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]
Townhall and Splinter Meetings at EGU 2014
In addition to the wealth of scientific sessions at the General Assembly (27 April – 2 May 2014), there is also the option to attend other meetings during EGU 2014. These include Townhall and Splinter Meetings, which are organised by conference participants. Townhall Meetings Townhall Meetings are meetings open for all participants in the conference. During these meetings new initiatives or decis ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: That spot there? It’s 143,000 kilometres across
This week’s Imaggeo on Mondays highlights an amazing view of the night sky at new moon. Christian Klepp took this photo while at Waterton Glacier in the Rocky Mountains – it’s an incredible feat of determination to spend the night beside a glacial lake in the Rockies, let alone to capture such a photo! The centre of the Milky Way lies just over the horizon, shrouded by clouds of interstellar dust. ...[Read More]
The Geology of Skyrim: An unexpected journey
Back in January I did a talk at an event called Science Showoff, a comedy night based in London where scientists stand up in front of an audience in a pub and talk about funny stuff to do with their work. I talked about video games. Not any video game however, I talked about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s a fantasy role playing video game. It is a g ...[Read More]