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1500 questions
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How does the ozone layer "stay in place"?
It is said about ozone:
a layer in the earth's stratosphere at an altitude of about 10 km (6.2 miles) containing a high concentration of ozone
Over the Earth’s surface, the ozone layer’s average thickness is about 300 Dobson Units or a layer that…
Salitha
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Why is there no High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) on Metop-C?
The weather satellites Metop-A and Metop-B carry copies of the High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS), an instrument with a heritage back to 1975. Considering that Metop-C is part of the same programme as Metop-A and Metop-B, a and…
gerrit
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How quickly is the Earth shrinking?
Except for ice, acetic acid, bismuth and gallium and a few other things materials generally shrink when they cool and solidify, so I'm pretty sure Earth has as well.
It probably wouldn't be measurable over a period of years, but models of the…
uhoh
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Does clearing snow contribute to climate change?
I've been reflecting on climate change and pondering how much of it is truly man-made. Anyone who's shoveled a walkway know that the snow melts faster beside the walkway than it does in the middle of your yard. This is because you've exposed the…
ShemSeger
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What does "glacier collapse" mean?
CNN's Mont Blanc glacier could collapse at any moment, Italy warns says:
A staggering 250,000 cubic meters (8.8 million cubic feet) of ice could break away from the Planpincieux glacier on the Grandes Jorasses mountain in the Mont Blanc massif,…
uhoh
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3 answers
Impacts of high-altitude emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) compared to sea level GHG emissions
I often hear that the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by planes is particularly concerning because the emission of GHGs at high altitudes has an even higher impact on global warming than the emission of GHGs at low altitudes (e.g. sea level). I…
Stücke
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Can living where (rare) earth magnetic ore is abundant provide any protection from cosmic radiation?
Can living in a region that is rich in (rare) earth metal that has an inherently strong magnetic field provide any protection from cosmic radiation? Where are the strongest magnetic field other than the north or south pole and is there a map of…
Muze
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What are these underwater structures near 6°N 85°55'W
While google earth-researching the sea floor near Malpelo and Cocos Islands (Colombian and Costa Rican Pacific Ocean), I came along these strangely geometrical structures in the sea floor, located around 6°N, 85°55'W. I'm fascinated with the look…
PavoDive
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What is the most important source of natural gas? Coal, oil or other?
By heat and pressure, both coal and oil can produce gas. But what is the most important substance for gas? Is there a relation to the amounts of marine organism (sea life) which died and the amount of plants and trees which was covered by sand or is…
Marijn
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About the actual radiative impact of greenhouse gas emission over time
Say we will emit a certain amount of greenhouse gas over the next 50 years (e.g. 100 billion tons CO2-eq in total). What would happen if I implement a certain GHG mitigation effort to cut the same amount of GHG (say sequester 20 billion tons CO2-eq)…
y chung
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Rainbow dynamics?
How would steam refract light compared to fog and how would the rainbow appear? Does the temperature of the water drop or ice crystal effect the rainbow in any way?
I know the size of the water drop and the shape of ice crystals affects the…
Muze
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Are there seamounts as close as 100 m to the water surface and not inside any Exclusive Economic Zone?
I did not find any seamounts as close as 100 m to the water surface (100m from the mean surface level at the location of the mountain) that are not part of any Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ.)
Do any such seamounts exist?
zabop
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Unstable North Polar Vortex?
What would cause a polar vortex to become unstable a split into 3 smaller ones? How rare is this and what long term effects could this cause if the vortex stays…
Muze
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10
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Does this peer-reviewed study (referenced in Forbes) contradict the accepted position that climate change is real?
This Forbes article from 2013 (archive link here) with the headline "Majority Of Scientists Skeptical Of Global Warming Crisis" gets brandied around a lot. It states that
Only 36 percent of geoscientists and engineers believe that humans are
…
Daud
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10
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2 answers
Do Tectonic Plates Merge?
I had a question concerning the nature of continental plates.
When looking at the Eurasian Plate today, for the most part, there is one solid fragment of the Earth's crust. However, having had a look at maps detailing prehistoric Earth, this isn't…
N Francis
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