Earth Sciences

Volcanic eruptions may be an agent of rapid and long-term climate change, according to new research by British scientists. Vincent Gauci and co-authors Nancy Dise and Steve Blake of the Open University simulated the volcanic acid rain from one of Europe’s largest historical eruptions, the Icelandic Laki eruption of 1783, which caused widespread crop damage and deaths around Europe. Their finding are scheduled for publication in the American Geophysical Union journal, Geophysical Research

Last December’s tsunami was a destructive force of nature that swept entire villages away and resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 people. Now, a team of researchers including Arizona State University’s Harinda Joseph Fernando reports that some areas of Sri Lanka were devastated more than others and that the increased destruction follows human development along coastal regions.

Fernando, director of ASU’s environmental fluid dynamics program and a nativ

Highlights from final report on December 26, 2004 tsunami’s impact in Banda Aceh

Waves more than 15 meters (49 feet) high. Flooding of 25 square miles of land. A coastline moved a mile. In a brief report in the June 9, 2005 issue of Science, University of Southern California tsunami expert Jose Borerro presents the results of the detailed survey he made on the scene at Banda Aceh, Indonesia following the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami

Banda Aceh and the nearby area of

Research at the University of Leicester Department of Geology is confirming how a plume of hot mantle rock rising beneath Africa is splitting the continental crust apart and driving a plate tectonic sequence that could eventually form a new ocean in Ethiopia.

The extending East African Rift is a 3,000 kilometre crack in the Earth’s surface, stretching from Malawi in the south, through Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, connecting with the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The c

Researchers at the University of Leicester have developed a cloud detection system which will lead to them gaining a better understanding of greenhouse gases.

The team in the Earth Observation Science Group have identified a method that eliminates inaccuracies in monitoring how dynamics, radiation and chemical processes interact and control greenhouse gas distributions, and how industrial and human activities affect them.

The UK has invested £300 million in instruments

Scientists are continually exploring different aspects of hurricanes to increase the understanding of how they behave. Recently, two NASA-funded scientists from Florida State University analyzed ozone levels surrounding hurricanes. Their work could lead to better methods of forecasting the paths of the deadly storms.

In their study, FSU meteorologists Xiaolei Zou and Yonghui Wu found that variations of ozone levels from the surface of the ocean to the upper atmosphere are close