Geology News
Meteorology Current Events

Ten inches of rain fell on parts of San Antonio yesterday. Two people were killed, 200 were rescued and many more were driven from their homes.

“NOAA’s 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook indicates that an above-normal season is most likely, with the possibility that the season could be very active. The outlook calls for a 70% chance of an above-normal season, a 25% chance of a near-normal season, and only a 5% chance of a below-normal season.

Based on the current and expected conditions, combined with model forecasts, we estimate a 70% probability for each of the following ranges of activity during 2013:

– 13-20 Named Storms
– 7-11 Hurricanes
– 3-6 Major Hurricanes

Quoted from the NOAA Hurricane Season Outlook.

“March 2012 set records for warm temperatures that promoted early leafing and flowering across large areas of the United States.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“Warmer spring temperatures since 1980 are causing an estimated 20 percent loss of snow cover across the Rocky Mountains of western North America. [...] Runoff from Rocky Mountain winter snowpack accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the annual water supply for more than 70 million people living in the western U.S.

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Large Hurricane on Saturn

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Diamond Dust over Saskatoon

The Bone Worm

The National Weather Service has a weather site that has a variety of maps, lots of data, serves quickly and is easy to understand. Check it out and explore the site a little to discover a lot.

“Researchers studying the origin of cirrus clouds have found that these thin, wispy trails of ice crystals are formed primarily on dust particles and some unusual combinations of metal particles – both of which may be influenced by human activities.” Quoted from the Oregon State University press release.

The Earth Science Picture of the Day for April 29th was “diamond dust” glowing from reflected natural light and city lights outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Hurricane Sandy (NOAA image)

“We anticipate an above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean. Coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them, and they need to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much or how little activity is predicted.” Quoted from the Colorado State University press release.

“Clouds over the central Greenland Ice Sheet last July were “just right” for driving surface temperatures there above the melting point, according to a new study by scientists funded by the National Science Foundation and at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

“Tropical Storm Tim formed over the Coral Sea on March 13, 2013, and remained off the coast of northeastern Australia for the next four days. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of Tim on March 17. Although lacking a distinct eye, Tim still had the spiral shape characteristic of strong storms.” Quoted from NASA’s Earth Observatory image release.

“Clouds are a critical element of the climate system, especially in the Arctic where surface energy budgets and precipitation can have dramatic impacts on the fate of sea ice and ice sheets.” Quoted from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences press release.

The Astronomy Picture of the Day is a photograph of volcanic lightning at Sakurajima Volcano.

“Black carbon particles in snow are larger than expected [...] this finding suggests that the warming produced by black carbon in snow could be currently overestimated by as much as 30 percent.” Quoted from the CIRES press release.

“Since their discovery over 50 years ago, the Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts have been considered to consist of two distinct zones of trapped, highly energetic charged particles.” The accidental discovery of a third belt will require a rewrite of textbooks. Quote from the NASA press release.

NOAA Image

“A new cli­mate model pre­dicts an increase in snow­fall for the Earth’s polar regions and high­est alti­tudes, but an over­all drop in snow­fall for the globe, as car­bon diox­ide lev­els rise over the next century.” Quoted from the Princeton University press release.

“Satellites show that the recent ozone hole over Antarctica was the smallest seen in the past decade. Long-term observations also reveal that Earth’s ozone has been strengthening following international agreements to protect this vital layer of the atmosphere.” Quoted from the European Space Agency press release.

“In a new paper that provides the most detail yet about the life and death of a monstrous thunder-and-lightning storm on Saturn, scientists from NASA’s Cassini mission describe how the massive storm churned around the planet until it encountered its own tail and sputtered out. It is the first time scientists have observed a storm consume itself in this way anywhere in the solar system.” Quoted from the NASA press release.

Researchers used Doppler radar images to help find numerous pieces of the Sutter’s Mill meteorite. The meteorite entered Earth’s atmosphere at 28.6 kilometers per second – a new speed record.

“Climate change is already affecting the American people. Certain types of weather events have become more frequent and/or intense, including heat waves, heavy downpours, and, in some regions, floods and droughts. Sea level is rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, and glaciers and arctic sea ice are melting. These changes are part of the pattern of global climate change, which is primarily driven by human activity.” Quoted from the Executive Summary of the Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report

“On January 10, NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of haze hugging the Himalayas and spilling out into the Ganges delta and Bengal Sea.The haze likely resulted from a combination of urban and industrial pollution, agricultural fires, and a regional meteorological phenomenon known as a temperature inversion.” Quoted from the NASA image release.

If you are in the field and it starts to rain…. should you run to the truck or should you walk?

“Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes have probed the stormy atmosphere of a brown dwarf, creating the most detailed “weather map” yet for this class of cool, star-like orbs. The forecast shows wind-driven, planet-sized clouds enshrouding these strange worlds.” Quoted from the NASA press release.

“2012 was a historic year for extreme weather that included drought, wildfires, hurricanes and storms; however, tornado activity was below average. 2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn.” Quoted from the NOAA press release.

NASA has a satellite image showing a rare snow-covering of the Taklimakan Desert of western China – normally one of Earth’s hottest deserts.

The National Science Foundation has published: “Solving the Puzzle: Researching the Impacts of Climate Change Around the World“. It documents research in the categories of: Sky, Sea, Ice, Land, Life and People.

1500-Year Arctic Atmospheric Cycle

Voyager 1 Enters a New Region of Deep Space

Flaring Gas in North Dakota

Superstorm Sandy and Sea Level Rise

Most Accurate Gravity Map of the Moon

Compensation for Island Nations Suffering from Sea Level Rise

History of the Hope Diamond

“A team of scientists supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has identified for the first time a clear 1,500-year cycle in the far North’s surface atmosphere pressure pattern. Called the Arctic Oscillation (AO), the cycle greatly influences weather in the Northern Hemisphere.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

“A recent NASA study compared satellite rain data to landslides in central eastern China, Central America and the Himalayan Arc, three regions with diverse climates and topography where rainfall-triggered landslides are frequent and destructive hazards to the local populations.” Quoted from the NASA press release. The release includes a DigitalGlobe image of a mudslide in China that killed 1765 people and caused over $700 million in damage.

NASA’s Earth Observatory has a great satellite image of fog in the valleys of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Unfortunately this dense fog occurred on the day before Thanksgiving when many people were doing holiday travel.