January 5, 2012
Who deals with coal fires?
Currently (and historically), most people who deal with underground coal fires and gob fires are employed by government agencies, mining and …
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143 articles · Page 3 of 6
January 5, 2012
White House climate report: U.S. changes already apparent
Blogging on EARTH The climate status report released today by the White House includes no new research; instead, it is a synthesis of existing …
January 5, 2012
When wildfires attack: Should I stay or should I go?
As California enters its third consecutive year of drought, officials are standing by for the state’s wildfire season, set to peak later this …
January 5, 2012
When the dust settles: Investigating lingering health questions 10 years after 9/11
Five days after the Twin Towers collapsed, two geoscientists boarded a plane from Denver to New York City. They were part of a team that would …
January 5, 2012
When and why L'Aquila came tumbling down
Early on the morning of April 6, 2009, a magnitude-6.3 earthquake rocked the Apennine region of central Italy, killing more than 290 people and …
January 5, 2012
What makes a disaster? Does this blizzard count?
Blogging on EARTH Actually, this is a meta-blog: A blog about a blog. Not had enough of the snow yet? One of EARTH's regular contributors, …
January 5, 2012
Weird whale tusks act as matchmakers
In the depths of the ocean, the bizarre beaked whale looks more like an eerie mutant than a gentle giant. With its bird-like beak and sharp tusks …
January 5, 2012
Water Wise: Where will the oil spilled in the Gulf go?
It’s been about eight weeks since an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig damaged a wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico and triggered the …
January 5, 2012
Water Wise: The leak is capped; but what's the oil's long-term fate?
BP’s new cap system, installed to stop the oil spilling into the Gulf, is now working, BP announced this week, though how long it will hold …
January 5, 2012
Water Wise: An oil plume at depth, and NOAA vs. the White House
There is definitely a deep plume of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and it was definitely produced by BP’s damaged Macondo well, according to a report …
January 5, 2012
Wanted: Interim nuclear waste storage site
The United States is in a nuclear waste holding pattern. Yucca Mountain, the site of the proposed geological repository that is supposed to …
January 5, 2012
Wal-Mart to use wind energy
Wal-Mart’s reputation for cheap prices precedes it, but recently the retailer showed its greener side when it announced plans to supply 15 …
January 5, 2012
VA geologists axed due to budget crunch
Virginia, like many states, is being hit hard by the recent economic downturn — and as Virginia tightens the purse strings, the state’s …
January 5, 2012
Using Citizens in Science Research
Stars, just like people, have finite life spans. Some die quietly. Others go out in a blaze of glory, as supernovae. These brilliant explosions …
January 5, 2012
USGS finds giant gas hydrate deposits on North Slope
Buried beneath Alaska's North Slope are about 85.4 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas hydrates, according to a new U.S. …
January 5, 2012
TV: Discovery Channel grows more curious
At first, it is difficult to distinguish the Discovery Channel’s new show “Curiosity” — in which celebrity-scientists and science-oriented …
January 5, 2012
Travels in Geology: Twin coral reefs separated in time in Western Australia
In Western Australia, you can visit two unusually accessible coral reefs. Although they look similar enough to be fraternal twins, these reefs …
January 5, 2012
Travels in Geology: Atop the German Alps
Mountaineers in the “High Points Club” have a lofty goal: to “tag,” or reach, the highest elevations of every country in the world. Many of the …
January 5, 2012
Thirsty Cities: Water management in a changing environment
On a clear day in November 2007, the governor of Georgia held an unusual public vigil. Before the doors of his state capitol, Gov. Sonny Perdue …
January 5, 2012
Thinking outside the rocks in the search for ancient earthquakes
The eyewitness accounts, written in columns from right to left, top to bottom, testify that there was no warning of the tsunami, no shaking to …
January 5, 2012
The Thirsty Dragon and the Wealthy Bear
How China, Russia and High Oil Prices Influence Global Dynamics It’s a brave new world. China and Russia are changing the terms of energy …
January 5, 2012
The Thirsty Dragon and the Wealthy Bear
How China, Russia and High Oil Prices Influence Global Dynamics The world is changing. Gone are the days of Middle Eastern sheikhs controlling …
January 5, 2012
The rise of community remote sensing
If you ask someone involved in community remote sensing to define the emerging field, the most likely response will be a chuckle followed by …
January 5, 2012
The long legacy of Peru's "Mine of Death"
The Inca knew there was something sinister about the cinnabar they hauled out of the ground at Huancavelica in Peru hundreds of years ago. They …