GeoLog

EGU Guest blogger

This guest post was contributed by a scientist, student or a professional in the Earth, planetary or space sciences. The EGU blogs welcome guest contributions, so if you've got a great idea for a post or fancy trying your hand at science communication, please contact the blog editor or the EGU Communications Officer to pitch your idea.

Imaggeo On Monday: Catching a glimpse of the Mesosphere

January 25, 2021
Imaggeo On Monday: Catching a glimpse of the Mesosphere
Catching a glimpse of the Mesosphere. Credit: Michiel Baatsen (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

In the midst of summer when the sun does not set at high latitudes one can sometimes catch a glimpse of the mesosphere shortly after sunset or before sunrise. These thin veils, known as noctilucent clouds, are the highest known cloud-like structures forming at about 80km above the surface. At this height, they are still lit by the sun and can be seen from lower latitudes many hundreds of kilometer ...[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: “Smoking” peaks of the Patagonian batholith

January 18, 2021
Imaggeo On Monday: “Smoking” peaks of the Patagonian batholith
"Smoking" peaks of the Patagonian batholith. Credit: Christoph Mayr (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The indigenous name of the 3405 meter high Fitz Roy mountain in Patagonia, on the border between Argentina and Chile, is frequently translated as “smoking mountain”. This photo may visually explain an origin of this name. On the day the photo was taken, vortices downwind of the peak drew warmer, humid air from below, forming banner clouds at the leeward site of the Fitz Roy mountain an ...[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: The sudden stratospheric warming on February 12, 2018

January 11, 2021
Imaggeo On Monday: The sudden stratospheric warming on February 12, 2018
The sudden stratospheric warming on February 12, 2018. Credit: Daniela Domeisen (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The image captures an atmospheric extreme event, a so-called sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) that occurred on Feb. 12, 2018. It is visualized through potential vorticity above the North Pole at the 10hPa level (~30km) above the Earth’s surface and consists of a split of the winter polar vortex into two separate vortices that interact with each other. Although the events are not predictable more ...[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: Revealing the secrets of the Arctic sky

January 4, 2021
Imaggeo On Monday: Revealing the secrets of the Arctic sky
SRevealing the secrets of Arctic sky. Credit: Konstantina Nakoudi (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

When it is dark over Ny Ålesund, Svalbard, a bright green laser beam can be seen quite often, shooting from the AWIPEV Arctic Research Base observatory towards the sky. This beam belongs to “KARLi” the Koldewey Aerosol Raman Lidar, run by the Alfred Wegener Institute for more than 25 years, which contributes to long-term, atmospheric aerosol measurement records.   With this system ...[Read More]