For the Accretionary Wedge blog festival with the theme of ‘Momentous Discoveries in Geology’, Marion Ferrat discusses how a pioneering lady discovered what lies deepest inside our planet. We know a lot about our planet today: its position in the solar system, its age, its composition and its internal workings and structure. Many laborious experiments, observations and hypotheses have helped scie ...[Read More]
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GeoLog
Imaggeo on Mondays: Eddy covariance
This week’s Imaggeo on Mondays is brought to you by Jean-Daniel Paris, a meteorologist from the Climate and Environmental Sciences Laboratory (LSCE), France. He describes how new techniques like eddy covariance tell us about the flux of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere… This picture was taken during a visit to the Hyytiälä research station in Finland in June 2010. This station runs flux ...[Read More]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Negative results, have no fear!
KT Cooper is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. A carbonate geochemist by training, she is currently on a three-month secondment to Houston, Texas, USA working with Exxon Mobil. Not all research is successful and not all experiments have a positive outcome or even the outcome you first expected. When you are a young researcher, such as a PhD student, this ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Blog Competition (Highly Commended) – Omeye Chimaobi Kenechukwu: Floods in Nigeria
For our Blog Competition 2013, we asked people to submit articles addressing one of two topics. Omeye’s article discusses a recent flooding event that resulted in disaster in Nigeria, and his entry was highly commended by our judging panel. Omeye is a second year geology student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. When he graduates, Omeye wants to work as a geologist and have a positive ...[Read More]
Polluting the Internet
Pioneers of aerosol science: John Aitken
One fundamental point on which we have at present little information of anything like a definite character is as to the number of solid particles present in our atmosphere. We know that they are very numerous, and it seems probable the number varies under different conditions of weather; but how many particles are really present under any conditions, and how the number varies, we have at present v ...[Read More]
Four Degrees
Momentous Discoveries in Geology – The World of Nano!
I first came across the intriguing world of nanoparticles when I saw an awe-inspiring talk by nano-extraordinaire Professor Michael Hochella from Virginia Tech at the Geological Society. He wove a fascinating tale about the world at nanoscale, the special properties, the infinite uses and the potential environmental impacts as well as outlining the need for caution, scrutiny and intensive research ...[Read More]
Geology Jenga
10 Minute Interview – Life as a Museum Curator
Fridays are hard enough, so we thought we’d help you get through the day with a really interesting 10 minute interview, all you need now is a spare 10 minutes and your favourite hot drink! This week, we speak to Gillian McCay, assistant curator at the Cockburn Geological Museum at the University of Edinburgh. The museum is a fascinating place to visit, holding over 130,000 specimens as well ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Geosciences column: Playing back the Antarctic ice records
Satellites are keeping tabs on the state of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, and have observed considerable declines in ice extent in many areas since records began, but what do we know of past sea ice extent? Ice cores keep an excellent record of climate change, but until recently, ice cores have not been used to quantify patterns in past sea ice extent because few reliable compounds are preserved i ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (98) – Hydroelectric Energy in Ladakh
Hydroelectric power plants are being developed across the Himalayas. Here, a small-scale system is used to store energy during times of peak supply from other sources, and deliver energy during times of peak demand. This system relies on the shuttling of river water (seen in the background) between different elevations. (c) Geology for Global Development 2013
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Science Snap (5): Volcan de Colima’s lava dome
This photograph, taken from a helicopter, is of the lava dome at Volcan de Colima volcano, Mexico in November 2009. Volcan de Colima has been active throughout history with over 40 eruptions since the sixteenth century. The last explosive Plinian eruption was in 1913 blasting out the summit crater. Nowadays, eruptions tend to be effusive with eruptions of lava flows and the gradual build up of the ...[Read More]