Monthly Archives: April 2014

As monsoon season approaches, a billion people await the seasonal forecast

Posted on 28 April, 2014 by Stephen Burt

By Dr Andy Turner As spring continues towards summer, a sense of foreboding and expectation builds – what will the monsoon bring to India this year? The Asian monsoon is one of the most dramatic expressions of the seasonal cycle … Continue reading →

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Polluted cooling

Posted on 21 April, 2014 by Stephen Burt

By Nicolas Bellouin Air quality made recent headlines when a thick layer of pollution spread over southern England in early April. Reports stressed the hazards posed by pollution particles to our health, but pollution has another, more unexpected impact: it … Continue reading →

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Tosca’s kiss – the effects of energetic particles on the atmosphere

Posted on 14 April, 2014 by Stephen Burt

By Giles Harrison, Professor of Atmospheric Physics The Sun is usually thought of as a fundamental source of visible radiation, but it also provides both a source of, and controlling influence on energetic particles which arrive in the earth’s atmosphere. … Continue reading →

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Successful launch of Sentinel 1

Posted on 7 April, 2014 by Stephen Burt

Sentinel 1 got off the ground successfully last Thursday, writes Dr Debbie Clifford (see http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/weather-and-climate-at-reading/2014/sentinel-a-new-chapter-in-climate-observation/). Launch was at 21.02 GMT from Korou, French Guiana: http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/04/Sentinel-1A_liftoff The satellite then successfully performed ‘a carefully choreographed 10-hour dance routine to open its large radar … Continue reading →

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The lazy, hazy days of Spring …

Posted on 2 April, 2014 by Stephen Burt

By Ellie Highwood, Professor of Climate Physics Whilst the winter of 2013/14 will be remembered for the flooding resulting from the passage of low pressure after low pressure across the UK, as we move into Spring we are facing the … Continue reading →

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