Monthly Archives: June 2014

How important are aerosols to understanding climate change?

By Bill Collins Aerosols are fine particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air. They originate from many sources – both natural (desert dust, sea spray) and man-made (power stations, traffic). They generally act to cool the climate (a good … Continue reading

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Soapbox Science – London’s South Bank – this Sunday

If you are at a loose end on Sunday and feel like a day out in London, please come along to the free Soapbox Science event by the Thames at Gabriel’s Wharf (between Southbank Centre and Tate Modern). From 12-3 … Continue reading

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Surface Temperature of Earth – making connections

By Chris Merchant “Surface temperature” might seem to be a straightforward concept at first, but look more carefully, and things soon become rather complex. The temperatures quoted in the weather forecast are intended to represent the air temperature a metre … Continue reading

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Upgrading weather radar measurements to improve flash flood warnings

By Rob Thompson Weather radar is a powerful tool for rainfall measurement. Raingauges measure rainfall at a site, but a weather radar can provide coverage over a wide area, up to 250 km from the radar site. The UK radar … Continue reading

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Can we make flying more climate-friendly?

By Emma Irvine “How can we fly without damaging the environment?”  The 2014 Longitude Prize acknowledges environmentally-friendly flight as being one of the great challenges of our time. The dream of zero-carbon flight is highly ambitious and, Longitude Prize or … Continue reading

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West Antarctic ice sheet: is a collapse underway?

By David Ferreira From meteorological considerations, one would expect that, in a global warming world, the Antarctic Ice Sheet would grow. With higher temperatures, air parcels can hold more water. This effect would increase the amount of moisture delivered to Antarctica … Continue reading

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