Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, Feb 20th, 2012,
The European Space Agency’s Mars Express has created a remarkable three-dimensional picture of the region of Mars called Tiu Vallis, which was carved by flowing rivers millions of years ago. Scientists coloured the photographs they had to show the changes in the height of the surface of the planet. Water has carved recesses up to 2000 meters deep, say the geologists who are from the Freie Universität Berlin and who helped to draft these images. On the surface of many of the craters there is no sedimentary rock. These craters arose as a result of asteroid activity…
Tags: 3D, coloured, craters, European Space Agency, Mars, Mars Express, surface, water
Climate Change, Nature, Aug 17th, 2010,
A new study explores the relationship between tropical storms and the color of the ocean. Areas of ocean with more chlorophyll-rich phytoplankton have a green tint. Chlorophyll prevents sunlight from penetrating deep into the ocean meaning surface temperatures remain higher. Warmer surface temperatures mean more tropical storms, such as cyclones or hurricanes. From an AFP report: Cold water in turn causes changes in air circulation patterns, forcing strong winds aloft, “which tend to prevent thunderstorms from developing the necessary superstructure that allows them to grow into hurricanes,” the researchers said. Massive spiraling ocean currents called gyres are areas with less…
Tags: chlorophyll, color, Green, Gyre, hurricanes, ocean, phytoplankton, storms, surface, temperatures, tropical
