Watch the New Meteor Shower Friday Night (May 23)

This might be worth staying up for. This NASA ScienceCast video provides all the details. Hopefully the skies will be clear where you are. The shower will happen as Earth passes through debris from Comet 209P/LINEAR. Experts aren't sure whether it will be a dud or a magnificent event.

Go "Retro" - Retrograde Animation

Diagram courtesy of San Jose Astronomical Association

Retrograde motion is a tough one to explain to students without some sort of visual aid. This animation by the University of Nebraska is a very helpful tool. CLICK HERE to watch it.

To learn more about retrograde motion, including the Ptolemaic model and the Copernican model, CLICK HERE (courtesy of LaSalle University).

Glaciers of the American West

Glaciers of the American West is a great resource for anything related to glaciers in the "Lower 48". The project was created by students and staff from the Geology and Geography departments at Portland State University with funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, the US Geological Survey, and the National Park Service. CLICK HERE to see what's on the menu. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Timeline of recent Ice Ages (use the green arrows at the top and bottom to interact).

2. Virtual Glacier (select green links to interact)

3. Glacier Re-photography of the American West (select one of the red boxes and then red dots to view the collection)

Photo: Grinnell Glacier from Mt. Gould in Glacier National Park - Courtesy of the USGS

Speaking of glaciers . . .
Contrary to popular belief, the glaciers in Glacier National Park are NOT remnants of the last ice age that ended roughly 10,000 years ago. There is little doubt that ice age glaciers WERE responsible for carving the majestic peaks and valleys of the park (horns, cirques, aretes, hanging valleys, etc.), but experts believe those glaciers completely melted away during an especially warm period 9,000 to 5,000 years ago (Holocene Climate Maximum). On the other hand, glaciers present in the park today formed during a more recent cold period called "The Little Ice Age" (not a true "ice age") - a cold period that lasted from 1550 to 1850. According to evidence from moraines, tree rings, layers of volcanic ash (Mazama, etc.), and radiometric dating, these "Little Ice Age glaciers" formed in cirques that had been carved by glaciers during the last REAL ice age(s). To learn more about this AND to find out about the glacier that has formed in the crater of Mt. St. Helens, CLICK HERE.

Interested in a summer workshop in Glacier Park? Check out these offerings from the Glacier Institute I plan to take the course titled "Geology of Glacier: A Walk Through Earth's History".

U.S. Daily Temperature Anomalies 1964-2013 by Enigma

Anomalies (in this context) are defined as days on which either the maximum or minimum temperature recorded on that day fall outside of their expected ranges. Enigma used historical daily measurements of temperature from NOAA to construct several interesting graphics that provide a new way of looking at our changing climate. CLICK HERE to view the page. The map is impressive, but be sure to scroll down and play with the one titled, "Yearly proportion of warm anomalies to cold".

Glacier Movement Animations and Interactives

Here is an animation that shows the movement of a glacier in three different scenarios - stable climate, cooling climate, and warming climate. CLICK HERE to see it. It helps students understand the formation of an end moraine and helps them see how the front of a glacier can be receding as the glacier is flowing downhill. The animation was created by W. W. Norton and Company.

Here's another resource related to valley (alpine) glaciers created by the PhET (?) project. The PhET™ project at the University of Colorado provides interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena for free. Check out this Glacier Simulation (select "run now") and then browse through their other Earth Science-related simulations

To view a convenient list of all the resources that have been posted on this "Earth Science Guy" blog site, CLICK HERE.

Below: Speaking of glacial movement, this 48-second segment from NOVA shows 5 months of ice-flow from BENEATH Mt. Blanc in the Alps.

60 Minutes Segment: Volcanoes (12 minutes)

Can you say "Eyjafjallajökull"? (CLICK HERE to listen.
This week's resource is a segment from a recent episode of 60 Minutes. The segment features Eyjafjallajökull, Vesuvius, and Yellowstone.

To view a convenient list of all the resources that have been posted on this "Earth Science Guy" blog site, CLICK HERE.

SNOTEL Sites Monitor Snowpack in Mountains

It's important to keep track of how much snow is present in the mountains because spring and summer runoff has an impact on irrigation, fishing/guiding, wildfire tendencies, hydropower, flooding, and other aspects of life in western states. SNOTEL (SNOwpack TELemetry) sites are automated stations that measure how much snow has fallen in remote mountainous areas. The system is operated by the Natural Resource and Conservation Service.

SNOTEL data are used to make management decisions regarding reservoirs (flood control, etc.) - Click on the map to make it bigger, and you will see that there is A LOT of snow in the mountains of western Montana right now (April 4, 2014). CLICK HERE to learn more about the SNOTEL System, and then check out the Interactive Montana SNOTEL Map to find out how much snow exists at each site.

To view a convenient list of all the resources that have been posted on this "Earth Science Guy" blog site, CLICK HERE.