Yesterday, I had to write the exam questions for my students of Soil Science in the Faculty of Biology. As there are many more than 300, because of the facilities that my government gives to the fulfilment of the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area (ironic mode activated), I usually make multiple choice tests (if you do the same, have a look at this). However, I like to put some ...[Read More]
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Polluting the Internet
AGU 2013 day 2: aerosol emissions, climate & the IPCC
My second day at the AGU 2013 Fall Meeting revolved around more short-lived climate forcers, which I wrote about yesterday and also a broader session on the results from the recent IPCC Working Group 1 report. The latter was an opportunity for the community to quiz some of the lead authors of the report on a variety of issues including observations of the climate system, aerosol and clouds (yippee ...[Read More]
GeoLog
I’m a Geoscientist – Get me out of here! Apply to take part in our 2014 launch event!
Imagine a talent show where contestants get voted off dependant on their skills in their area of choice. Then imagine that this talent show is populated by scientists with school students voting them off based on the scientist’s ability to communicate their research well. This is the basis of the EGU’s new educational initiative to launch in June 2014. The EGU have entered into a collaboration wit ...[Read More]
Polluting the Internet
AGU 2013 day 1: Short-lived climate forcers
My first day at AGU 2013 revolved around sessions on short-live climate forcers, which are components in the atmosphere that have short lifetimes (compared to carbon dioxide for example) and generally warm the atmosphere. Reduction of these compounds, such as methane and black carbon, has been mooted as a way to reduce global mean temperatures in coming decades. This is summarised in the figure be ...[Read More]
Four Degrees
Snacking on climate
ClimateSnack is a new initiative for early-career climate scientists around the world to improve their writing and communication skills. Snackers get to write tasty climate blogs and discuss them in a friendly and interactive environment. Marion talked to three members of the Imperial College London group for the latest issue of GeoQ! Good written and oral communication skills are quickly becoming ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Imaggeo on Mondays: Flying over flysch
In this week’s Imaggeo on Mondays, Ian Watkinson transports us to the Sulaiman Mountain Range and shows why it’s always worth bringing a camera in your hand luggage… This image is the view from the window of a plane crossing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border close to Zhob. I took it just before the weather closed in on a clear crossing of the Indus valley foreland and the entire Sulaiman Mountain ...[Read More]
Soil System Sciences
Monday paper: Modelling soil bulk density at the landscape scale and its contributions to C stock uncertainty
K.P. Taalab, R. Corstanje, R. Creamer, M.J. Whelan. 2013. Modelling soil bulk density at the landscape scale and its contributions to C stock uncertainty, Biogeosciences, 10, 4691-4704, doi:10.5194/bg-10-4691-2013 Abstract Soil bulk density (Db) is a major contributor to uncertainties in landscape-scale carbon and nutrient stock estimation. However, it is time consuming to measure and is, therefor ...[Read More]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Science snap (#14): San Andreas Fault
As one of ~20,000 geologists flocking to AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, I’ve headed out a few days early to take in a few West Coast sights. For many, the Foggy City will always be synonymous with earthquakes. San Francisco is located right on the San Andreas Fault, which is part of a larger fracture zone marking the boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates. In 190 ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (108): Damage from Cloudburst
The 2010 cloudburst in Leh, Ladakh, brought large amounts of mud, gravel and boulders into settlements on flood plains in Leh. The debris has still not been fully cleared, and here a house has been buried above window height in debris. Credit: Rosalie Tostevin, Geology for Global Development Leh, Ladakh, 2013
Soil System Sciences
Climate change effects on agriculture and land and water resources in Spain
E. Vargas-Amelin (Research Group International Political Economy, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia and Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and P. Pindado (Permanent Representation of Spain at the European Union. Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs) have just published an interesting paper on climate change effects on agriculture and land and water resources in Spain. Accordi ...[Read More]