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.

Counting the cost of natural disasters

April 21, 2016
Counting the cost of natural disasters
'Earthquake damage in Zona Rossa, L’Aquila'. Credit: Nadine Hoffman (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Often, in the news, we are used to seeing disaster statistics reported as isolated figures, placed into context by the tragic human cost of floods, earthquakes and drought. The recent Ecuadorian earthquake that occurred on Saturday the 16th April, for example, was described as having an estimated economic cost of $820 million, which could rise as the scale of the disaster is revealed. But beyond t ...[Read More]

Methane seeps – oases in the deep Arctic Ocean

April 20, 2016
Methane seeps – oases in the deep Arctic Ocean
Carbonate reef on Vestnesa Ridge. Four sea spiders are crawling around the carbonates and snails are scattered over the seafloor. Credit:CAGE

The deep Arctic Ocean is not known for its wildlife. 1200 metres from the surface, well beyond where light penetrates the water and at temperatures below zero, it it’s a desolate, hostile environment. There are, however, exceptions to this, most notably around seeps in the seafloor that leak methane into the water above. Here, methane is the fuel for life, not sunlight, creating oases in an otherw ...[Read More]

GeoEd: Using art in your science teaching and outreach. The why and the how.

March 18, 2016
GeoEd: Using art in your science teaching and outreach. The why and the how.
Habitat Degradation by Jill Pelto. Used with permission. Go to Jill Pelto's gallery and discover more amazing artwork!

This month’s GeoEd post is brought to you by Dr. Mirjam S. Glessmer. Mirjam is a physical oceanographer turned instructional designer. She blogs about her “Adventures in Teaching and Oceanography” and tweets as @meermini. Get in touch if you are interested in talking about teaching and learning in the geosciences! Sometimes we look for new ways to engage our students or the general public in discu ...[Read More]