You are browsing the archive for September 2010 - Dan's Wild Wild Science Journal.
29 September 2010
An Anthem For Science
Symphony of Science has this on YouTube. Sagan, Tyson, and Feynman, and yet more… . …and another version with Feynman playing the bongos! . Dan
25 September 2010
iPad Apps For Science Lovers and Other Geeks
A million words have been written about the iPad. I have had one almost since day one and it’s much better than I even expected it to be. Truly, it’s revolutionary. (Full disclosure: A family member works for Apple, but I have long had an irresistible urge to buy anything Steve Jobs makes.) So what weather and science apps do I have on my iPad? Here are my faves and …
22 September 2010
Taking Weather Obs At The Bottom of The World
Ann Posegate, my travel partner to the Pole last January, has a fantastic piece in Weatherwise magazine this month. It’s all about the difficulties of taking weather observations and forecasting in Antarctica. Highly Recommended! I never look at an ob from down there without thinking of the people who are there.. Later, Dan
21 September 2010
Is The Summer Heat Wave About To End At Last?
For those of you in the Midwestern and Southern parts of America you are likely wondering what the heck happened to fall! Temperatures here in Huntsville in Alabama are running 15 degrees above normal in the afternoon! This heat wave actually stretches from Oklahoma all the way into Illinois, into Virginia and deep into Old Dixie. It’s really the same heat wave that existed June through August and brought many …
17 September 2010
Are Sunspots Disappearing? New Paper Rocks Solar Physics World!
Two scientists at the National Solar Observatory in Tuscon, Arizona have published a paper that has literally rocked the world of solar physics. Their paper says that sunspots may disappear from the sun by 2016 and stay gone for decades! MAUNDER WHAT? This has actually happened before. From 1645 to about 1715 there were virtually no sunspots seen on the sun. This period is called the Maunder Minimum and it …
15 September 2010
NOAA- 2010 Hottest Year on Record So Far
August 2010 was the third warmest on record worldwide. 1998 and 2009 are at the top. The January through August temperatures are still running at the hottest levels ever recorded. If it stays as warm as it ha sbeen, then 2010 will go down as the hottest year ever recorded. If it does, it will be espcially noteworthy because of the developing La Nina in the Pacific. 1998 is the …
13 September 2010
Amazing 1 minute GOES Imagery of Hurricane Igor
Tip of the hat to my friend and fellow meteorologist T.J. Malone for this incredible view of the eye of Hurricane Igor. Igor is packing 150 mph winds and almost a cat 5 storm. Igor will not affect the U.S. and it’s unlikely to hit Canada either. Bermuda residents should keep an eye on it (Pardon the pun). The first few frames are the usual every 30 minutes but then …
9 September 2010
Climate Science At The Top Of The World – Part One
I love ice and snow and I have had a lifetime’s dose of it this year. January saw me set foot at the South Pole and in late July, I found myself at the top of the world. Antarctica was thanks to the National Science Foundation. Greenland was thanks to Dave Jones at Storm Center Communications. Some of the most critical and urgent science in the world right now is …
7 September 2010
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Second Lowest Level On Record
The melt season is just about over North of 60 and the NSIDC announced today that the surface ice coverage is now the second lowest on record. Keep in mind that the more important figure to watch is the overall volume of sea ice. Those numbers continue to show a precipitous decline… Welcome to the new normal… UPDATE: The ice drop has accelerated over the past two days. Mark Serreze …
3 September 2010
Science Journalist Lee Hotz Talks About Antarctica and Climate
My trip to Antarctica last January was an amazing adventure but not just for what I saw and experienced. The people I met and those selected to go like I was made it unforgettable. One of those people was Lee Hotz of the wall Street Journal. He has been a science journalist for many years. This was not his first trip to the ice, but it would be his first …
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.