Forest Fires. Image by Sandro Makowski, distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence. Slash and burn activity in Southern Ecuador. The photo was the taken during field work at the San Francisco valley, a microcatchment in the province of Zamora, south-east of Ecuador. The valley is the study area of the DFG research unit FOR 816 “Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of a Megadiverse Trop ...[Read More]
Geosciences Column: Why are jet streams not good wind energy sources?
Commercial airlines know jet streams well. Planes often hitch a ride on these strong, high-altitude atmospheric winds, which blow from west to east, to fly faster, and they are the reason why long-haul easterly flights (such as those between the US and Europe) are quicker than the corresponding westerly journeys. Scientists are also familiar with these fierce and persistent winds, which occur at a ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Fog over Forest
Fog over Forest. Image by Konstantinos Kourtidis, distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons License. Fog sweeps over a pine forest in the early morning hours. The image was taken on a winter morning in February 2008. The photo was taken from the window of the photographer’s house in Xanthi, Greece. The fog is of the type of upslope fog or hill fog, which forms when winds blow air up a slop ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Rock Fall
Rock Fall. Image by Fausto Guzzetti, distributed by EGU under a Creative Commons licence. The photograph shows a rock fall occurred near Valtopina, Umbria, Central Italy, at an unknown date. Rockfalls are a mass movement hazard. They mostly occur on steep rock faces, with the blocks that fall detaching along an existing weakness. The scale of a rock fall can range from a few blocks of rock to rock ...[Read More]