Cyclone Movies by Year 9

The Year 9 work on hurricanes gives plenty of scope for independent study and extended work. Presentations such as this by Daniel Turner Gallastegui inform and entertain the whole group. See what you think.

Link to the Project

Is it an Indian Summer?

Despite the unseasonal weather at the moment and record temperatures for the end of September and start of October it is not an Indian Summer.

Strictly speaking an Indian Summer is classified when there are unseasonal high temperatures in autumn (September to November) which come after the first killing frost.

But we can all enjoy the weather no mater what! Read more at the Met Office

Snow from above!

Just in case you didn't know what Britain looked like at the moment have a study of this satellite image courtesy of NASA, Dundee University and the Times On Line.

You can see the image and read the associated article by clicking this link.

An interesting start to the year

2010 has already been interesting from a geographical point of view:

Many councils have run out of Rock Salt as the big freeze continues - for more information on the salt used on roads why not click this link.

Dubai has seen the opening of the first building over half a mile high. The Burj Dubai Skyscraper is 2625ft (over 800m tall) and has an observation deck on floor 124.
For more details click on to the Burj Dubai website.

Plans to boost food production in Britain and reduce its impact on the environment have been unveiled.
The government's 20-year food strategy includes making land available for people to grow their own food and more healthy cooking courses. Read more at the BBC.

And we are only five days into it!

It's been cold outside.

The UK had its coldest winter for 13 years, bucking a recent trend of mild temperatures, the Met Office has said.
The average mean temperature across December, January and February was 3.1C - the lowest since the winter beginning in 1995, which averaged 2.5C.

For more information - click here and check out the source of the data by going to the met office here.

Why is it so cold?

For an answer to this click the image below:

And it's set to get colder as the weekend approaches.

100 not out

This is the 100th article on the Hulme Geog Blog and it brings a weather warning -

Icy winds heading for the UK will make temperatures feel "sub zero" as forecasters predict the coldest winter in 13 years.
Snowstorms from Russia are expected to hit the eastern part of England on Sunday night.

For more information click on the Met Office Website.

Unseasonal Weather - for a change?

Weather forecasters predict the cold snap will ease slightly after heavy snow in some parts of the UK but the winter conditions are set to continue.
The cold snap - with its widespread frost and crisp air - is caused by cold air that has come down from the Arctic.
It has been described as 'Unusual weather' by the Met Office. Cardiff will enjoy the highest temperatures, with a maximum of 10C (50F). Meanwhile, central Scotland is not expected to rise above 3C (37.4F).
BBC Weather forecaster Kirsty McCabe said: "It is unusual weather and the air is much colder for this time of the year. It will be cold during the rest of the week and the temperature now is more like what you find at the end of December."
On Tuesday night temperatures plunged to -4C and football matches were either postponed or abandoned at Luton, Northampton, Walsall and Wycombe.
Kent also suffered from torrential rain.

The power of clouds

An international team of scientists is hoping to shed light on how clouds over the Pacific Ocean are affecting global climate and weather systems.

The clouds, some of which are bigger than the US, reflect sunlight back into space and cool the ocean below.

The team hopes to learn more about the clouds' properties and if pollution from activities such as mining affect the formation of these systems.

The month-long study will involve more than 200 experts from 10 countries.

A team of 20 climate and cloud experts from the UK's National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) are taking part in the expedition, which will be based in Chile.

UK not involved in Kopernikus

One of Europe's flagship space projects looks as though it is going to proceed with the UK continuing to be a bit-part player, scientists and engineers fear.

The Kopernikus programme is dedicated to acquiring and collating satellite data on the health of the planet.

Although Britain says it recognises the project's high value, especially for monitoring the climate, it has so far declined to take a lead in the venture.

Industry and academia have called for a swift change in government policy.

Failure to adopt a more positive approach before a critical meeting of Europe's space ministers next month will put expertise and jobs in the UK at risk, they warn.

Why you should avoid muraneq!

The number of Eskimo words for snow has long been a point of debate.
In the Yup'ik Eskimo Dictionary published by the Native Language Centre at the University of Alaska, and found in schools throughout Alaska's Yukon Delta, there are 37 ways of referring to it.
When snow falls from the sky, an Eskimo can say "it's snowing" in four different ways: aniu, cellallir, ganir or qanunge.
Once the snow is on the ground, things can get more complicated. Light snow is kannevvluk, soft and deep snow is muruaneq and drifting snow is called natquik.
Crusted snow, corniced snow and fresh snow all have their own word too.

It's nearly all over!

Back to school on Tuesday for all you pupils (the staff are in tomorrow!) and its official: the dullest August on record!

It could be worse we could be going to the Caribbean on holiday over the next few weeks - just as Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna get up a head of steam.

Keep an eye on their progress and any other hurricane developments by going to the National Hurricane Centre website: click on the link on the Geog Links below.

Tornado rips through scout camp

Tornado season in the US runs through spring into early summer and unfortunately each year people are killed.

Yesterday was no exception when a Tornado ran through a scout camp in Iowa killing four people.

This year has been a particularly deadly one with Tornadoes ripping through many of the mid western states of the US; an area infamously called Tornado Alley.

To learn how Tornadoes form click on the link to the Weather Wiz Kids page.

Further devestation on the way?

With already 100000 people dead and another 1.5 million people destitute Burma is facing a possible hit from another Tropical Cyclone. This information has come from the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.

Other sites where you can follow the predicted path of Tropical storms (Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tropical Cyclones or Willy Willies) are as follows:

The National Hurricane Centre in Miami

The Japan Meteorological Agency

Indian Meteorological Department

For more information about how Tropical Cyclones form, why and how they are named then look at our own Met office website.

In the beginning.

Unfortunately, it has taken the deaths of over 160000 people to trigger us into the modern era, but now we have arrived. The events of the last two weeks have been devestating for the people of southern Burma and south western China but for a geographer the tropical cyclone and earthquake are ideal case-studies for these natural hazards.

So for you lot in Year 9, 11, 12 and 13 take a look at the USGS website and BBC News site for information on the causes, effects and possible solutions to these forces of Mother Nature.