Open kickoff meeting of the PAGES working group held in Bonn, Germany, 19th – 21st Aug. 2015 The open kickoff meeting of the PAGES working group GloSS aimed to set the boundary conditions that will enable the GloSS-WG to meet its scientific goals within the next three years. Therefore, this workshop focused on the development of a list of proxies/indices of human impacts on soils and sediments tha ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Geosciences Column: Soil in art
When you think of soil, what is the first thing that comes to mind? The answer will depend on your perception of soil: to some it has a patriotic meaning (“soil of Britain”, for example), while to others it has a strong agricultural connection and to an Earth scientist, well, it’ll depend on their field of expertise. A geotechnical engineer’s perception of soil is different to how it might be view ...[Read More]
Cryospheric Sciences
Image of the Week: Hochjochferner
The margin of the glacier “Hochjochferner” on the border between Austria and Italy. This glacier has been monitored with an Automatic Weather Station for several years by the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research in Utrecth, NL.It is also the destination of the field trip that takes place during the annual Karthaus summer school in ice and climate. Here, students are exploring ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Introducing the EGU Executive Office
With so many thinking the EGU’s activities are restricted to the organisation and running of the General Assembly, we thought we’d share a behind-the-scenes peek at the team who works year-round to promote the Earth, ocean and planetary sciences and the work of the members of the Union. At the EGU Executive Office in Munich, Germany, you’ll find the Union’s headquarters. With a team of six employe ...[Read More]
GeoSphere
ATTA and the Curious Case of Krypton-81
Ok, so I took some license with the title. This isn’t really a curious case and neither Krypton-81 nor ATTA are actually people. In fact, Krypton-81 (81Kr) is a radioisotope of the noble gas krypton and ATTA, which stands for atom trap trace analysis, is the revolutionary technique that has made its analysis possible. I recently heard about developments with ATTA at the IAEA Isotope Hydrolog ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Imaggeo on Mondays: Tombstones Mountains
This week’s Imaggeo image is brought to you by one of our network bloggers, Matt Herod. Of the image, Matt said ” this particular one is one of my all time favourites. I have even blown it up and hung it on my wall at home,” and we couldn’t agree more; this Canadian landscape is breathtaking. Dive into this post and let Matt take you on a tour of the hydrology, archaeology ...[Read More]
Seismology
What if everyone jumped at once?
One person’s jump is practically negligible when compared to Earth’s internal forces. But, what if everyone jumped together at the same time? There are roughly 7 billion people on Earth, with a total weight of approximately 350 billion kilogram. What if we all jumped together at once? Are we able to shake the planet? Are we able to slow down time? Although this might sound like a fun g ...[Read More]
Green Tea and Velociraptors
Nessie dwarfed by new Scottish crocodile
Yes, Nessie had to be in the title. Am I sorry? A little. But not enough to not use it. Colleagues from the University of Edinburgh and myself have described the first Scottish crocodile fossil! It’s from the Isle of Skye, from a time known as the Middle Jurassic, and dates back around 160 million years ago. Based on a partial bit of a jawbone (the dentary), it’s hardly the most specta ...[Read More]
GeoLog
A guide to convening a session at the General Assembly – Part II
Convening a session at a conference can seem daunting, especially if you are an early career research and a first-time convener. That’s why we’ve put together this two part series to outline the main steps of the process, with more detailed instructions to be published on the 2016 EGU General Assembly in due course. Remember, the call for sessions is open until 18 September 2015! This post picks u ...[Read More]
Green Tea and Velociraptors
Molecular clocks and the End-Permian mass extinction
Earth’s history is punctuated by extreme events known as mass extinctions. The End-Permian extinction, 252 million years ago, is believed to be the biggest, killing 90 % or more of all species – no wonder it is also called “The Great Dying”. The big question out there is to understand what caused it, but it is a challenge to get the complete picture of an event so long ago in prehistory. We ...[Read More]