Hydrologists are a pivotal part of modern societies where the delivery of enough clean water to populations relies on their decisions to manage complex systems of resources. Flood hydrologists develop and operate computer models with the aim of meeting the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) long-term ambition that “no one is surprised by flooding”. Despite this critically important dual rol ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Imaggeo On Monday: International Space Station transiting the Sun
The International Space Station, a human-made, life-supporting habitat, and a most complex and unique scientific laboratory, orbits the Earth in only 90 minutes – that is 16 times a day! Even so, only occasionally, we earthlings have the privilege of seeing it’s dark outline against the much brighter surfaces of the Sun or Moon. Timing is of crucial importance if you want to see this, ...[Read More]
Natural Hazards
Natural Hazards 101: Multi-hazards and multi-hazard risk
With the Natural Hazards 101 series, we mean to bring our readers closer to the terminology often used in the field of natural hazards, but that may not be so familiar. In the first episode of the series, we focused on the definition of hazard and natural hazard. We moved then to the concepts of risk, disaster risk management, and the forecasting and modelling of natural hazards. In this episode, ...[Read More]
Tectonics and Structural Geology
Features from the Field: Sheath Folds
Shear zones are areas of intense deformation that localize the movement of one block of the crust with respect to another. In previous posts, we have seen that shear zones contain some very deformed rocks called mylonites, lineations that tell us the direction of movement, and useful kinematic indicators, such as S-C fabrics, that allow geologists to understand which way the rocks moved. However, ...[Read More]
GeoLog
GeoRoundup: the highlights of EGU Journals published during September!
Each month we feature specific Divisions of EGU and during the monthly GeoRoundup we will be putting the journals that publish science from those Divisions at the top of the Highlights roundup. For September, the Divisions we are featuring are: Atmospheric Science (AS), and Climate: Past, Present and Future (CL). They are served by the journals: Geoscientific Model Development (GMD), Annales Geoph ...[Read More]
GeoLog
GeoPolicy: Get involved in science-policy events this autumn!
Now that summer is over, policy events are back in full swing! With most events still being online, they are easily accessible and generally free of charge. The EGU has an External Science for Policy Events Calendar that lists upcoming policy-related events that are likely to be of interest to geoscientists. This can be a useful resource if you’re trying to find events that will introduce you to t ...[Read More]
Hydrological Sciences
Behind every robust result is a robust method: Perspectives from a hydrological case study
Scientific studies and mathematical models are increasingly used to guide the management and development of society. But while science and modelling can indeed provide a robust basis for decision making, we must be mindful of two related considerations. First, science is based not on trust but on skepticism, meticulous technique and careful verification. Second, science is not made of absolute tru ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Imaggeo On Monday: After a long day in the field
Working on the sea ice can be quite exhausting. Scientists face cold temperatures and wind, constantly scanning for polar bears, while trying to squeeze valuable data out of frozen instruments. At the end of the day you might have not found what you wanted, but every single bit of information brought back truly helps in understanding our complex World. Over 12 months, 442 experts worked in ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Imaggeo On Monday: the vanished glacier
Chacaltaya ski hut, Bolivian Andes, 5400 m above sea level. The world’s former highest ski resort where the Chacaltaya glacier once stood, situated in the Cordillera Real, close to La Paz. Chacaltaya vanished in 2009, six years earlier than scientists had predicted. The disappearance of the glacier is a sign of what to come for the glaciers of the Andes, with glacier retreat and disappearanc ...[Read More]
Natural Hazards
The road to successful scientific writing for early-career scientists
The world of research is highly competitive, and early career scientists face many challenges while trying to carve out a successful career path. Writing scientific articles is one of those challenges. Prof. Paolo Tarolli (University of Padova) shared his personal experience on “How to write a scientific article” with 130 attendees last 7th September, during the first Campfire event, & ...[Read More]