Blogs in motion
The Scienceseeker Geosciences category is now nicely populated with many more geoblogs, but it turns out the list I submitted is already out of date, as a couple more blogs have already popped into existence:
Volcanoes
- Erik Klemetti takes on the public and media’s obsession with Yellowstone. Hint: An eruption is not imminent.
http://bigthink.com/ideas/26641
Then, all his good work is undone when a physicist is interviewed on TV about the Yellowstone “supervolcano” and does a rather poor job, unless the job was ‘confuse, worry, and sensationalise.
http://bigthink.com/ideas/26680
But Erik still found the time this week to post an awesome resource – links to all the world’s volcano webcams:
http://bigthink.com/ideas/26619 - Now here’s what I would call a BIG volcanic bomb (Etna, 6 September 1999):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/etnaboris/539520970
(via @etnaboris) - Beautiful! A truly lovely snow-covered volcano from space! )
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/01/24/fire-and-ice/
(via @BadAstronomer, @dhunterauthor)
Earthquakes
- Encouraging to see: rebuilding after M7.7 Gujarat, India earthquake takes account of future quakes, follows guidelines ignored before the quake.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_2001-gujarat-earthquake-structural-design-now-at-the-epicentre_1499343 - Earthquake drill in British Columbia, modelled on California Shakeout. Raising awareness in this region is probably even more important than in California, but it appears that, at least for a similar initiative in Oregon, there is still some way to go.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/01/25/bc-earthquake-drill-shakeout.html
Landslides
- High resolution before and after images of the Brazil landslides at the Landslide Blog
http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/01/26/before-and-after-high-resolution-images-of-the-brazil-landslides/ - Landslide deaths peak in El Nino years while total landslides increasing. Odd: l’d have guessed opposite.
http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/01/24/trends-in-landslide-impacts-in-asia/
(via @theAGU)
Fossils
- Great post from Brian Switek discussing why the biggest mammals were/are still dwarfed by the largest dinosaurs
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/jumbo-shrimps-why-mega-mammals-still-looked-puny-next-to-the-biggest-dinosaurs/ - New evidence that T. rex was hunter, not scavenger [based on ecological modelling, rather than morphology].
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110126081714.htm
(Paleo)climate
- Is our 2nd winter in a row of abnormal mid-latitude cold and high latitude warmth linked to climate change? )
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
(via @jfleck) - Dan Satterfield answers: How do scientists forecast #climate in 100 yrs, when they can’t predict next week’s weather?
http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2011/01/24/is-this-why-many-tv-weathercasters-are-skeptical-of-climate-change/
(via @HeidiCullen) - A thought-provoking point! : Peruvian glacier melt challenges US security
http://hot-topic.co.nz/peruvian-glacier-melt-challenges-us-security/
(via @Geoblogfeed)
Water
- The Colorado River and the civilisation it waters are in crisis.
http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_id=18013810
(via @thirstygecko, @ddimick) - The first ever photo of a snowflake, plus links to more modern ones. via
http://blog.chicagoweathercenter.com/2011/01/tims-weather-world-first-photo-of-a-snowflake.html
(via @WGNWeatherGuy) - Receeding Flood Waters around Rockhampton, Queensland [image] #NASA
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=48916&src=twitter-nh
(via @NASA_EO) - Huge Brazilian Belo Monte dam given go ahead
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/brazilian-dam-clears-hurdle/
(via @Revkin) - Nice post on permeability in layered rocks and why direction matters. Yay, more hydrogeology blogging.
http://www.agilegeoscience.com/journal/2011/1/27/what-is-a-darcy.html - Attn undergraduates: Great research opportunity in water this summer at Virginia Tech
http://www.eng.vt.edu/vt-research-fellowships-interdisciplinary-water-sciences-and-engineering - The science behind the "boiling water turns to snow" demo
http://www.geologyinmotion.com/2011/01/boiling-water-turns-to-snow.html
(via @alexwitze) - Flooding in South Africa and extreme rain forecast through March. [La Nina strikes again]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/24/south-africa-flood-death-toll
(via @lockwooddewitt) - Persistent Drought to Linger Across Southern US: [La Nina strikes again, again]
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110122105606.htm
(via @HeidiCullen)
Environmental
- California uses almost 1/5th of its electricity to move & treat water
http://thedailywogan.net/?p=1002
(via @robinlloyd99) - Thought-provoking article discussing the environmental and political issues surrounding Canada’s tar sands
http://www.economist.com/node/17959688
Planets
- Looking forward to this: 1 month ahead of its hoped-for encounter, Stardust spots Deep Impact-ed comet Tempel 1
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002893/ - Uranus: more ice giant than gas giant, tipped on its side, & a weird magnetic field. We should definitely send a probe.
http://news.discovery.com/space/uranus-pathfinder-mission-to-the-mysterious-ice-giant.html - Shots by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe of the small moon, Phobos:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/01/24/phobos-is-like-totally-groovy/
(via @geosociety)
General Geology
- Holy habitable hoodoos, batman! Check out some of Callan Bentley’s photos from Capadoccia, Turkey.
http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2011/01/27/capadoccia-1/
(via ) - Lake Vostok drilling in Antarctic ‘running out of time’ – slowed by drilling through 1m ice crystals!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12275979
(via @ProfAbelMendez) - Great analogy between pasta & rocks, one of the many, many, food-related entries for the upcoming Accretionary Wedge:
http://pascals-puppy.blogspot.com/2011/01/food-mechanics.html
(via @highlyanne, @kuchtam)
Interesting Miscellaney
- Many good people (including Chris) are featured in the Science Careers article on blogging & careers article by @VivRaper.
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2011_01_28/caredit.a1100007 - Scientists ARE good communicators: Tim Radford explodes a pernicious myth
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110126/full/469445a.html
(via @edyong209, @DrMichaelBrooks) - Must-read ScienceOnline reflections from Kate Clancy:
http://professorkateclancy.blogspot.com/2011/01/science-online-2011-even-when-we-want.html
This post catalysed some wonderful discussions of the issues facing women science bloggers, and women scientists in general, including an awesome, funny, thought-provoking dialogue between Scicurious and Miriam Goldstein on gender and women scientists being judged on their looks.
http://scientopia.org/blogs/scicurious/2011/01/27/lets-talk-about-sex-in-science/
Sheril Kirshenbaum is an inspiration and a veteran of many women sicence bloggers conversations, but she’s hopeful this time. Read her thoughts on this round of the discourse:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2011/01/28/rising-against-the-wind/ - @KateClancy also did a great job of summarizing the #scio11 MLK session: Underrepresentation Hurts Us All. We’re sorry to have missed it.
http://professorkateclancy.blogspot.com/2011/01/science-online-2011-underrepresentation.html
(via @davidkroll) - Great post by Biochembelle on the mixed legacy of Fritz Haber, who gave the world the Haber_Bosch process, but also chemical warfare. Lots of food for thought on nature of greatness.
https://biochembelle.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/shadows-of-greatness/ - Nature: ‘Blogs and tweets are ripping papers apart’. How to react? As John Hawks says, WRITE BETTER PAPERS!
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110119/full/469286a.html - Map of scientific collaboration between researchers. Of course, this indicates a lack of communication rather than lack of good science being done; I wonder what cool stuff we’re missing?
http://flowingdata.com/2011/01/27/map-of-scientific-collaboration-between-researchers/
(via @highlyanne, @flowingdata) - Where do you others with your surname live?
http://worldnames.publicprofiler.org/
(via @Mary_H)
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