up to 200 000 years back in time) How does it work? Mountain – or “alpine” – glaciers are small ice bodies (from 1 to 10 000 km2). Alt ...[Read More]

GeoLog

Last chance to enter the EGU Photo Contest 2018!

February 13, 2018
Last chance to enter the EGU Photo Contest 2018!

If you are pre-registered for the 2018 General Assembly (Vienna, 8 -13 April), you can take part in our annual photo competition! Winners receive a free registration to next year’s General Assembly! But hurry, there are only a few days left to enter! Every year we hold a photo competition and exhibit in association with our open access image repository, Imaggeo, and our annual General Assembly. Th ...[Read More]

Geology for Global Development

Saltwater intrusion: causes, impacts and mitigation

February 12, 2018
Saltwater intrusion: causes, impacts and mitigation

In many countries, access to clean and safe to drink water is often taken for granted: the simple act of turning a tap gives us access to a precious resource. In today’s post,Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo, discusses how over population of coastal areas and a changing climate is putting ready access to freshwater supplies under threat.  Water is always moving downwards, finding its way until it ge ...[Read More]

GeoLog

Imaggeo on Mondays: Tasman Lake Down Under 

February 12, 2018
Imaggeo on Mondays: Tasman Lake Down Under 

The Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake, seen in this photograph, lies in the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand’s south island. The photographer, Martina Ulvrova, stated she “finally got to see the largest glacier in New Zealand after several days of heavy rain, during which the landscape was bathing in mist”. The Tasman Glacier is 23 km long and is surrounded by a terminal proglacial lake w ...[Read More]

GeoLog

Geosciences Column: How fast are Greenland’s glaciers melting into the sea?

February 9, 2018
Geosciences Column: How fast are Greenland’s glaciers melting into the sea?

The Greenland ice sheet is undergoing rapid change, and nowhere more so than at its margins, where large outlet glaciers reach sea level. Because these glaciers are fed by very large reservoirs of ice, they don’t just flow to the coast, but can extend many kilometres out into the ocean. Here, the ice – being lighter than water – will float, but remain connected to the ice on the mainland. This phe ...[Read More]