What to Wear During a Chinook
October 29th, 2010 | Bill KirkThe media made a big deal on this week's big storm in the Northern Plains of the U.S. and whether or not a low pressure record was set in Big Fork, Minnesota. While this storm was intense and brought snow to the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains, dozens of tornadoes and strong winds to the Central U.S. the media bark was bigger than the bite! This storm pails in comparison to some of the record setters.
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High-Tech Leaf "Peeping" with a GPS?
October 25th, 2010 | Bill KirkFor those of us who live in the middle latitudes across the Northern Hemisphere between about 40N and 30N this is a great time for enjoying the Fall foliage season when leaves show off their bright colors of orange, yellow and red which traditionally peak in October. If you're looking for a high-tech twist for you "leaf peeping" day trips try "Geocaching". It's kind of like hide and seek, treasure hunting and a message in a bottle all rolled up into a fun day outdoors.
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The Flu, Weather and Guinea Pigs?
October 21st, 2010 | Bill KirkThe Northern Hemisphere is entering the dreaded Winter Flu season just as our neighbors down under are coming out of their Flu season. Scientists have debated for decades whether or not cold Winter weather has anything to with the Flu but it's a very hard thing to study in a laboratory. Intuitively the answer is yes since the Flu peaks, everywhere in the world, during the cold Winter season. So let's look at Australia, Winter weather and Guinea Pigs to find out why!
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Hurricane, Cyclone, Typhoon - What's in a Name?
October 18th, 2010 | Bill KirkSuper Typhoon Megi is roaring across the Northern Philippines Luzon province today with 112 mph winds (180 km/hr) and upwards of 10-20" (250mm-500mm) of rain creating widespread flooding, power outages and destruction of crops. Next for the weaker Typhoon Megi appears to be Taiwan late in the week with more heavy rainfall. So why is this storm called a Typhoon and what's the difference from a Hurricane? We'll get a little technical here to address this topic.
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"Free at Last" - A Beautiful Day!
October 13th, 2010 | Bill Kirk"FREE AT LAST!" 33 Chilean copper-gold miners had no idea they would experience a life changing event on a cold August 5th Winter day. But on this day they are one-by-one experienceing a glorious Spring day and reunited with their loved ones with the entire world watching!
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For the Sake of Young Scientists
October 7th, 2010 | Bill KirkOk I’m still mad about the 1010 video from my earlier post. I am somewhat consoled by the tens of thousands of people who have expressed their outrage with 1010 about the video. What bothers me the most is that I know kids can be encouraged to get involved in a better way. Instead of scaring them with trumped scenarios based on bogus facts and incomplete research, why not encourage them by showing them that there are lots of smart people working on solutions. Who knows what young mind will be ignited and will become the scientist who finds the answer?
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Science Seeks Answers Not PR
October 7th, 2010 | Bill KirkLet me start by saying that this post contains content that is very graphic and disturbing. (Rating: No Children Under 17). I apologize for passing on the brutal images that have been created by others, but this is a subject that absolutely enrages me as a professional scientist and human being. Science is about advancing what we know, researching, and always looking out into the future. It is not about scaring people into submission; most importantly scientific findings should never be used to attack our children’s sense of safety.
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2010 Raise a Glass for Northeast Wines
October 4th, 2010 | Bill KirkKnow the world's weather and know what wine to buy now and later. It should come as no surprise that weather and wine go hand in hand. Typically a hot year with some rain (not too much, not too little) will yield an excellent year for grapes with a higher sugar content, and as such, better wines are produced. For example, 2003 in Rhone, Southern France was one of the hottest on record and yields were excellent with award winning wine from the region. While it was great to be a grape in France that year, the excessive heat took lives of nearly 15,000 people. This national tragedy marks 2003 as the death year in France.
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