Sessions

Volcanic darkness marked the dawn of the Dark Ages

Laura Roberts-Artal June 15, 2016

Volcanic ash can spread far and wide. Credit: Taro Taylor via Flickr.

The dawn of the Dark Ages coincided with a volcanic double event – two large eruptions in quick succession. Combined, they had a stronger impact on the Earth’s climate than any other volcanic event – or sequence of events – in the last 1200 years. Historical reports reveal that a mysterious dust cloud dimmed the sun’s rays between in 536 and 537 CE, a time followed by global societal decline. Now, ...[Read More]

General Assembly 2016 – Highlights

Laura Roberts-Artal June 8, 2016

Credit: Kai Boggild/EGU (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

It’s been a month and a half since the EGU General Assembly 2016 in Vienna. The conference this year was a great success with 863 oral, 10,320 poster, and 947 PICO presentations. A further 619 unique scientific sessions were complimented by an impressive 321 side events, creating an interesting and diverse programme.The conference brought together 13,650 scientists from 109 countries, 25% were stu ...[Read More]

Testing triggers of catastrophic climate change

Sara Mynott June 3, 2016

The research presented during the EGU’s 2016 General Assembly have wide-reaching implications for how we understand planet Earth. In today’s post, Sara Mynott, an EGU press assistant during the conference, writes about findings presented at the meeting which highlight the importance of the biosphere when it comes to understanding the threat posed to our planet by environmental challenges. With the ...[Read More]

Livers, guts and gills: understanding how organisms become fossils

Laura Roberts-Artal May 20, 2016

Thomas practicing his dissection techniques . (Credit: Thomas Clemens)

It’s 10am and Thomas Clements, a 3rd year palaeobiology PhD Student, is getting ready to check on his latest experiment. Full kited up in what can only be described as a space suit, Thomas carefully approaches the fume cupboard home to his latest specimen: a decaying seabass, balanced on a specially designed ‘hammock’ in a tank of salty water. Opening the lid to check on the rotting fish, Thomas i ...[Read More]