Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2011

Our Daily Planet: Gulf Gas Surge and NOAA's Budget

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Gulf Gas Surge: During last summer's oil spill, natural gas poured into the Gulf of Mexico at more than 75,000 times the normal amount in the water, a study...

Jan 31, 2011

In Photos: Auroras Dazzle Northern Observers

Aurora Eklund (Image credit: Tom Eklund.)A powerful solar flare, hurled into space when superhot gases erupted on the sun yesterday (Feb, 13), and caused a display of the aurora borealis for parts of the northern United States overnight (Feb. 14). Photographer Tom Eklund caught this aurora generated by the solar...

Jan 31, 2011

Our Daily Planet: Tropical Cyclone Dianne and California's King Tides

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Australia Cyclone: As Western Australia begins to clean up after Tropical Cyclone Carlos, eyes are already shifting offshore to looming Tropical Cyclone Dianne. Extreme Rain and Snow: A new...

Jan 31, 2011

Journey of North Carolina's Oldest Shipwreck

Wreckage revealed (Image credit: Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.)A nearly 400-year-old shipwreck was discovered in Corolla, N.C., in 2008 after storms and tides uncovered its timbers. Archeologists from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources believe the structure to be the remains of the oldest shipwreck discovered off the North...

Jan 31, 2011

Real or Hoax? British Lake Monster Photographed

A recent photograph of a strange, multi-humped dark object in the British lake of Windermere is being touted as a lake monster. According toThe Daily Telegraph, The photograph, which shows an object ... breaching the surface of the lake, is said to be the best evidence yet of what some...

Jan 31, 2011

Our Daily Planet: New Zealand Earthquake Rescue and West Coast Snowstorm

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. New Zealand Earthquake: A day after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake rocked New Zealand's second-largest city, Christchurch, rescuers continue to search for hundreds of missing people. At least 75 people...

Jan 31, 2011

Our Daily Planet: Christchurch Earthquake Witness and Severe Weather

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. New Zealand Earthquake Witness: Climate scientist and native New Zealander Kevin Trenberth was in Christchurch when the magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck. Read his account of the disaster. The quake's...

Jan 31, 2011

Our Daily Planet: SoCal Snow and South Pole Tragedy

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Snowy SoCal: A rare dusting of snow hit several cities in Southern California this past weekend, including Burbank, Glendale and Studio City. [Related: World's Snow Cover Seen from Space...

Jan 31, 2011

End of the Earth: Patagonia's Wildlife Explored

A team of scientists has just returned from an expedition to a remote, icy fjord on an archipelago at the southernmost tip of South America the Tierra del Fuego, which means Land of Fire in Spanish. In spite of its name, the region is home to a wide array of...

Dec 31, 2010

Large Earthquake Strikes Chile Coast

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck just offshore near Temuco, Chile today (Sunday) at 3:20 pm ET. There were no initial reports of serious damage or deaths. No significant tsunamis are expected. A strong earthquake has occurred, but a tsunami IS NOT expected along the California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, or...

Dec 31, 2010

Our Daily Planet: Bumblebee Decline and Alaska's Petroleum Battle

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Bumblebee Decline: Four bumblebee species may be as good as gone, according to a new study. Australian Floods: Video footage shows the devastation of the flooding in Australia, which...

Dec 31, 2010

Our Daily Planet: China's Freezing Weather and California's Salmon Runs

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe. Cold, Cold January: The United States could see its coldest January since the 1980s, according to AccuWeather.com China is Freezing: Bitter cold temperatures, ice and sleet in southern China...

Dec 31, 2010

Not-so-Dangerous: Encounter with Nat Geo Host

Brady Barr, the host of Dangerous Encounters on the Nat Geo Wild channel, is easy to pick out at a hotel restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. Fresh from an appearance on Good Morning America, the compact herpetologist (that's a reptile researcher), clad in blue jeans and a gray sweater, is a...

Dec 31, 2010

Evidence of Lahar at the Anyuyskiy Volcano

In far eastern Russia, north of the Kamchatka Peninsula, lies Anyuyskiy Volcano. Now dormant, the volcano was once active enough to send a massive laharan avalanche of volcanic ash and rock mixed with water50 kilometers (30 miles) down the west side of the volcano summit. The dried, hardened remains of...

Dec 31, 2010

Radar Dish Lets Scientists Get Inside Snowstorms

While most of us will be hiding indoors during the upcoming snowstorms, a truck-mounted radar dish will be standing out in the cold getting a good look at the inside of the storm. This month and next, scientists inside what are called Doppler-on-Wheels (DOWs) will be tracking snowstorms in and...