atmosphere

The inaudible symphony analysed

harminka — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:32:47 -0600

By measuring ‘inaudible’ sounds, events like illegal nuclear tests can be detected. This ‘infrasound’ can also help us understand more about the upper atmosphere, according to KNMI researcher Läslo Evers. Evers will receive a PhD based on his research into this subject at TU Delft on Tuesday 4 November.

Methane gas levels begin to increase again

harminka — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:23:29 -0500

The amount of methane in Earth's atmosphere shot up in 2007, bringing to an end a period of about a decade in which atmospheric levels of the potent greenhouse gas were essentially stable, according to a team led by MIT researchers.

Potent greenhouse gas more prevalent in atmosphere than previously assumed

harminka — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:00:25 -0500

A powerful greenhouse gas is at least four times more prevalent in the atmosphere than previously estimated, according to a team of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Air monitoring helps anticipate possible ecosystem changes

harminka — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:55:59 -0500

When rain settles the atmosphere and brings air pollutants to the ground, it can have a lasting effect on ecosystems, sometimes hundreds of miles away, according to a Texas AgriLife Research agricultural engineer.

Field project seeks clues to climate change in remote atmospheric region

harminka — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:25:25 -0500

Scientists are deploying an advanced research aircraft to study a region of the atmosphere that influences climate change by affecting the amount of solar heat that reaches Earth's surface. Findings from the project, based at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), will be used by researchers worldwide to improve computer models of global climate in preparation for the next report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Warm coronal loops offer clue to mysteriously hot solar atmosphere

harminka — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:16:58 -0500

Scientists at NASA reveal a new understanding of the mysterious mechanism responsible for heating the outer part of the solar atmosphere, the corona, to million degree temperatures.

Satellites Illuminate Pollution's Influence On Clouds

harminka — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:46:46 -0500

Clouds have typically posed a problem to scientists using satellites to observe the lowest part of the atmosphere, where humans live and breathe, because they block the satellite's ability to capture a clear, unobstructed view of Earth's surface. It turns out, however, that these "obstructions" are worth a closer look, as clouds and their characteristics actually serve a valuable role in Earth's climate.

Atmosphere threatened by pollutants entering ocean

harminka — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:51:32 -0500

A large quantity of nitrogen compounds emitted into the atmosphere by humans through the burning of fossil fuels and the use of nitrogen fertilizers enters the oceans and may lead to the removal of some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, concluded a team of international scientists led by Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences Robert Duce.

Northern lights glimmer with unexpected trait

harminka — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:08:01 -0500

An international team of scientists has detected that some of the glow of Earth’s aurora is polarized, an unexpected state for such emissions. Measurements of this newfound polarization in the Northern Lights may provide scientists with fresh insights into the composition of Earth’s upper atmosphere, the configuration of its magnetic field, and the energies of particles from the Sun, the researchers say.

Nanominerals Influence Earth Systems from Ocean to Atmosphere to Biosphere

harminka — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:44:00 -0500

The ubiquity of tiny particles of minerals-mineral nanoparticles-in oceans and rivers, atmosphere and soils, and in living cells are providing scientists with new ways of understanding Earth's workings. Our planet's physical, chemical, and biological processes are influenced or driven by the properties of these minerals.

Airborne bacteria may play large role in precipitation

harminka — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:55:48 -0600

A Montana State University professor and his colleagues have found evidence suggesting that airborne bacteria are globally distributed in the atmosphere and may play a large role in the cycle of precipitation.

LSU scientist finds evidence of rain-making bacteria

harminka — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:28:12 -0600

Brent Christner, LSU professor of biological sciences, in partnership with colleagues in Montana and France, recently found evidence that rain-making bacteria are widely distributed in the atmosphere.