Volcanic Eruptions: Ash Warnings and Aviation

Volcanic Eruptions - Ash Warnings and Aviation



Last week Iceland experienced yet another volcanic eruption when Grímsvötn beneath their biggest glacier Vatnajökull, started to spew out volcanic ash into the atmosphere. Several flights have been canceled but it is by far not so disruptive as last years Eyjafjallajökull who closed down the entire European airspace.

If you wonder how we use science in decision making and ash warning systems - I warn you it is compicated - you can read this article. I made a special graphics to facilitate the reading. But again, lots of stuff and complicated links here. Aviation in general require all this, so we should be all happy about it.

Beyond Sustainability

Beyond Sustainability



Here is where you can learn a hell of a lot about the latest approaches on sustainability - and beyond!

The library will be continuously updated with links and references to good readings on the topic. So, feel free to send me links.

COD

COD



Not C.O.D. - but cod - could be in peril thanks to Queensland flooding. Freshwater might reach the great barrier reef and create 'hostile' environment to some of the species living there.

PS. Both my nephew and son are having a serious C.O.D. period so I can't help thinking of gaming whenever I see those three letters...

Smoking Hot

Smoking Hot




Of course, NASA can't say what I am about to say right now:

Will you look at that smoking hot Siberian version of Uma Thurman already!?

I just had to. :-)

Here she, Elena Kukavskaya, is in smoke as well, if you don't believe me. The smoke I mean.



Uma Thurman, the actress



Background: Russia has suffered from an abnormal amount of wildfires due to dry weather this summer. Wildfires are part of the natural processes of the Earth system, but we are getting more vulnerable to them simply because we are a lot more people than we used to. It is reasonable to examine closer the link to climate change as well.




Wildfires as seen by ESA's ESR-2 and Envisat in the period 1996-2010. The Russian wildfires this summer are the worst in 14 years. Click on image to see the gorgeous large version of this map.

Pakistan Flood - Victims Need Help

Pakistan Needs Help



The graphics above shows the distribution of aid pr person pr country. If you look at the total amount of money the US is the biggest contributor. But, not surprisingly, Norway is the country who is most generous if you look at money pr person.

SMOS satellite sees Pakistan flooding

SMOS Sees Flood in Pakistan



SMOS is short for Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity and it is one of ESA's Earth Explorers satellites. SMOS was launched last year and activated under the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters to assist in the relief and management of the flood in Pakistan.

Information about soil moisture compliments the information gathered by other satellites.

Volcano seen with InSAR

Longonot Volcano, Kenya



Credit: ESA


Using satellites provides us with stunning new images - and unique information. This is InSAR images of two Kenyan volcanoes in the Great Rift Valley in Africa. If you want to learn how InSAR is being used you can watch the latest episode on Volcanoes at A Green Space - A Green Earth over at the award winning Astrocast.TV.

Mount St.Helens Lethal Eruption's 30th Anniversary

This Crater...



Courtesy of NASA

...is basically what was left after Mount St. Helens unbelievable blast in 1980. A dome grew out of this crater in 2004 (image), but you can see how much of the mountain that was just blown off in 1980.
Volcanoes fascinate me! ('transcript' or rather my interpretation of George Clooney's words to Catherine Zeta-Jones in Intolerable Cruelty). :-)

Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajokull keep on keeping on...



Credit: NASA


The Icelandic volcano on Eyjafjallajokull simply will not call it at day. New high plumes of ash have been coming our way (Ireland for the most part) again. And there is no sign of this volcano zipping it any time soon.

Looks gorgeous in this color palette taken by EO-1.

Earthquakes: Disaster mitigation

Will Haiti trigger more efforts in disaster mitigation?



Cartography: Nordpil

You are probably sick and tired of earthquakes by now. :-) I am not. Because earthquakes will not stop happening just because we move on to next hot thing in media. And as you can see from the map above, we are more vulnerable than ever since we urbanize in faster and faster pace.

Haiti Special and Earthquake Week-end

Stellare's Haiti Special and Earthquake Week-end




The Haiti earthquake is a disaster, there is no doubt about that. Unfortunately it seems like the relief is partly a disaster too, judging from the evidence of human greed surfacing in the wake of the joint global efforts to help Haiti.

This is not what Stellare's Haiti special is about. Except for a few cats and cars Stellare is all about science. And it is the science behind the Haiti earthquake that will be covered in this week-end special.

Natural hazards is one of my fields of expertise. I was a co-convener at the American Geophysical Union 2009, at the Natural hazard section. My recent scientific work includes the development of real-time GPS for early warning systems. I'm up to date on the state-of-the-art technologies developed for natural hazards early warning systems.

As a volunteer and idealist (I do this is my spare time), I am a producer and reporter for Astrocast.TV. This channel for astronomy and space news is a non-profit endeavour and rely on contributions from people like me. The crew there is nevertheless top notch professional led by former CNN director Richard Mathews.

Norwegians (me) are direct. This Earthquake Week-end is created to promote the great work of Astrocast.TV and I bluntly ask for your support to spread the word. In return you learn more about science and of course in good ol' Stellare style, you can enjoy plenty of illustrations.

By helping me you help mitigate future disasters. Public knowledge is one element in preventing natural hazards to become disasters of the dimension we witness in Haiti. Based on direct contact with leading experts, Astrocast.TV educates and entertains and thus contributes to increase the public (you) knowledge.



Stellare's A Green Space - A Green Earth (you can find all episodes of my segment here. Haiti on top)
Presentation of The Science Behind the Haiti Earthquake (directly from the horse's mouth interviews with links to the leading expert's websites and articles)

I need you to spread these links in your network and create as much fuzz as ever possible. I will be utterly grateful if you also provide me with feedback (bentebye@astrocast.tv), both on the Haiti show and ideas for future shows.

Thanks! Love you! Peace!

Stellare

PS Link love will get link love in return :-)

Thanks to BestOfStumbleUpon!

Haiti Post Quake

Haiti Post Quake



Credit: NASA/JPL

Here you see how Haiti looks from the air after the Haiti earthquake. The epicenter at the end of the fault (black arrow). And the capital Port-of-Prince (yellow arrow).





"This image will be combined with other images of the same area to be acquired later this month and in the future in order to measure the motion of Earth's surface during the time between images using a technique called interferometry. The interferometric measurements will allow scientists to study the pressures building up and being released on the fault at depth."

Volcano Heaven of The Ring of Fire

Volcano Heaven on The Ring of Fire



Credit: ESA

Kamchatka is where all the geophysical action is. Imagine hundreds of volcanoes, gigantic landslides and earthquakes. This is definitely a place to be - if you like earthly action! You might not survive, but that is another story...

Desertification

Dried Up



South-Africa




In spite of the power of satellite imaging I do believe we have a bit of a challenge securing fresh water to everyone.

InSAR in Wenchuan - China

Funky 'Seismic' Pattern



Credits: Jianbao Sun, IGCEA, Seismology and Geology, No.3, 2008

Wenschuan, China, May 2008




InSAR is the hottest tool to use from space - look how totally hippie the Wenchuan earthquake looks like using interferometry.

Using InSAR and GPS data, scientists are able to measure and monitor where and how stress changes in the crust as well as how any associated deformation is distributed.

We are definitely going to see more of these kind of maps! :-)

And oh, yeah. I dedicated an episode of A Green Space - A Green Earth to natural hazards. There you can see equivalent maps of L'Aquila after the earthquake this April. It has absolutely nothing to do with G8 in case you wonder...:-)

Volcanic Secrets

Volcanoes: Below the Scenes



Origin of volcano's carbon-based lavas.

Hurricanes

Stormy Planet




Credit: NASA/GOES


Karina, Gustav, Hanna, Ike and Josephine all say Hello!

Flooding in India

Ganges All Over The Place



Credit: NASA

Impressive Ganges. Impressive Earth Observation.

Vulcano Erupts

Kasatochi




No, this is not from some distant planet, nor is it an electronic game from Japan. It is an earthly volcano situated in Alaska. It erupted recently and made all this "noise" in our atmosphere. Do me a favor and click on the images...:-)






Awesomeness!





This is a bribing gift for the next president who knows a good volcano when she sees one.

Seismograph

A Chinese Invention



Seismometer 候風地動儀