Earth Magnetism and Rock Physics

GeoSciences Column: Don’t throw out that diary – medieval journals reveal the secret of lightning

Rohan S. Byrne December 8, 2017

‘Lightning Below the Summit’, 36 Views of Mt Fuji, Hokusai c. 1830 (Wikimedia Commons)

When 17th century Japanese princess Shinanomiya Tsuneko took note of an afternoon storm in her diary one humid Kyoto summer, she could not have imagined her observations would one day help resolve a longstanding scientific conundrum. Statistical analysis of her journals has revealed a link between lightning strikes and the solar wind – proving that your teenage diary could contain good scien ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: A spectacular view of moss-covered rocks

Laura Roberts-Artal November 20, 2017

Isle of Skye cliff coast . Credit: Marius Ulm (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Geology has shaped the rugged landscape of the Isle of Skye – the largest island of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides archipelago. From the very old Precambrian rocks (approximately 2.8 billion years old) in the south of the island, through to the mighty glaciers which covered much of Scotland as recently as 14,700 years ago, the modestly-sized island provides a snap-shot through Earth’s dynamic his ...[Read More]

Five top tips to apply for small grants

Stephanie Zihms November 8, 2017

Don’t underestimate the importance of securing those first grants, even if they are only for a small about of money . Credit: tctechcrunch

Stephanie Zihms, the ECS Representative for the EMRP Division (and incoming Union Level Representative) has applied for a range of small scale grants (<£15,000, ca. 16,965€). At this year’s General Assembly, she was one of two speakers at the ‘How to write a research grant’ short course, where she shared insights from her successes and failures. In today’s post she tells us about the top five ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Magnetic interaction

Laura Roberts-Artal October 30, 2017

Magnetic interaction . Credit: David Bernard (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

Space weather is a ubiquitous, but little known, natural hazard. Though not as tangible as a volcanic eruption, storm or tsunami wave, space weather has the potenital to cause huge economic losses across the globe. In Europe alone, the interaction of solar wind with our planet’s magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere, could lead to disrutions to space-based telecommunications, broadcasti ...[Read More]