MetaFilter posts tagged with atmosphere

CO2 to hit 400 parts per million next month, highest since the Pliocene

Sleeper — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:01:54 -0800

Scripps Institute of Oceanography projects that next month its monitoring station will for the first time measure CO2 at 400 parts per million. Atmospheric CO2 has risen from 280 parts per million before the Industrial Revolution. 400 ppm is an arbitrary milestone that we'll blow right past on our way to 450 ppm within a few decades. This is an unprecedentedly fast rate of increase and it's getting faster. Not all measuring stations are exactly the same: A NOAA station in the Arctic measured CO2 at 400 ppm last year. Just a post to give a nod to the "DANGER" sign as we drive off a cliff.

There and Back Again Kitty

rollick — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:17:51 -0800

Lauren Rojas, a 12 year old from California, sent Hello Kitty on a return trip to the stratosphere (over 28 kilometres above the Earth) and recorded the results.

Weather Geeks: Use it or Lose it.

spock — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:50:58 -0800

The author of the "Forecast Center" column from Weatherwise magazine to place Forecast Center articles online. So if you want to sharpen your analysis skills, there's a mountain of Forecast Center installments going back to 2001 in full resolution. There is a permanent embargo on all articles newer than 12 months old, so the first issue of 2010 is as far forward as the articles go, but they go back as far as July/August 2001. For example, Hone your hand analysis skills and get your forecast on for the upcoming severe storm season on the Plains.

Weather World 2010

Upton O'Good — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:26:36 -0800

The Weather World 2010 project at UIUC began as a comprehensive meteorology tutorial designed for a high school/undergraduate level. It has since expanded to include guides to remote sensing and reading weather maps. (Some highlights include optical effects, severe storms, and the basics of weather forecasting.) For folks in the US, it also has current surface and satellite imagery for a number of different atmospheric properties.

Maps revolutionize study of carbon dioxide emissions

desjardins — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:03:40 -0800

New maps show US fossil fuel emissions aren't where we thought they were. The Vulcan Project collects more accurate data at a higher resolution than previous studies. Explanatory video. via Other visualizations of CO2 emissions include NASA forecasts and plots, CARMA, which monitors power plant emissions, and the European Space Agency, which uses high resolution spectrometer data (video download). This Australian PSA offers an entirely different kind of visualization.

Attacked by shadows

tylerfulltilt — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:53:53 -0800

Ico did not sell very well. Though critics loved it, the simple third person puzzler failed to capture an audience on the PS2. (youtube trailer) Fast forward a few years to Shadow of the Colossus, and desiger Fumito Ueda struck gold. Earning tons of critical praise for his story of a young boy out to bring his love back from the dead. The two games together represented a dramatic leap forward for videogames, proving the literary and artistic capabilities of the medium. Ueda-san comments on the development of Ico, while some more nerds break it down. Commentary on Shadow of the Colossus. Its amazing soundtrack Obligatory YT links of gameplay footage for ICO (spoilers) - here, Emo game footage set to Gary Jules' Mad World and the deeply emotional ending. Some footage of Colossus here, fighting the second colossus, Barba, and fighting the last colossus, Malus, and then finally, the ending, part one, part two, and part three.

The last thing I remember it was dark, I could hear lightning all around me

BLDGBLOG — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:15:01 -0800

Paraglider survives 32,000ft fall. A German paragliding champion named Ewa Wisnierska was "sucked into a storm that pulled her higher than Mount Everest." She "soared skywards," and was soon "covered in ice" as she "battled hailstones the size of oranges," becoming one with the weather. "I could see the Earth coming," she later said, "wow, like Apollo 13 – I can see the Earth."

Seeing is believing

imposster — Thu, 11 May 2006 09:38:09 -0800

I didn't believe my eyes, but it turns out that it only takes some cold water and a thermal inversion to make a superior mirage (superior in both position and awesomeness). Pekka Parviainen has written about the phenomenon in Finland and has lots of photos to share. Still don't believe? Watch the videos: especially the one in which the mirage disappears before your very eyes! (.rm)

Sprites (atmospheric) - new movie

hank — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:04:46 -0800

7000 frames per second Newscientist article, with links to the movies. "Atmospheric 'sprites' captured in explosive detail ... by researchers using an ultra-high-speed camera. "The best images yet of the flashes – which resemble a giant undulating jellyfish with its tentacles falling from a halo of light – have allowed the team to pick apart their structure and mechanics. "

Plankton may form clouds.

rudyfink — Sat, 17 Jul 2004 01:35:03 -0800

Clouds formed at sea may be created by plankton to protect themselves from harsh UV rays by inducing more dimethyl sulfide to the atmosphere.

Spectacular atmospheric optics.

talos — Thu, 12 Sep 2002 05:23:49 -0800

Spectacular atmospheric optics.
Beautiful pictures of atmospheric phenomena, common and rare. You can also run your own halo simulations if you like... (Found in New Scientist's Weblinks, an extensive, annotated collection of all kinds of science links from all over the web.)

Stormy Space Weather Takes a Toll on Ozone

dagny — Thu, 02 Aug 2001 04:22:29 -0800

Stormy Space Weather Takes a Toll on Ozone A new study confirms a long-held theory that large solar storms rain electrically charged particles down on Earth's atmosphere and deplete the upper-level ozone for weeks to months thereafter. Said Charles Jackman, a researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Laboratory for Atmospheres and lead author of the study: "[W]hen these solar proton events occur you can see immediately a change in the atmosphere, so you have a clear cause and effect."

East Coast go Boom.

nathan_teske — Tue, 24 Jul 2001 00:53:08 -0800

East Coast go Boom.

Scientists discover possible microbe from space.

lagado — Tue, 28 Nov 2000 03:14:35 -0800

Scientists discover possible microbe from space. Scientists has recovered microorganisms in the upper reaches of the atmosphere that may have originated from outer space. The living bacteria, are unlike any known on Earth, but the astrobiologists want to keep the details under wraps until they are absolutely convinced that these are extraterrestrial. Do not adjust your set...

"Ahhhhh the atmosphere"

physics — Tue, 15 Aug 2000 14:30:27 -0800

"Ahhhhh the atmosphere" should get at least a giggle out of you. Commercials at their best.