EGU Blogs

Divisions

GD
Geodynamics

Finding stillness in chaos: The emergence of stable cratons in a hectic young Earth

and April 7, 2021
Finding stillness in chaos: The emergence of stable cratons in a hectic young Earth

Today we know the Earth as a tectonically busy planet, shaped by mantle convection and plate tectonics. But this is nothing compared to the earlier phases of planetary evolution. This week, Fabio Capitanio (ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor at the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University, Australia) takes us on a modelling tour back to a time when the Earth’s tecton ...[Read More]

SM
Seismology

Earthquake Watch February: Loyalty Islands Mw 7.7

April 6, 2021
Earthquake Watch February: Loyalty Islands Mw 7.7

The largest earthquake during the second month of 2021 occurred on February 10th in the western Pacific, specifically to the southeast of the Loyalty Islands and New Caledonia, a seismically active region due to the convergence between the Australian Plate subducting beneath the Pacific Plate (Figure 1). This earthquake (Mw 7.7) was preceded by at least three foreshocks earthquakes M>5.5, which ...[Read More]

NH
Natural Hazards

Tackling the leaks in the transport network with Maria Pregnolato

April 6, 2021
Tackling the leaks in the transport network with Maria Pregnolato

Transport networks are crucial to our lives, from commuting to work to reach health care facilities, from the transport of goods to leisure travelling. To quote Robin Chase, an American transport entrepreneur: “Transportation is […] the glue of our daily lives. When it goes well, we don’t see it. When it goes wrong, it negatively colours our day, makes us feel angry and impotent, curta ...[Read More]

GD
Geodynamics

Finding support in a four-legged friend

and April 5, 2021
Finding support in a four-legged friend

My dog, Roxanne (Roxy for short), has been by my side for my entire graduate career. I adopted Roxy before starting a two-year Master’s program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She moved with me to the University of Maryland for my PhD program. Now in the second year of my PhD, I cannot imagine PhD life without her. Roxy has helped me navigate the most challenging aspects of academi ...[Read More]

SSP
Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

Variety is the Spice of Life

April 5, 2021
Variety is the Spice of Life

It has been a busy few months here in Calgary. Obviously, fieldwork slows in the winter due to the amount of snow on the ground (and temperatures down to -40 degrees with wind chill factored in) but there are lots of other activities on the go. One of the joys of being a consultant is having the flexibility to take on a wide variety of small projects. Virtual Presentations I have found that giving ...[Read More]

AS
Atmospheric Sciences

February 2021: A dusty month for Europe

April 3, 2021

In February 2021, two major Saharan dust events hit Europe. Because of the prevailing weather conditions in the first and last week of February, several million tons of Saharan dust blanketed the skies from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to Scandinavia. The sandy sky was observed almost everywhere in Europe (Fig. 1). Moreover, the stained cars and windows indicated the dust deposition (Fig. 2 – ...[Read More]

CR
Cryospheric Sciences

The new glacial geomorphological map from New Zealand

April 2, 2021
The new glacial geomorphological map from New Zealand

Geomorphological maps are a fundamental tool to represent landforms and understand how different morphological elements and agents shaped a natural landscape. They are also important as background information for many fields of research including ecology, forestry and of course, glaciology. In this week’s blog, Levan Tielidze tells us about the importance of mapping glacial geomorphology, presenti ...[Read More]

GD
Geodynamics

The Sassy Scientist – Easter Egging It

April 2, 2021
The Sassy Scientist – Easter Egging It

Clodagh has attended a conference or two. After missing out on last year’s EGU virtual general assembly, she seeks some advice to promote her science, and herself, out there: Can you prepare better for a virtual meeting compared to the ‘old way’ for physical presentations? Dear Clodagh, Top of the morning to ye. On such soft day no less! Well, in my humble opinion, there’s two ways of looking at t ...[Read More]

HS
Hydrological Sciences

How do you picture female scientists?

March 31, 2021
How do you picture female scientists?

You might have heard about the film “Picture a scientist” by Sharon Shattuck & Ian Cheney. It shows the personal struggle of three women to overcome gender barriers in science. In doing so, it highlights three key issues: prejudices and biases against women related directly to the history of the university that have never been challenged (this part of the film is subtly underlined by the histo ...[Read More]