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A version of this blog was originally posted on November 14, 2012 .
If you have been listening to the news or following along with weather and climate web pages, you have probably heard the term "ENSO." ENSO, or El Niño-Southern Oscillation, is a quasi-periodic climate pattern that occurs in the tropical Pacific Ocean. When the conditions change, the atmosphere responds in many different ways. In certain locations, it is cloudier and it rains more, while in others it’s clear and dry. Scientists are forecasting El Niño conditions to start ...
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Posted in:
Curriculum:
SCIENCE AND MATH
GLOBE Science Topics:
CLIMATE
Investigation Areas:
ATMOSPHERE
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2013/03/06/connecting-pollutants-and-air-temperature-in-the-maldives/
With climate change, there are many relationships that are understood, and many others that are not. Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan from The Scripps Institute in San Diego has spent the last fifteen years in the Maldives, a nation south of India that is comprised of over 1,200 islands, studying the relationship between air pollutants, cloud formation and air temperature.
The Maldives are a great location for ...
Posted in:
Field Campaigns:
CARBON CYCLE
GLOBE Science Topics:
GENERAL SCIENCE
CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE
Investigation Areas:
ATMOSPHERE
A couple of years ago, I attended a seminar sponsored by the Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on how climate change is threatening the survival of wolverines ( Gulo gulo ). This scientist, Synte Peacock from CGD, painted a gloomy outlook for this ferocious creature after using a climate model to examine changes in spring snow cover and summer air temperatures. However, recent legislative proposals may make the future a little brighter.
A ...
Posted in:
GLOBE Science Topics:
CLIMATE
CLIMATE CHANGE
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2013/01/30/an-interesting-relationship-soil-temperature-and-climate-change/
It seems common place that warmer air temperature leads to warmer soil temperature. And while this relationship seems intuitive, the effect isn’t always studied, especially with respect to the response from microorganisms. That is why researchers are investigating what happens when the soil temperature increases.
An intricate network of soil microorganisms From: Commonwealth Scientific and ...
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2013/01/23/trees-in-trouble-what-affect-does-tree-mortality-have-on-climate-change/
Through our trees in trouble series, we’ve examined trees in the Sahel zone in Africa and the United States . This problem, climate change and dying trees, has been seen on every continent, the only exception being Antarctica, due to the lack of vegetation on the frozen continent. Scientists have recently found that there is an alarming loss rate of big, old trees, whose ages range ...
Posted in:
GLOBE Science Topics:
GENERAL SCIENCE
CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE
Investigation Areas:
ATMOSPHERE
BIOSPHERE
Blog previously posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2013/01/16/a-tale-of-two-extremes/
Weather extremes have become a common theme in the news headlines the past few weeks. For example, nearly every part of the United States has been experiencing one of two extremes – either frigid cold or record-breaking high temperatures. Places like Arizona and California experienced below-freezing temperatures, which can have potential impacts on the crops grown in these typically balmy regions. In contrast, cities in the Southeast U.S., such as ...
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/12/19/the-chicken-and-egg-story-of-global-warming-and-extreme-droughts-a-lesson-on-climate-feedbacks/
I recently read that the extreme drought in western North America during 2000-2004 actually resulted in more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. In the article in Nature Geoscience , it explained that such droughts can further enhance global warming. When a drought occurs, the plants wither and die and no longer uptake carbon dioxide (normally living plants serve as a ...
Posted in:
GLOBE Science Topics:
CLIMATE
CLIMATE CHANGE
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/14/esno-basics-what-is-it/
Through many posts here on the Scientists’ Blog, we, in one way or another, discuss ENSO. ENSO, or El Niño-Southern Oscillation, is a quasi-periodic climate pattern that occurs in the tropical Pacific Ocean. When the conditions change, the atmosphere responds in many different ways. In certain locations, it is cloudier and it rains more, while in others it’s clear and dry. Through our “ENSO Basics” series, we’ll take a look at ENSO ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/08/non-stationarity-new-vocabulary-for-a-changing-climate/
A few years ago I attended a workshop for early career scientists to discuss frontiers in integrated water-climate-society vulnerability and adaptation science. This interdisciplinary area of science focuses on the need for using scientific information to not only identify communities that are vulnerable to climate change, but to also help create effective approaches for communities to adapt to climate change. Since every ...
Posted in:
GLOBE Science Topics:
CLIMATE
CLIMATE CHANGE
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/11/01/full-circle-superior-part-iv-changing-superior-changing-industry/
This week we pick back up on our Full Circle Superior Series. In 2010 Mike Link and Kate Crowley chose to walk around the largest fresh water lake in the world – Lake Superior which has shoreline in both Canada and the United States. This 1555 mile/145 day walk was the first ever by a couple and the first to attempt to stay on the shoreline. Because Mike and Kate are educators in their sixties they wanted ...
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/19/supercomputing-and-climate-research-high-resolution-long-time-simulations-to-improve-our-understanding/
Have you ever watched a newscast and the on-air meteorologist mentions “according to our weather models, our best chances for rain will occur between the hours of 6 and 9 pm”? Have you wondered what exactly are those models they’re talking about?
A weather model is a series of equations that take a look at an initial state of the atmosphere (such as the temperature, ...
Posted in:
GLOBE Science Topics:
GENERAL SCIENCE
CLIMATE
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/05/xpedition-review-reflections-back-and-looking-ahead/
To say that the journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro was a success would not do justice to the wonderful personal and scientific experiences the team had. From taking the first steps toward the summit on Sunday 23 September to summiting the following week and boarding flights to return home, each team member gained something that will stay with them forever.
Collecting data in the rainforest ...
Blog originally posted on the GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/04/xpedition-day-ten-mweka-camp-to-park-gate/
Monday, 1 October was the final day of The Xpedition. After an exciting summit day, the team continues on their descent and is picked up to head back to Arusha, where they will enjoy a well-deserved meal.
Unloading the equipment after a successful trip
Throughout the entire journey, the team relied on the use of porters, who are local Tanzanians who carry equipment up the mountain. These porters are essential to a ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/03/xpedition-day-nine-special-crater-camp-to-summit-to-mweka-camp/
On Sunday, 30 September, the team made it to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The summit sits at 5,895 m (19,340 ft) above sea level. What a fantastic accomplishment for the team!
Team at the summit
Hiking on a glacier near the summit
After the team spendt time celebrating their success, they began their descent, stopping at 3,200 m (10,498 ft) at Mweka Camp. To celebrate the ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/10/01/xpedition-day-eight-kosovo-camp-to-special-crater-camp/
As you may have noticed, the Scientist Blog was quiet for the past two days. As is to be expected, things can change rapidly on the mountain and the ability for the team to send us their daily blogs was interrupted. The team safely continued on their journey, and have sent us their blogs.
Day Eight was Saturday, 29 September. The team journeyed from 4,877 m (16,000 ft) to 5,608 m (18,399 ft). ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/28/xpedition-day-seven-karanga-camp-to-kossovo-camp/
Today the team continues on their journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro by traveling from the Karanga Camp, situated at 3,962 m (12,998 ft), to the Kossovo Camp at 4,877 m (16,000 ft). This leg of the journey takes the team back to the alpine desert biome.
Part of the team stops for a photo
While this biome is found on Mt. Kilimanjaro, it is also found in many other mountain ranges, including but not limited ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/27/xpedition-day-six-lava-tower-to-karanga-camp/
A morning at camp
The team is now over halfway done with their trek to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The journey began on Sunday 23 September as the team left Basecamp and hiked to Forest Camp. You can read all about their journey starting here .
A view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the trail
Today’s part of the trek up Kilimanjaro takes the team back down in elevation, ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/26/xpedition-day-five-moir-hut-to-lava-tower/
Today marks another transition between biomes – from heath zone to alpine desert. An alpine desert is a harsh, dry, windy region that consists of mostly bare rock and ice. Temperatures during the day can soar to 38°C, while at night can be below freezing. The air is very thin, which results in labored breathing as well as more intense solar radiation. The Lava Tower camp sits at approximately 5,029 m (16,499 ft). ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/25/xpedition-day-four-shira-1-camp-to-moir-hut/
Today the team will hike from Shira 1 Camp to Moir Hut (Shira 2 Camp on the map below). This part of the journey will take the team further into the heath zone. As discussed yesterday , the heath zone is a zone of sparse vegetation due to lower rainfall amounts.
The route the team is taking: the western approach route
The team stops for a discussion about soils
Today’s question focuses ...
Blog originally posted on The GLOBE Scientists' Blog: http://blog.globe.gov/sciblog/2012/09/24/xpedition-day-three-forest-camp-to-shira-1-camp/
Today the team heads from 2,438 m to 3,505 m above sea level. This portion of the journey will take the team from rain forest to heath zone. A rain forest is characterized by high rainfall, with annual totals ranging from 1750-2000 mm (68-78 in). A heath zone is above the forest line, where porous soils and lower rainfall result in sparser vegetation.
Leaving the rain forest heading to the heath zone ...
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