Atmospheric Sciences

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

Christoph Mayr January 18, 2021

"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

Daniela Domeisen January 11, 2021

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

Konstantina Nakoudi January 4, 2021

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]

Geosciences Column: Thunderstorm asthma, the unexpected impact of lightning storms on pollen allergies.

Hazel Gibson June 26, 2020

Image credit: Michiel Baatsen, (distributed via imaggeo)

In October 2015 a series of massive thunderstorms rolled across the Eastern Mediterranean. In the hours and days that followed many people living along the Israeli coast had to go to their nearest medical centre because they were experiencing respiratory problems, which appeared very similar to asthma. But what could have caused these breathing problems? Well in research recently published in Natu ...[Read More]