The absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the oceans results in a decline in ocean pH, hence ‘ocean acidification’, and reduces the availability of carbonate. This presents a problem to calcifying organisms (those that deposit calcium as either calcite or aragonite as hard parts) because they cannot produce their shells, valves (in the case of bivalves), …[Read More]
Latest posts
Who is Reading the GfGD Blog?
The GfGD blog moved to its current home, hosted on the EGU blog network, in September. Since this move our readership has been recorded in detail by ‘google analytics’, telling us the nationality of visitors, the website that referred them (mainly twitter and facebook) and the length of time they spent on the site (averaging …[Read More]
Geology Photo of the Week #32 – Name that squid!
This edition of the photo of the week highlights another piece from my personal collection. This is a cephalopod. More specifically it is a member of the Order Endocerida and the Family Endoceratidae. This creature, which hopefully you can see was pretty large (golf tee for scale) was the largest of the Ordovician cephalopods found in Ontario …[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Spying on the Arctic
This week’s Imaggeo on Mondays is brought to you by the photographer himself, Fabien Darrouzet who captured the beautiful glacial landscape during a summer expedition to the Arctic. This picture was taken in Svalbard (78° lat.) in June 2012. I was there for one week in order to observe the transit of the planet Venus in …[Read More]
Friday Photo (77): Stuck in the mud on Seymour Island
Geologists from BAS get stuck in the mud on Seymour island, Antarctica. Credit: Rowan Whittle (c) Geology for Global Development 2013
Social Media for Science Outreach – A Case Study: That social media thang
This was initially posted at: http://www.nature.com/spoton/2013/04/social-media-for-science-outreach-a-case-study-that-social-media-thang/ as part of a series of case studies exploring how academics use social media. Jon began university life as a geologist, following this with a treacherous leap into the life sciences with a course in biodiversity and taxonomy. Now undertaking a PhD in tetrapod biodiversity and extinction at Imperial College London, …[Read More]
Guest Post: Dr. Sam Illingworth – To Boldy Go
Satellites are now so ubiquitous in our lives that there is something of a precedent to take them for granted. A normal daily routine for may people across the world may include watching television (satellite) as you check your twitter account (satellite) and have a look at the weather (satellite), all before you’ve even eaten …[Read More]
Chaiten: anniversary of an eruption
May 1st marks the anniversary of the start of the first historical eruption of Chaiten, a small volcano in southern Chile, in 2008. A lot has been written on the eruption elsewhere, starting with Erik Klemetti’s eruptions blog which first reported on the event at the time. This is an opportunity to share some field photos, …[Read More]
GeoTalk: Robin Andrews
This month in GeoTalk, we spoke to Robin Andrews, a PhD candidate at the University of Otago, New Zealand, who takes us through the explosive aspects of one of Geology’s most thrilling disciplines – volcanology. First, could you introduce yourself and let us know a little about your work and what drew you to volcanology? …[Read More]
GfGD Launch Event at the University of Leeds
The GfGD University group at Leeds recently held a series of short talks to launch itself within the department. With financial support from the Student Experience team, the event consisted of three short talks from three members of the school, including the head of the department, followed by informal snacks and wine to allow students …[Read More]