In 2012, the controversial case over whether or not Archaeopteryx lithographica, perhaps the most iconic dinosaur species of all time, was a bird was settled. Apparently. (free pdf) This was an important analysis for two reasons. Firstly, it countered a previous study showing that Archaeopteryx was more closely related to dinosaurs like Velociraptor and Deinonychus, and secondly used advanced, …[Read More]
Latest posts
Christmas Break
We’ll be taking a break from blogging over the festive season – returning on January 6th! Do join us again then for more articles, photographs and opportunities to get involved in the fight against global poverty. In the meantime – if you haven’t ‘Liked’ our Facebook page or followed us on Twitter – do that …[Read More]
What’s Geology got to do with it? 3 – Christmas! Part 1
Dear Readers! Christmas is almost upon us and so at Four Degrees we decided to devote our next post in the ‘What’s Geology got to do with it?’ series to Christmas! Marion and I have selected varying aspects of the festive season from trees to biblical stories and common Christmas presents, and linked them to …[Read More]
‘Coaland’ – fossil fuel addiction, renewables envy and Poland’s energy future
The Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy (ELEEP) Network brings together young professionals from Europe and North America with the aim of fostering transatlantic relations. As Warsaw prepared to host last month’s UN climate convention (COP19), ELEEP members, including former EGU Science Communications Fellow Edvard Glücksman, sat down for coffee with one of the early …[Read More]
Friday Photo (110): Imaggeo – A Great Resource!
Rather than share one of our photographs with you this week, we thought we would share the fantastic, new-look Imaggeo website (brought to you by the EGU). This repository of beautiful images are all open access and can be used within your blogs and work – following the guidance on how to credit images. Website …[Read More]
Friday Field Photo – Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat in 1998
View of the steaming dome of the Soufrière Hills Volcano (SHV), Montserrat, in February 1998, just at the beginning of the first pause in the eruption which began in 1995. Since that time, the volcano has gone through another 4 cycles of slow lava extrusion,along with a number of major episodes of dome collapse. The volcano …[Read More]
Seawater, fish larvae and sediments – a snapshot of an ecosystem off South Africa
Earlier this month Jens Weiser set out from southern Africa to find out more about the region’s biology and geology. Back aboard FS Meteor, he’s searching for layers of lagoonal muds to see what the climate was like here in the late Quaternary… After quite a lot of transit, we arrived at our first big …[Read More]
Geoscience under the tree
In a festive-themed post, EGU Media and Communications Manager Bárbara Ferreira selects a plethora of geoscience-inspired Christmas presents, which you could give to your favourite researcher. Please note that, with the exception of the last one, the items listed below are not necessarily recommended or endorsed by the EGU. For me Christmas is more about …[Read More]
From Our Archives: Guest Blogs (2)
We’ve gone back even further into our archives (back to our old blog site in fact!) to bring you some brilliant guest blogs written by students and professionals on topics ranging from water to ocean nutrients! **Hydrogeology/Water and Sanitation Donald John MacAllister – Groundwater Use and Challenges in South Asia Christopher Barry – Water of …[Read More]
Soils at Imaggeo: soil erosion in olive groves
Artemi Cerdà, Spain Olive-cropped soils in Spain cover more than 2.4 million ha, 75% in southern Spain. Historically, high soil erosion rates have been determined in olive groves due to soil management, mostly. Due to Mediterranean climate conditions and low water inputs, traditional management is based on reduced tree density, canopy size control by pruning, and intensive …[Read More]