By Andrew Williams •
July 26, 2009
NASA has released the first ever images of mysterious polar night clouds that form 50 miles above Earth’s surface, and says that they might be linked to global warming.
The startling images were captured by NASA’s “AIM” satellite (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere), and show night clouds above 70 degrees north latitude on May 25. Since then, eyewitnesses on the ground have reported seeing the formations on June 6 over Northern Europe (see image after the jump).
When viewed from space, the mysterious clouds are known scientifically as Polar Mesospheric Clouds, or PMCs, when seen from the ground they are called Noctilucent or “night-shining” Clouds.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Agnieszka Fryckowska, Meteorologist and Halley Winter Base Commander at Halley Station in Antarctica. This is the first of an ongoing series of posts written by the Halley Station team, which will give readers a window into life in Antarctica.
Introducing Halley Station (75°34’S 26°34’W), located on the 150m thick, continually moving, Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Named after the Astronomer Edmond Halley, the current station (Halley V) is the fifth to be built. It is the British Antarctic Survey’s most remote research station and has been operational since 1956 (established by the Royal Society for the International Geophysical Year, 1957-58). Halley Station (also known as Base Z) has presented itself in many forms since those first buildings in 1956.
The extreme environment challenges even the most thought out buildings. Blizzards and snow drifts eventually bury any structures left on the ground and the constant movement of the ice shelf compresses any structures under the surface, making these buildings eventually unsuitable for use.
By Gavin Hudson •
March 30, 2009
On March 28, 2009, 3,922 cities in 88 countries around the world turned out or dimmed their lights in commemoration of Earth Hour. Organizers hoped for 1 billion participants to turn out their lights, sending a message to world leaders in anticipation of the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009 that there is global interest in addressing climate change. The event followed similar, smaller Earth Hour events in 2007 and 2008. Here, selected and compiled from the Earth Hour Media Library, are 12 around the world before and after photos of Earth Hour 2009, plus two freebies at the end.
Brisbane, Australia
Remember the logic word puzzle from middle school: “Which is heavier, a ton of feathers, or a ton of lead?” Some of us answered with the obvious response: they are of the same mass. Others of us got stuck on the materials under reference. For those of you who relate to the latter, I’m here to tell you it’s ok, and there is help.
Many factoids that we hear throughout the
[...]
