Geosciences Column

How a Spanish newspaper experiment is improving public understanding of climate change

Gillian D'Souza August 5, 2022

Credit: Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

Climate change is not a new phenomenon. Nor is global warming. So why do researchers report a poor public understanding of this subject around the world? According to a recently published study, 70% of the people surveyed said they were concerned about rising global temperatures but had little knowledge about the climate crisis. When asked how much they knew about the origin and effects of global ...[Read More]

Spring, Summer, Winter…Haze?

Hazel Gibson July 15, 2022

Image credit: Firdaus Latif

Around the world, societies have many different ways to define the seasons, but for most people a season is identified by a set of culturally specified events, such as the arrival of migratory birds, certain anticipated weather patterns, or a range of expected temperatures. Over recent years many studies have examined the various ways that anthropogenic climate change has affected the way that our ...[Read More]

The James Webb Telescope may forever alter our view of the universe

Gillian D'Souza January 14, 2022

James Webb Space Telescope: Launch Day. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Where is Webb? This seemingly simple question is quickly making its way into everyday conversation, and not just in scientific and astronomy circles. After a long 32-year wait, NASA officially launched the James Webb Telescope a couple of weeks ago on 25 December 2021. More recently, the telescope deployed its final primary mirror segment on 8 January this year, a crucial milestone in its mission ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Spatial seismic hazard in western Indonesia – a new, adaptive, approach

Louisa Brotherson October 30, 2020

Riski boat in Risky Bali. Credit: David Fernández-Blanco (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

A Natural Hazards Earth System Sciences (NHESS) paper proposes a new sampling method for reducing uncertainty in geographical location in seismic hazard risk analysis, with implications for the insurance industry and risk communication in general. Globally, rapid urbanisation is increasing the risk of exposure of human populations and infrastructure to natural hazards, including earthquakes ...[Read More]