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Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
When we think of natural disasters, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires and floods often come to mind, but landslides are one of the most prevalent hazards that exist. NASA scientists study all of these, and the next speaker in our NASA/Goddard lecture series, Dalia Kirschbaum, specializes in the remote sensing and modeling of landslides. Dr. Kirschbaum will …
Posted in: Lunchtime Lectures and Videos, Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
The universe is full of plasma and magnetic fields actively swirling, spiraling, and colliding. These mighty magnetic mysteries can cause gigantic explosions of energy such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms which often enhance the Earth’s auroras. Space weather is influenced by these highly charged events which can then cause havoc with …
Posted in: Aeronautics/Astronautics, Astronomy/Mathematics, Lunchtime Lectures and Videos, Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Did I get your attention? Then read on!! Can you imagine a world where you stepped out for a five minute walk on a nice day and came back with a sunburn? You could be living in that world if scientists and policy makers hadn’t worked together back in the 1980’s to avoid it. Remember …
Posted in: Lunchtime Lectures and Videos, Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
If you live west of the Mississippi, then you are no stranger to living with the threat of wildfires. Generally speaking, the western half of the country is more fire prone, compared to the more industrialized East, with large tracts of forest and grasslands on state and federal lands–national forests, state and national parks, and …
Posted in: Lunchtime Lectures and Videos, Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
There is no way around it- we live in the sun’s extended atmosphere. The dynamic activity of the sun and its changing behavior impacts us all. Why this might concern the citizens of Earth is that solar storms, however beautiful, can be a threat to our planet- specifically our electrical grid and technologies such as …
Posted in: Aeronautics/Astronautics, Astronomy/Mathematics, Lunchtime Lectures and Videos, Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
It is difficult to increase the accuracy of hurricane-intensity forecasts, but such improvements have the potential to save lives and property. Starting 50 years ago, scientists have pursued a line of inquiry that has tried to connect hurricane-intensity change to the existence of tall storm cells, called “hot towers,” that occasionally form near the eyes …
Posted in: Lunchtime Lectures and Videos, Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Being the self-proclaimed LC weather gal, I felt compelled, and it was thoughtfully suggested to me, to write about the weather on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington. I love researching historical weather; the temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloud coverage, wind, etc., all aid in setting the stage or painting the picture of a …
Posted in: Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History, Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
It’s not very often that a reference librarian gets to attend a House Science Committee briefing, but this week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend one. Being the self-proclaimed weather gal at the Library, I was thrilled when an invitation to attend a committee briefing related to weather was forwarded to me by my …
Posted in: Weather
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Tuesday’s 5.8 earthquake located in Virginia reminded me that the earth is alive. It also reminded me that it is important to always be prepared, because you never know what Mother Nature has in store for us. As expected, earthquakes and their effect on buildings and other structures are hot topics right now. If you want …
Posted in: Weather