The last two days of the conference were packed with geomagnetism related sessions. I had to leave my blogging and Earth Scientist self behind and fully embrace the wide range of talks and posters directly relevant and important to my own research. I’ve decided to merge my last two diary entries; whilst a lot of …[Read More]
Retired blogs
EGU DIARIES: Day Three (30th May).
After a busy start to the conference, I decided to take it easy on Wednesday. Whilst there was a range of really interesting sessions that caught my eye, I decided instead to dedicate some time to talking to people (I’ve got some really interesting 10 minute interviews coming up!). In the afternoon, I attended the …[Read More]
Review of the BGS myVolcano iPhone app
A few months ago, Elspeth posted a review of her top geology-themed mobile phone apps. Since then, the resourceful folk at the British Geological Survey (BGS) have come up with a new contender; here we take a look at myVolcano. Before we get started, the important details: myVolcano is free to download but is only …[Read More]
GeoPoll # 1 – What does a geology education need?
I’d like to inaugurate a new series of posts, that will pop up on a semi-regular basis, namely, whenever I feel like it. Since day 1 of this blog, even way back in my pre-EGU days, I have tried to encourage participation from readers. To date, the only way for you to engage with me …[Read More]
EGU 2014: Measuring aerosol climate impacts from Space
In order to understand past climate change and to better project future changes, we need to understand how humans disturbed the radiative balance of our planet. Aerosols are one component of this disruption. The final report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) physical science basis concluded that aerosols dominate the uncertainty in the total anthropogenic radiative forcing. …[Read More]
Global warming increases risk of winter flooding
Britain’s warm, wet winter brought floods and misery to many living across southern England, with large parts of Somerset lying underwater for months. When in January rainfall was double the expected average over wide areas, many people made cautious links between such extreme weather and global climate change. There were nay-sayers at the time but …[Read More]
#EGU2014: Cleaning with Coffee
We’re drinking an enormous amount of coffee in Vienna this week, but the residues at the bottom of the cafetière usually end up in the bin. Kalliopo Fotopoulou, from the University of Patras in Greece, has found a way to transform that residue into something far more useful. Baking coffee residues in an oven changes …[Read More]
10 Minute Interview – Live from EGU 2014, Sam Illingworth
Today I had the great pleasure of chatting with Sam Illingworth, the representative of Young Scientists at EGU. I mostly wanted to learn more about his role as EGU young scientist representative, so the format of the interview has changed a little,we also touch on his research interests and our shared passion for science communication. …[Read More]
EGU 2014: Air pollution in the Anthropocene
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 …[Read More]
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 …[Read More]