GeoLog

Imaggeo on Mondays: Dust devil sighting in the Atacama Desert

Rita Nogherotto May 20, 2019

Dust devil in Atacama desert. Credit: Rita Nogherotto (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Dust devils are like miniature tornadoes, they form when a pocket of hot air near the surface moves fast upward and meets cooler air above it. As the air rapidly rises, the column of hot air is stretched vertically, thereby moving mass closer to the axis of rotation, which causes intensification of the spinning effect by conservation of angular momentum. In the Atacama Desert [in Chile] they are r ...[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]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Indonesian mangroves and tsunamis

Olivia Trani May 13, 2019

A solitary mangrove tree in Flores. Credit: Joern Behrens (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Pictured here is a solitary mangrove tree, rooted off the northern coast of the Indonesian island Flores. While this tree has the shallow sandy reef to itself, mangroves are often found clumped together in large forests covering tropical and subtropical coastlines. The propped-up roots of mangrove trees often tangle together, creating a dense natural barrier that can weaken the coastal impact of o ...[Read More]

Back for the first time: measuring change at Narrabeen–Collaroy Beach

Eli Lazarus May 8, 2019

Narrabeen–Collaroy Beach in New South Wales, Australia, home to one of the longest-running shoreline-measurement programmes in the world! Credit: Eli Lazarus

Narrabeen–Collaroy Beach in New South Wales, Australia, just north of Sydney, is home to one of the longest-running shoreline-measurement programmes in the world. With colleagues at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Eli Lazarus, an associate professor in geomorphology at the University of Southampton, UK, has been analysing over 40 years of data from Narrabeen–Collaroy to better und ...[Read More]