Undefined on EARTH Magazine

Satellites see unknown sources of sulfur dioxide

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 17:36:34 -0400

Analysis of data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard NASA's Aura satellite suggested numerous sources of sulfur dioxide not previously reported, including a cluster in the Middle East. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory map by Joshua Stevens, using OMI data courtesy of McLinden et al., Nature Geoscience, June 2016.

New satellite data reveal that much more sulfur dioxide is reaching the atmosphere than previously thought, heightening concerns over the pollutant’s impacts on ecosystem health. In a new study published in Nature Geoscience, Canadian and U.S. researchers led by Chris McLinden, of Environment and Climate Change Canada, located substantial, and previously unknown, global sources of the gas.

Comment: Why I am a geoscientist

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 09:31:58 -0400

Credit: courtesy of Eric Riggs.

I work on a campus where we occasionally see some pretty impressive weather. Recently, I was at a universitywide meeting when a particularly nasty squall line blew through. Strong gusts rattled the windows and rain was falling so hard you couldn’t see the building next door. A colleague turned to me and said, “Do I have to worry about this?” Why did she ask me this? Because I am a geoscientist.

Ancient Homo erectus engravings adorn seashell

Mon, 09 Mar 2015 11:13:44 -0400

An etched zigzag pattern carved by Homo erectus adorns this roughly half-million- year-old mussel shell found on the Indonesian island of Java. Credit: both: Wim Lustenhouwer, VU University Amsterdam.

Artistic expression has been called one of the hallmarks of modern Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, with the first known art forms dating to about 100,000 years ago. Now, the discovery of etchings on a mussel shell dated to between 540,000 and 430,000 years ago may mean the first artwork came from Homo erectus instead.