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28 May 2010
City dwellers to face more frequent hot summer nights
Warm summer nights could become baking summer nights in cities such as London, Beijing, and São Paulo, since continued pressures from urbanization and global warming will boost the “urban heat island” effect and hike up nighttime temperature lows, a new study suggests. Unless cities adapt, the poor in rapidly growing megacities of the developing world could suffer the brunt of this effect, the researchers argue. Researchers have known for nearly …
21 May 2010
Climate Science: Skepticism, Transparency, and Multiple Lines of Evidence
As attacks against climate scientists have intensified, the scientific community, which usually prefers to stay far away from political controversy, has started to fight back. Amidst the polarizing debate, some leading scientists involved in climate change studies spoke up at a May 11 Capitol Hill briefing about the knowns and unknowns in climate science. Warren Washington is former head of climate change research for the National Center for Atmospheric Research …
12 May 2010
Even quiet volcanoes need watching
The logistical nightmare that the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokul caused recently in Europe—thousands of travelers stranded for days as airlines lost well over $1 billion—dramatically reminded the world that volcanic hazards remain a global reality, one that might need more attention than it has been getting, according to some experts. For volcano hazards specialist Tom Murray, the surprise turmoil brought to mind a much harsher volcano story—the more than 20,000 deaths …
7 May 2010
Capitol Hill briefing: What we can learn from the Haitian earthquake of 2010
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January caused disproportionate havoc relative to its magnitude: At least 230,000 people died and scores of schools, government buildings and houses were destroyed. In comparison, the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile a few weeks later, an event so large that might have shifted Earth’s axis, killed less than 500. To analyze the causes of the massive destruction in Haiti and …
22 April 2010
Early hurricane forecasting: Don’t bet the farm on it
A few different groups of researchers and weather forecasters have put out predictions this month for Atlantic hurricanes, with most predicting more hurricanes than normal this summer. But are these predictions worth paying attention to? According to a 2007 paper in the World Meteorological Bulletin, such predictions in the past have almost no link with what actually happens. In fact, not until hurricane forecasters issued their July and August pronouncements …
16 April 2010
“Although we’re pretty good at saying when an eruption will start, we’re not so good at saying when it’s going to end”
Here’s one curious consequence of Iceland’s volcanic ash clouds grounding airplanes across Europe: Scientists attending a volcanology meeting in Paris are temporarily stuck there. That’s where the AGU Geohazards blog reached John Eichelberger, Volcano Hazards Program Coordinator at the U.S. Geological Survey (and an AGU member), who responded to our questions (see below) about how volcanologists and weather services work together to forecast volcanic activity and the spread of ash …
19 March 2010
Capitol Hill briefing on perceptions of climate change
Understanding climate change and addressing its effects are huge tasks. Successfully adapting to climate change necessitates a precise understanding of the science, the general public’s attitudes towards the science and possible adaptation policies, and a lucid assessment of current political realities. With the American Meteorological Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Statistical Association, and the National Science Foundation, AGU cosponsored a briefing on Capitol Hill …
9 March 2010
U.S. House of Representatives Acts to Reduce Hazards
The U.S. House of Representatives approved last week a bill that renews two important federal programs aimed at mitigating and reducing destruction from natural disasters. This legislation, H.R. 3820, the Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Act of 2010, was approved on 2 March with a vote of 335-50. First, the bill renews the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), which was created in 1977. Not only is NEHRP responsible for developing …
2 March 2010
A hectic weekend at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
Brian Shiro is a geophysicist who has been working at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) for over four years. On a normal work day, his tasks go from checking that the warning system works to maintaining the center’s website and working on expanding Hawaii’s seismic network. But last weekend, after a 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile and a Pacific-wide tsunami alert was issued for the first time since 1964. …
1 March 2010
Telling (science) stories
Every day last week at the Ocean Sciences meeting there were talks about education and outreach. And people came, both scientists and science educators. Why? There is a need and desire by scientists to talk about what they do, not just to their colleagues, but to others. Scientists are using websites, writing blogs, taking photos, shooting video, talking via podcasts—all to bring the ocean (and the tons of data collected) …
GeoSpace is a blog on Earth and space science, managed by AGU’s Public Information staff. The blog features posts by AGU writers and guest contributors on all sorts of relevant science topics, but with a focus on new research and geo and space sciences-related stories that are currently in the news.