Occasional musings on meteorology and other bits of Earth science
It is innovative lounging laundry learning week (ILW) again: a brief respite from lectures and a chance to do some other educational activities for both lecturers and students. I have been on two outings this week; I am blogging the second one first as the first one has some data to show that I haveContinue reading ILW part 1: Eskdalemuir
There have been a few news items about satellite launches and the like recently. This weekend it was SPACEX’s successful delivery to the ISS and its un-successful attempt to land part of the rocket on a floating platform. At the end of January the news will be about the (hopefully successful) attempt to launch theContinue reading Rocket Science: it should impress you.
I just got back from the 4th-year geophysics field course; as noted earlier, this was held at Montalivet-les-Bains, on the Atlantic coast of France, an hour’s drive North of Bordeaux. As usual, we ran the trip with staff and students from the Université de Paris Sud and the Universität Münster. Many thanks are due toContinue reading Sand, Sand, Sand …
The eruption of the Bárðarbunga volcano in Iceland rumbles on. It is having no observable effect on the MLS SO2 data, (See earlier posts here and here) but that is hardly surprising; it is not a very explosive sort of eruption. However, the record from our gravity meter has been showing a sprinkling of ratherContinue reading Iceland rumbles
As a physicist I have a (perhaps regrettable) tendency to regard geography as an alien subject: full of essay-writing and subjective opinions. But I do love maps. The part of the School of GeoSciences that houses the geographers has a lovely collection of old maps; when I have to visit this building I often endContinue reading Maps, maps, maps.
One of the few perks of this job is a summer beach barbecue for all climate and weather related staff. As it was held a Gullane Beach, somewhere between Edinburgh and where I live in Dunbar, I made the potentially rash decision to cycle there and back. Now, I rather assumed that I was fitContinue reading A summer day out
Summer seems to have arrived, and about time too. The East Lothian sky yesterday was full of textbook cumulus clouds as the Sun warmed up the ground, setting off convection cells. (Later in the afternoon the convection was enthusiastic enough to chase me in out of the garden.) On my way home from bellringing IContinue reading Intrusions and convections
Last night and this morning brought not one but three things that I have not seen for a while. One was a sunrise at the time that my alarm clock goes off: it is nice to feel that the winter is coming to an end. The second was a frost: this winter seems to haveContinue reading Aurora (at last)
From our local volcano, which last erupted some 350 million years ago, to one the other side of the world which erupted last week. Kelut, in Java (Indonesia) erupted late on 13 February, causing considerable ash fall and other damage and destruction. I am interested in volcanoes because I am trying (and, so far, failing)Continue reading Observation of sulphur dioxide from the Kelut eruption
First chance to blog since I got back to the UK from the final-year geophysics field course. We run this course in conjunction with the University of Munster and the Universite Paris Sud, going to England, Germany and France in successive years. This year was Germany, and the Vogelsberg Mountains in Hesse, just to theContinue reading Gravity: they leave it on at weekends
