Citizen Journalist: earth

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Friday, November 4, 2022

Eruption of volcano in Tonga led to a plume of ash and water that went about 31 to 50 miles above the surface of the Earth

In January, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted underwater. It created a plume of ash and water that reached nearly 31 to 50 miles above the surface of the Earth. Scientists say it penetrated the third layer of Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, it was the highest-recorded volcanic plume and reached the mesosphere. At this height, meteors and meteorites usually break apart and burn up in our atmosphere. Incidentally, the mesosphere lies above the troposphere and the stratosphere and beneath two other layers. The stratosphere and mesosphere are dry atmospheric layers. The height of the volcanic plume was 35.4 miles at its highest. It broke earlier records of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines at 24.8 miles and the 1982 El Chichón eruption in Mexico at 19.2 miles. Researchers made use of satellite images over the eruption site to confirm the height of the plume. The location of the eruption was in the southern Pacific Ocean off the Tongan archipelago. This is an area covered by three geostationary weather satellites. Tonga eruption’s towering plume reached the third layer of Earth’s atmosphere.

It is possible to visualize the magnitude of the disturbance caused by the amount of water displaced. It could fill 58,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. This is based on previous detections from a NASA satellite. Researchers can use the height of the plume to study the impact of the eruption on the global climate. Incidentally, determining the height of the plume was a challenge to researchers. There are various algorithms to arrive at the figure. Dr. Simon Proud is the lead study coauthor. Knowledge of the composition and height of the plume can reveal how much ice went up into the stratosphere and how the ash particles scattered. The height is also critical for aviation safety because volcanic ash in the atmosphere could result in failure of the jet engine.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

China grows rice and vegetables on the Tiangong space station

China is gradually becoming an important player in space. It regularly carries out experiments in orbit and uses its own space station the Tiangong 1. The Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) confirms that astronauts aboard their Space Station have successfully grown rice and vegetables. China wants its astronauts to enjoy meals and have access to fresh food. Growing crops in space is totally different from growing crops on Earth. China conducted its experiments with thale cress and rice in an environment of zero gravity. The astronauts proved that it is possible to grow crops in space, far away from Earth. This will have massive implications for long-term exploration missions. China successfully grows rice and vegetables on the Tiangong space station. A researcher at the CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences said - “Crops can only be grown in artificial environments that mimic Earth-like conditions. By comparing plant flowers, we can find crops more adapted to space and microgravity environments.”

The Chinese experiment began on July 29. That is when the astronauts planted the seeds of thal cress and rice on their space station. The team does not have any plan to bring the plants back home until the end of the year. Reports from the CAS mention about satisfactory progress with the plants in the short period since the beginning of the experiment. The stems of the rice seeds have grown 5 to 30 centimeters in length. Thal cress seeds have also sprouted with up to four leaves. This plant represents one specimen of a vegetable. Researchers are excited with the results and believe other crops like rapeseed, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts can successfully develop in space. Two years ago, a Chinese probe took rice seeds to the moon and back. They want to use these to grow new varieties of the staple grain on Earth. Incidentally, the International Space Station have already grown pepper, broccoli and flowers in space.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Stephen Hawking says survival of mankind depends on Space exploration

#StephenHawking #artificialintelligence #londonsciencemuseum #spaceexploration 73-year-old Professor Stephen Hawking is a firm believer in the fact that the future of mankind depends on man’s ability to explore space as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 20 February 2015. He made these remarks during a tour of London's Science Museum.
He went on to say that landing on the moon gave us new perspectives of life on Earth, and it is necessary to take note of this outlook which must be developed if mankind is to survive. While on the subject, he added that aggression should be wiped out of the human race and instead, there should be empathy to avoid a major nuclear war that could bring to an end civilization as we know it.
In the opinion of Professor Hawking, a major nuclear war could bring about the end of civilization, and possibly the human race. Therefore, space exploration was 'life insurance' for the human race and needed to continue.
By sending humans to the moon, man has changed the future of the human race but exactly how and to what extent can be known only after sometime.
Incidentally, in December 2014, he had issued another warning on artificial intelligence. He felt AI could spell the end of the human race. He was, at the time, speaking at an event in London and had told that the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.