Geosciences Column

Geosciences Column: Taking a Breath of the Wild – are geoscientists more effective than non-geoscientists in determining whether video game world landscapes are realistic?

Rolf Hut October 24, 2019

Are people with a geoscientific education better at telling ‘fake’ natural features in video games from real ones? A new study tested both geoscientists and non-geoscientists with photos of natural and artificial landscapes. (Photos from Rolf Hut et al. 2019)

For years, geoscientists have been both fascinated and perplexed by the beautiful (yet often inaccurate) landscapes present in several video games. But are people with a geoscientific education better at telling ‘fake’ natural features from real ones? Rolf Hut, an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and his colleagues sought to answer this question in a new st ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: How erupting African volcanoes impact the Amazon’s atmosphere

Olivia Trani July 12, 2019

An aerial view of the towering volcanic peak of Mt. Nyiragongo. Research suggests that its emissions can reach as far as South America, impacting the atmosphere of the Amazon Basin. (Credit: MONUSCO/Neil Wetmore via Wikimedia Commons)

When volcanoes erupt, they can release into the atmosphere a number of different gases initially stored in their magma, such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide. These kinds of gases can have a big influence on Earth’s atmosphere, even at distances hundreds to thousands of kilometres away. A team of researchers have found evidence that sulfur emissions from volcanic eruptions i ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: climate modelling the world of Game of Thrones

Olivia Trani May 17, 2019

With the help of some climate models, researchers have proposed a theory explaining the peculiar climate of the world of Game of Thrones. (Credit: Dan Lunt, University of Bristol)

Disclaimer: This article contains minor spoilers for Season 8 of “Game of Thrones.” A basic understanding of the world of Game of Thrones is assumed in this post. The Game of Thrones world of ice and fire is an unpredictable place both politically and environmentally. While the fate of the Iron Throne is yet to be confirmed, a humble steward has been working diligently to make some sense of the pl ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Flooded by jargon

Rolf Hut March 28, 2019

Is it a river? A canal? A stream? And would experts and laypeople agree on what it is? Photo credit: Anna Nadolna (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

When hydrologists and people of the general public use simple water-related words, are they actually saying the same thing? While many don’t consider words like flood, river and groundwater to be very technical terms, also known as jargon, water scientists and the general public can actually have pretty different definitions. This is what a team of researchers have discovered in recent study, and ...[Read More]