Earth Sciences135
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Scientists Sail to Assess Haiti Quake Threat
Research Ship Will Image Faults, Seek Signs of Hidden Dangers
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Following the Trail of Ancient Icebergs
A few days ago we reached our main study area in the eastern Amundsen Sea. Here we are using sonar to map the contours of the seafloor in great detail. During the last glaciation the Antarctic ice sheet was much larger and covered most of the continental shelf, an underwater extension of the continent that…
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Climate, Fires and Birds: How is the Tundra Changing?
Natalie Boelman is an ecologist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who studies the effects of climate change on organisms throughout the food chain. She first visited the Alaskan Arctic in 2001, and will return to the North Slope this spring and summer to continue a wildfire-mapping project and to set up a field study that will…
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A Video Camera on the Bottom of the Ocean
Here is a video montage showing highlights of the seafloor deployment of the VentCam (created by Carl Robinson): You can read more about this project here, and more on the deployment of this particular instrument here.
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Jaunt to Nearby Island Becomes Four-Day Epic
Going to Antarctica involves a whole lot of paperwork. Before I left, I filled out an extensive medical history, was tested for every disease imaginable, gave my pants size, shoe size, hat size, until I had only one form remaining. That was the waiver acknowledging that working in Antarctica is inherently dangerous and that by…
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So Much Depends on Sea Ice
Where we work and how we get there depends on the sea ice. The Oden is a powerful icebreaker but it is often faster and more fuel-efficient to go around heavy sea ice then to chop our way through. If the sea ice is several feet thick, we often choose to detour. We actually consult…
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Is Ocean Water Helping to Melt Glaciers?
After crossing the Ross Sea, we’ve reached our first study area: the “Little America Trough.” The oceanographers on board want to find out if warmer water from the deep ocean is rising onto the continental shelf and reaching the ice, making it melt faster. They measure temperature and salinity as well as the water currents.…
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Climate Risks and Haiti
As Haitians struggle to rebuild their country after January’s devastating earthquake, they face added risks, related to climate. Currently, about 1.2 million Haitians are without proper shelter, and an additional 470,000 have been displaced from their homes, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (latest updates). This leaves them vulnerable to storms and extreme…
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High, Dry and Safe: In Search of the Perfect Site
The ideal spot for a seismic station is dry, quiet and safe from vandals and thieves. Seismometers record slight ground motions, allowing them to hear distant (and not so distant) earthquakes. But cars or even kids playing near a seismic station can produce ground vibrations that overwhelm the subtle sounds of earthquakes. Seismic stations include…
