One of the key strands of the EGU so far this year has been discussion of the proposed new geological time period known as the Anthropocene. This concept was first proposed by the ecologist Eugene Stoemer in the 1980’s, with Nobel Prize Winner and atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen bringing renewed attention to the term in the early 21st Century. It refers to the concept that the impact of hum ...[Read More]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Science Snap (#26): Angel Falls, Venezuela
Sorcha McMahon is a third year PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. Sorcha is investigating how strange igneous rocks called carbonatites may have formed, using both natural samples and high-pressure experiments. Angel Falls is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall in the Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bol ...[Read More]
Geology Jenga
EGU DIARIES: Day Two (Tuesday 29th April)
Tuesday was a seriously busy day! Again, I was in the situation where I found it difficult to choose which sessions to attend. I was spoilt for choice. There were a few highlights: an early morning session on geoethics and geoeducation proved to be an interesting experience whilst the session on geodynamics of the continental crust proved really relevant for my own research. I also attended my fir ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
#EGU2014: Bright Sparks in Dirty Thunderclouds
Lightning bolts formed in dirty thunderclouds could help geologists to detect explosive volcanic eruptions. Volcanic lightning is very poorly understood, but Corrado Cimarelli, from the University of München, has been able to reproduce the phenomena in his laboratory. Volcanic lightning is broadly similar to lightning in thunderclouds, but the addition of ash makes the process more complex. Volcan ...[Read More]
An Atom's-Eye View of the Planet
Submarine eruptions create huge floating islands
Floating pumice. Jeff Butterworth A team of scientists from the UK, the US, Australia and New Zealand have modelled the fate of a huge floating raft of volcanic rocks that formed in 2012 during a submarine eruption of a Pacific volcano. Described in this month’s edition of Nature Communications, they show how satellite images of the floating-rock raft’s passage across the Pacific can be used to te ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
GfGD at EGU 2014 – Splinter Meeting Reminder
If you are currently at the EGU General Assembly in Vienna, why not come and say hello to the GfGD team TOMORROW (Thursday 1st May 10:30-12:00) in Room R10. (Please feel free to copy and share this image via Twitter/Facebook)
Geology for Global Development
#EGU2014: Google Research
Earth Engine is a tool produced by the developers at Google to help scientists process the numerous satellite images taken of the Earth over the past thirty years. Short videos are available online to give you some idea how this tool could be used. One shows the expansion of Las Vegas, and the accompanying drop in nearby lake levels, another the effects of coal mining in Wyoming. But you can zoo ...[Read More]
Four Degrees
Untangling EU Research Funding and Science Policy
In this week’s post, Flo talks us through the basic workings of the European Commission and how EU policy relates to science and research. While the great and the good of academia are reaping the benefits of international research collaboration at EGU this week, and with the upcoming European elections in May I thought it was worth trying to write something on the EC and science policy. Esp ...[Read More]
Geology Jenga
Anthropocene featuring heavily at the EGU
Among other sessions on Tuesday (Day 2 at EGU2014), I (Daniel) ventured to the EGU Press Conference featuring four experts from different scientific disciplines debating the Anthropocene concept. This term is fast becoming well-known in the popular media, politics and a vast spectrum of scientific disciplines and refers to the possibility that we, humanity, are living in a new geological time peri ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
#EGU2014: The leaning towers of Shenzen
Flood events in coastal cities are on the increase. The trend is usually blamed on rising sea levels and extreme weather events, caused by anthropogenic climate change. While water levels are rising, some cities are also sinking. And human activity may partly be to blame. Urban subsidence can be caused by soil drainage, construction projects, or the extraction of groundwater, oil, gas and coal. Su ...[Read More]