Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are caused when masses of meltwater are released from behind a glacier moraine. Moraines are piles of unconsolidated debris that have either eroded from the glacier valley or have been deposited by melting glaciers. When they fail, a huge volume of water can be released, threatening populations further down the valley. Moraine failure can be caused by avalanche ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Yagmur Derin on posters and precipitation
This week in GeoTalk, we’re talking to Yagmur Derin, a masters student from Middle East Technical University, Turkey. She tells us about the intersecting fields of hydrology, climate science and remote sensing, and what it’s like to take the plunge and present your first poster at an international conference. Firstly, can you introduce yourself and what you’ve been investigating as part of your MS ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: The name’s Bond. Hydrogen bond.
The O in H2O attracts electrons towards it, a property known as electronegativity. And because oxygen attracts electrons towards it, it is ever so slightly positive. Likewise, the hydrogen atoms in a water molecule are ever so slightly negative. The difference in charge across a water molecule is what holds water together as the slightly positive hydrogen atoms are attracted towards the slightly n ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Arid lands and ancient lakes
Palaeoclimatologist Annett Junginger takes us to one of the hottest and driest places on Earth in this week’s Imaggeo on Mondays… The picture was taken in 2010 during the third in six expeditions to the remote Suguta Valley in the northern Kenya Rift. This unbelievably beautiful place is located just south of Lake Turkana and is one of the hottest and driest places in equatorial Africa. Temperatur ...[Read More]