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07/29/2010 05:00 PM
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More frequent, more intense heat waves in store for New York, climate scientists predict
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Heat waves like those that baked the Northeast in July are likely to be more frequent and more intense in the future, with their effects amplified in densely built urban environments like Manhattan, according to climate scientists.
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07/29/2010 08:00 AM
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Birth of a hurricane
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Summer storms are a regular feature in the North Atlantic, and while most pose little threat to our shores, a choice few become devastating hurricanes. To decipher which storms could bring danger, and which will not, atmospheric scientists are heading to the tropics to observe these systems as they form and dissipate--or develop into hurricanes.
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07/27/2010 05:00 AM
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NASA satellite improves pollution monitoring
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NASA scientists use satellite precipitation data to improve water pollution monitoring models.
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07/26/2010 11:00 PM
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Converging weather patterns caused last winter's huge snows in U.S.
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The memory of last winter's blizzards may be fading in this summer's searing heat, but scientists studying them have detected a perfect storm of converging weather patterns that had little relation to climate change. The extraordinarily cold, snowy weather that hit parts of the US East Coast and Europe was the result of a collision of two periodic weather patterns in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, a new study finds.
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07/23/2010 08:00 PM
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Supercomputer reproduces a cyclone's birth, may boost forecasting
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Scientists have employed NASA's Pleiades supercomputer and atmospheric data to simulate tropical cyclone Nargis -- with the first model to replicate the formation of the tropical cyclone five days in advance.
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07/23/2010 02:00 PM
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European Space Agency develops radar to watch for space hazards
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As part of the European Space Agency's Space Situational Awareness activities, a new radar system will be developed to help safeguard space missions. The radar will detect hazardous objects in Earth orbit and trigger warnings that enable satellite operators to avoid collisions, making spaceflight safer for all.
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07/22/2010 05:00 PM
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Wacky weather could squeeze Florida's citrus season
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Citrus growers, beware. Florida winters are getting more extreme, causing plants to flower later and potentially shrinking the growing seasons for some of the state's most vital crops.
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07/22/2010 12:00 AM
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Final instruments on NASA climate/weather satellite integrated
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The last of five instruments slated to fly on the upcoming NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) climate and weather satellite have been successfully integrated, according to NASA officials. The polar-orbiting satellite is scheduled to launch in late 2011.
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07/21/2010 05:00 PM
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New methodology improves winter climate forecasting
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It's hot out right now, but new research will help us know what to expect when the weather turns cold. Researchers have developed a new methodology that improves the accuracy of winter precipitation and temperature forecasts. The tool should be valuable for government and utility officials, since it provides key information for use in predicting energy consumption and water availability.
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07/19/2010 05:00 PM
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June was the fourth consecutive month that was warmest on record
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June was the fourth consecutive month that was the warmest on record for the combined global land and surface temperatures (March, April, and May were also the warmest). This was the 304th consecutive month with a combined global land and surface temperature above the 20th century average. The last month with below average temperatures was February 1985.
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07/15/2010 12:00 AM
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Hot town, summer in the city: Heat wave impact differs between countries
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Heat waves may cause increased mortality but, until now, there has been no single scientific definition for the occasional bursts of hot weather that can strike during the summer months. Researchers have created a definition that they use to document, for the first time, how heat wave mortality impact differs between European cities.
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07/11/2010 05:00 PM
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NASA to fly into hurricane research this summer
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Three NASA aircraft will begin flights to study tropical cyclones on Aug. 15 during the agency's first major U.S.-based hurricane field campaign since 2001. The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, or GRIP, will study the creation and rapid intensification of hurricanes. Advanced instruments from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will be aboard two of the aircraft.
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06/30/2010 12:00 AM
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Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite shines at symposium
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A focus at the European Space Agency's Living Planet Symposium is on the innovative Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, which recently became operational. Early results are proving very encouraging with its first observations due to be released in early July.
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06/29/2010 12:00 AM
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NOAA-supported scientists predict 'larger than average' Gulf dead zone
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The northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone, an underwater area with little or no oxygen known commonly as the "dead zone," could be larger than the recent average, according to a forecast by a team of NOAA-supported scientists.
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06/28/2010 08:00 PM
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Turning off the air conditioning helps save fuel, Swiss study finds
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Automobile air conditioning systems do not run “free of chargeâ€. In fact in the hot parts of the world they can account for up to thirty per cent of fuel consumption. Even in Switzerland, with its temperate climate, the use of air conditioning systems is responsible for about five per cent of total fuel usage, rising to around ten per cent in urban traffic, as shown by a new study. Furthermore, two thirds of the additional fuel usage could be saved if air conditioning systems were simply turned off when the air temperature falls below 18 degrees Celsius.
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06/28/2010 02:00 PM
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Reseachers predict larger-than-average Gulf 'dead zone'; Impact of oil spill unclear
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Researchers say this year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" is expected to be larger than average, continuing a decades-long trend that threatens the health of a $659 million fishery. The 2010 forecast, released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), calls for a Gulf dead zone of between 6,500 and 7,800 square miles, an area roughly the size of Lake Ontario.
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06/28/2010 05:00 AM
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Sea ice in the Arctic not recovering: Another critical minimum forecast
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A critical minimum for Arctic sea ice can again be expected for late summer 2010, according to new projections by researchers in Germany.
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06/25/2010 08:00 AM
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Adios El Niño, hello La Niña?
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The latest image of Pacific Ocean sea surface heights from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 oceanography satellite, dated June 11, 2010, shows that the tropical Pacific has switched from warm (red) to cold (blue) during the last few months.
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06/22/2010 02:00 AM
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Oceanographers call for more ocean observing in Antarctica
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Scientists argue that ocean-observing systems are the way to understand climate change in Antarctica -- and sooner would be better than later.
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06/21/2010 05:00 PM
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Many people with diabetes do not know or heed dangers of hot weather
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A new survey shows that diabetic individuals who live in a hot climate have important gaps in their "heat awareness," or knowledge about proper diabetes self-care in hot weather, even though diabetes raises their risk of heat illness.
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06/17/2010 11:00 PM
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Carbon dioxide is the missing link to past global climate changes
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Carbon dioxide is the missing ingredient in explaining the advent of Ice Ages in the Northern Hemisphere and why those cold epochs have caused changes in the tropics for the past 2.7 million years. Scientists analyzed ocean sediment cores and found a definitive link between the Ice Ages and ocean surface temperatures in the tropics. They believe carbon dioxide explains the link.
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06/17/2010 08:00 PM
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As the Sun awakens, NASA keeps a wary eye on space weather
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Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that's new to human history. To make preparations, authorities in Washington, DC recently held a meeting on space weather with leading experts in the field.
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06/17/2010 02:00 AM
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USGS science helps disaster-struck communities understand flash flooding
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The Little Missouri River in Southwest Arkansas experienced a flash flood June 11, with waters that rose over 20 feet in just 5 hours, killing 20 people. In response to this severe and unusual flooding, the USGS deployed a team of scientists to document and study the flow and height of the floodwater as it coursed down the Little Missouri River and its tributaries.
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06/16/2010 12:00 AM
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Analysis of atmosphere in Phoenix, Arizona, suggests new model for sound urban growth policies
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Atmospheric research often focuses on clouds' impact on weather and climate. Yet even low clouds are a long way off, with a base some 6,000 feet above Earth. University of Notre Dame fluid dynamics and engineering professor Harindra Fernando works the other end of the air column closer to home -- the bottom of the atmosphere in the city, which is known as the urban boundary layer.
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06/15/2010 11:00 PM
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Climate change increases hazard risk in alpine regions, study shows
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Climate change could cause increasing and unpredictable hazard risks in mountainous regions, according to a new study. The study analyzes the effects of two extreme weather events -- the 2003 heatwave and the 2005 flood -- on the Eastern European Alps.
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06/15/2010 08:00 PM
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GOES-15 solar X-Ray Imager makes a miraculous first light
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The Solar X-Ray Imager instrument aboard the GOES-15 satellite has just provided its first light image of the sun, but it required a lot of experts to make it happen.
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06/10/2010 11:00 AM
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A cooler Pacific may have severely affected medieval Europe, North America
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A new study has found a connection between La Nina-like sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific and droughts in western Europe and in what later became the southwestern United States and Mexico.
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06/09/2010 11:00 AM
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Artificial aurora created to help predict space weather
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For more than 25 years, our understanding of terrestrial space weather has been partly based on incorrect assumptions about how nitrogen, the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, reacts when it collides with electrons produced by energetic ultraviolet sunlight and solar wind. Now scientists have fired electrons of differing energies through a cloud of nitrogen gas to measure the ultraviolet light emitted by this collision.
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06/03/2010 11:00 PM
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Airplanes, ground instruments, and weather balloons to study effect of airborne particles on climate
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More than 60 scientists from a dozen institutions have converged on the urban area of Sacramento, California to study how tiny particles called aerosols affect the climate. Sending airplanes and weather balloons outfitted with instruments up, the team will be sampling aerosols in June.
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06/02/2010 08:00 AM
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Unique computer model used to predict active 2010 hurricane season
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Scientists who have developed a unique computer model with a knack for predicting hurricanes with unprecedented accuracy are forecasting an unusually active season this year.
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05/31/2010 08:00 AM
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NOAA expects busy Atlantic hurricane season
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An "active to extremely active" hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center -- a division of the National Weather Service. As with every hurricane season, this outlook underscores the importance of having a hurricane preparedness plan in place.
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05/31/2010 05:00 AM
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NOAA predicts below normal Eastern Pacific hurricane season
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NOAA's National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center has announced that projected climate conditions point to a below normal hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific this year. The outlook calls for a 75 percent probability of a below normal season, a 20 percent probability of a near normal season and a five percent probability of an above normal season.
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05/29/2010 05:00 AM
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Experts gather as volcanic dust settles
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Following the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull volcano that spewed huge amounts of ash and grounded numerous flights, more than 50 experts from around the world gathered at a workshop organized by ESA and EUMETSAT to discuss what has been learned and identify future opportunities for volcanic ash monitoring.
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05/28/2010 02:00 PM
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Electric ash found in Eyjafjallajokull's plume, say UK researchers
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In the first peer-reviewed scientific paper to be published about the Icelandic volcano since its eruption in April 2010, UK researchers write that the ash plume which hovered over Scotland carried a significant and self-renewing electric charge.
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05/26/2010 05:00 AM
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NASA develops enhanced search and rescue technologies
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NASA, which pioneered the technology used for the satellite-aided search and rescue capability that has saved more than 27,000 lives worldwide since its inception nearly three decades ago, has developed new technology that will more quickly identify the locations of people in distress and reduce the risk of rescuers.
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05/23/2010 11:00 AM
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Why do Earth’s storm tracks differ from those of Jupiter?
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Computer simulations show that both ocean dynamics, such as the Gulf Stream, and mountain ranges influence the pattern of storm tracks on Earth. This also explains why Earth's storm tracks are so different from those on the gas giant Jupiter.
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05/21/2010 12:00 AM
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Tornadoes: High-resolution radar data and images captured
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Researchers have captured unprecedented high-resolution radar data during the May 10, 2010, tornadoes using one of the most advanced weather radars in the world.
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05/21/2010 12:00 AM
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Norwegian scientists assist US oil-spill combat efforts
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Norwegian oil-spill researchers are helping the American authorities to estimate what happens to the oil that is leaking out into the Gulf of Mexico.
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05/18/2010 11:00 AM
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Warmest April Global Temperature on Record, NOAA says
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The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for both April and for the period from January-April, according to NOAA. Additionally, last month's average ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for any April, and the global land surface temperature was the third warmest on record.
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05/17/2010 02:00 AM
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Ivy can protect old walls
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The received wisdom that ivy destroys buildings has been overturned by a new study. Researchers analyzed the effects of ivy growing on buildings in five different parts of England and discovered that the plant plays a protective role. They found that an ivy canopy was like a thermal shield, combating the extremes of temperature which often cause walls to crack.
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05/10/2010 12:00 AM
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Winter journeys of seals and penguins in Antarctica tracked
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Scientists have placed 61 satellite tags on fur seals, leopard seals, Weddell seals, chinstrap penguins and gentoo penguins that will allow researchers and the public to track the movements of these animals over the austral winter, which takes place during our summer.
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05/07/2010 11:00 AM
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British summer is advancing, experts show
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The onset of summer in England has been advancing since the mid 1950s, new research has shown. The investigations examined records of the first blooming date of early summer flowering plants (phenology) and the timing of first occurrences of warm "summer" temperatures -- events linked with the onset of summer.
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05/07/2010 12:00 AM
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Rare 114-year record, kept by generations, logs changing climate
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Every day since Jan. 1, 1896, an observer has hiked to a spot at the Mohonk Preserve, a resort and nature area some 90 miles north of New York City, to record daily temperature and other conditions there. It is a rarity: a weather station that has never missed a temperature recording; never been moved; never seen its surroundings change; and never been tended by anyone but a short, continuous line of family and friends, using the same methods, for 114 years.
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04/28/2010 08:00 PM
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Melting sea ice major cause of warming in Arctic, new study reveals
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Melting sea ice has been shown to be a major cause of warming in the Arctic, according to an Australian study.
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04/28/2010 05:00 PM
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Winds from Siberia reduce Arctic sea ice cover, Norwegian researchers find
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The ice cover in the Arctic has decreased dramatically in recent years. Norwegian researchers have discovered that changes in air circulation patterns create winds that push away the ice. The changed wind direction pushes large ice masses away from the Arctic and down along the eastern coast of Greenland. At the same time, less ice forms when the winds over the Arctic are determined by the pressure systems in northern Russia rather than those over the North Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, as is normally the case.
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04/28/2010 05:00 PM
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Versatile new system for oil spill contingency
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New oil recovery locations are spawning a need for new technology. To prepare the petroleum industry for oil spills, a small company in Northern Norway has made innovative strides in oil boom technology. The objective of NorLense AS has been to develop a versatile new system for oil spill contingency that can perform in coastal areas and farther out to sea – as well as in rough weather and difficult currents.
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04/27/2010 11:00 AM
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Massive Southern Ocean current discovered
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A deep ocean current with a volume equivalent to 40 Amazon Rivers has been discovered by Japanese and Australian scientists near the Kerguelen plateau, in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean, 4200 kilometers south-west of Perth.
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04/26/2010 05:00 AM
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Researchers model movement of radioactive materials in soil
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Agricultural scientists are helping US Nuclear Regulatory Commission experts model the movement of radioactive materials in the soil. Their findings can be used to fine-tune the risk assessment studies that are an essential component in the development of commercial nuclear facilities.
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