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20 December 2010
Unsolved mystery: The case of Martian methane
There is methane in the Martian atmosphere, and it’s relatively abundant. But not only that, it peaks seasonally and in specific locations, suggesting that something–geological, chemical or perhaps even biological–is burping methane. But the problem is that no one knows what is producing the methane, or why it’s like a kid with a short attention span: most of the methane in the Martian atmosphere wanders off in less than a year, much more quickly than dissipating air should.
17 December 2010
Communicating climate change: How to win over the public
An overflowing room of AGU Fall Meeting attendees learned they must lose their jargon and have a clear message to most effectively communicate about climate change science. The Tuesday workshop, organized by AGU’s Public Information Office, featured author Chris Mooney, climate communications trainer Susan Joy Hassol, and climate researcher and professor Richard Somerville.
Colorado Plateau, stretching and breaking like a putty pancake
The Colorado Plateau, a geological region of about 337,000 square kilometers that covers the Four Corners area of the American southwest, has been rotating ever so slightly around a point in the northern Rocky Mountains for millions of years. Its geological Lazy-Susan-esque action is credited with tearing a rift in the earth’s surface that now holds the waters of the Rio Grande.
But now the Colorado Plateau is doing something different. It appears to be stretching–expanding from east to west–crowding its neighboring landmasses on each side. And in time–many millions of years–the plateau will most likely stretch and break apart like a giant Silly Putty pancake.
Warning: Shaking, rattling, and rolling about to occur
Scientists in Japan have developed an earthquake warning system–and though it doesn’t predict earthquakes, it does provide several seconds of warning time. The warning interval varies, depending on the distance to the quake’s epicenter.
That early warning system, Kinkyu Jishin Sokuhou in Japanese, was the topic of a presentation by Kyoto University’s Jim Mori during Thursday afternoon’s session NH43B: Transmitting Hazard Science to End Users: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What’s Needed? II.
Highlights of journal editor board meetings
This year, more than 19,000 people attended Fall Meeting through numerous presentations, poster sessions, lectures, and town halls. But behind the scenes there is a business side to the conference, where the editorial boards of AGU’s journals meet to discuss future plans with each other and AGU staff.
Abrupt climate change: New data from lakes
Abrupt climate change is a provocative topic. How fast does it happen? How does it shift so quickly? What are the effects of climate swings on life?
It turns out that scientists are still teasing apart the details of if and when abrupt climate change happens. In yesterday’s Emiliani Lecture, session PP41C, David Hodell from the University of Cambridge presented his analysis of lake sediment samples and what they tell us about abrupt climate change during the last ice age, about 10,000-20,000 years ago.
16 December 2010
Careful! Sudden increase in stress could cause major eruptions
We’ve all had times when a sudden pile of stress makes us ready to explode at any minute. Volcanoes might react the same way–a new hypothesis presented in Wednesday morning’s poster session suggests that rapid changes in the amount of stress on the Earth’s crust might explain a cyclical pattern of volcanic activity over the last million years. These cycles could ultimately be triggered by periodic cycles of Earth’s climate.
Senate staffer gives tips to stop science from becoming politicized
The NRC’s America’s Climate Choices reports released earlier this year can have a greater impact in Congress if discussion about them were to be elevated to the level of committee hearings, according to Kevin J. Rennert, a staffer on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Rennert was one of the speakers in the PA41A: America’s Climate Choices I panel this morning.
In addition, the scientists involved with preparation of these reports need to have one-on-one meetings with senators, Rennert said. “The science has become unbelievably politicized.” However, that “goes away with individual meetings,” he said.
Strengthening tsunami warning systems
Though it’s hard to imagine a huge wall of water sneaking onshore, tsunamis can catch coastal communities by surprise.
Two posters presented at “NH33A: Transmitting Hazard Science to End Users: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What’s Needed? I” discussed ways to strengthen tsunami prediction and warning that could help save lives.
Random Walks in Science
A Random Walk in Science is the title of a famous collection of anecdotes and distilled wisdom much loved by a generation of aspiring boffins. My AGU Fall Meeting experience is best described as a random walk in geophysics. It is, as I told AGU Outreach Chair Randy Richardson, always a challenging meeting. Added to the usual panic of a swimmer struggling desperately in a torrent of information (before succumbing …