Divisions

Cryospheric Sciences

Did you know… that you can read the edge of Greenland’s ice as an open book?

Joe MacGregor November 20, 2020

Scientists struggle to get ice samples from the depths of glaciers where fundamental pieces of information about the climate of Earth are stored. But in many places around the periphery of the Greenland Ice Sheet, you don’t need to drill a deep ice core to obtain ancient ice, you can simply walk across the ice sheet’s margin and look at the layered ice surface. There you can read the ice as though ...[Read More]

GD

Geodynamics

The Sassy Scientist – The Final Hurdle

The Sassy Scientist November 20, 2020

While coming down from a caffeine-high after his online thesis submission, Giulio think about the next step: How should I prepare for my geodynamics PhD viva? Dear Giulio, I like how you omitted to specify if your viva is online or offline, but I am working under the assumption that everything happens in the virtual realm now. It seems unbelievable now that busy academics such as myself used to fl ...[Read More]

GD

Geodynamics

On the way back to Mercury

Nicola Tosi and edited by Tobias Rolf November 18, 2020

It is the smallest planet of the Solar System, the closest to the Sun and the quickest at orbiting around it, the one with the least inclined and most elongated orbit, the only one where a day lasts two-thirds of a full year, the one with the highest bulk density. Mercury is a planet of extremes, but rarely visited by space missions (compared to Mars, Venus and the Moon). This week Dr. Nicola Tosi ...[Read More]

TS

Tectonics and Structural Geology

Mind your head: Overcoming Anxiety

Jean Holloway November 18, 2020

This Mind Your Head blog post is a follow-up from Jean Holloway’s talk during the online short course on mental health that aired during the last EGU General Assembly, where she discussed overcoming anxiety. Anxiety is excessive worry or fear, and is a normal part of life, until it becomes frequent or debilitating. This post is written by someone with lived experience as an academic who struggled ...[Read More]

SM

Seismology

Earthquake of the month: Samos-Izmir earthquake

EGU Seismology ECS Team November 17, 2020

On October 30th, a strong earthquake with Mw 7.0 occurred in the Aegean Sea, between the main cities of Samos in Greece and Izmir in Turkey. The hypocenter location and focal mechanism suggest shallow depth (~10 km) and normal faulting on the E-W plane. This is in agreement with the tectonic setting where an N-S extension is dominant. Moreover, the rupture propagates near the Menderes Graben in We ...[Read More]

OS

Ocean Sciences

Why you (yes, you!) should take part in a hackathon

Callum Rollo November 17, 2020

Back in August, I attended Oceanhackweek 2020. As an oceanographer by trade and free software nerd by heart, I loved the idea of an event that combined the two. I looked forward to learning from other oceanographers and coders, and perhaps giving something back to the free software community. What is a hackweek/hackathon? If you have yet to dip your toes in the wonderful world of free software, th ...[Read More]

SSP

Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

What do (Consulting) Sedimentologists do all day?

Jon Noad November 16, 2020

When I graduated in the 80’s, a job in oil and gas was seen as a glamorous and exciting career for a geoscientist. Even some dramatic falls in the oil price could not dent the optimism within the industry, and oil cities like Calgary thrived. However, life for geologists working in our city has changed dramatically over the last few years. A peak oil price of around $106 per barrel in June 2014 wa ...[Read More]

SSS

Soil System Sciences

The importance of our SSS (…Soil Support Staff!)

Dan Evans November 16, 2020

Soils do a lot! From supporting food production and filtering water, to storing carbon, cycling nutrients, and hosting organisms, soils are fundamental for our day-to-day lives. But take a look around you. If you’re like me – sitting in an office at the moment – your feet rest upon a carpeted floor, you’re surrounded by four walls, and the only view out of the window is that of a ribbon of tarmac ...[Read More]

SM

Seismology

Seismology Job Portal

EGU Seismology ECS Team November 13, 2020

On this page, we regularly update open positions in Seismology for early career scientists. Do you have a job on offer? Contact us at ecs-sm@egu.eu Please, note that other available research positions are displayed on the EGU Jobs Portal. Special Thanks to Eric Löberich for researching job postings for the ECS.

CR

Cryospheric Sciences

How small changes can make a big difference: tipping points in Antarctica

Ronja Reese & Dave Chandler November 13, 2020

As Antarctica’s mass loss increases, the threat of crossing tipping points both in the ice sheet and the surrounding Southern Ocean is increasing. But what actually is a tipping point? Have tipping points already been crossed in the past? And what might the future hold? What do we mean by a “tipping point”? Scientifically speaking, a tipping point is generally understood to be a threshold that, on ...[Read More]