GeoLog

Geosciences Column

GeoSciences Column: Improving together – science writing and football

August 26, 2016
GeoSciences Column: Improving together – science writing and football
Some of the writing group at the Geophysical Insitute at the University of Bergen. From right to left: Hella Elisa Wittmeier, Anne Morée, Ragna Breines, Mathew Stiller-Reeve (Credit: Gudrun Sylte)

Writing is something that those pursuing a career in academia are expected to be good at. It is a requirement of the job, yet it is a skill few get any formal training in and simply rely on the old saying that practice makes perfect. But what if there is another way? Mathew Stiller-Reeve is a co-founder of ClimateSnack, a writing group organization, which aims to tackle the problem. In today’s pos ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: The World’s soils are under threat

July 22, 2016
Geosciences Column: The World’s soils are under threat
Tillage in vineyards with heavy machinery is inducing soil degradation. Utiel, Eastern Spain . Credit: Artemi Cerdá (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

An increasing global population means that we are more dependant than ever on soils. Soils are crucial to securing our future supplies of water, food, as well as aiding adaptation to climate change and sustaining the planet’s biosphere; yet with the decrease in human labour dedicated to working the land, never have we been more out of touch with the vital importance of this natural resource. Now, ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Pollen tells a 7300 year old story of Malta’s climate and vegetation

July 1, 2016
Geosciences Column: Pollen tells a 7300 year old story of Malta’s climate and vegetation
Birch pollen by Per Harald of NTNU, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology. Distributed via Flickr .

Figuring out what the climate was like, and how it changed, throughout Earth’s history is like trying to complete a 1000 piece puzzle. Except that scientists usually don’t have all the nuggets and building a comprehensive picture relies on a multidisciplinary approach in order to fill in the blanks. This is particularly true during the Holocene, which spans the last 11,700 years of the Earth’ ...[Read More]

GeoSciences Column: Hazagora – will you survive the next disaster?

May 6, 2016
GeoSciences Column: Hazagora – will you survive the next disaster?
Hazagora: will you survive a natural disaster? Taken from Mossoux, S., et al. (2016).

There is no better thing, on a cold and stormy winter’s evening, than to gather your friends for a night of games / board games. Fire blazing (if you have one), tasty snacks laid out and drinks poured, you are all set to indulge in a night of scheming (if you are playing battle ship), deceit (Cluedo), or even all out comedy (think Pictionary or Charades). The main purpose of the games you are like ...[Read More]