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AGU
Stories from December 10, 2001 Cluster
Tunes into Earth's Frequency, Pinpoints Location of Auroral Radio Emissions Researchers
have known for three decades that the Earth is a potent radio transmitter, but
they were never able to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. By using data
from the four spacecraft of the European Space Agency's Cluster mission, NASA-funded
scientists have now precisely located the source of that radio noise along magnetic
field lines several thousand miles above bright regions in Earth's northern lights.
For the
entire press release, click here.
Fantastic
Voyage Inside the Sun Reveals Hidden World of Surprising Complexity 
Scientists
have peered beneath the surface of the Sun to discover how large areas of stormy
solar activity, called active regions, form and grow. Additionally, they've got
their best look yet at why sunspots -- dark blotches on the solar surface, often
grouped in active regions -- sometimes go for a spin. Visit
the Top Story page for more information, images and animations.
Methane
Explosion Warmed the Prehistoric Earth, Possible Again 
A
tremendous release of methane gas frozen beneath the sea floor heated the Earth
by up to 13 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius) 55 million years ago, a new
NASA study confirms. Visit
the Top Story page.
Large
Volcanic Eruptions Help Plants Absorb More Carbon Dioxide From the Atmosphere 
New
NASA-funded research shows that when the atmosphere gets hazy, like it did after
the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991, plants photosynthesize
more efficiently, thereby absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Visit
our Top Story page.
Cotton
Doesn't Shrink from Climate Change 
A new NASA-funded study finds that cotton yields are likely to increase in the
Southeastern United States if carbon dioxide levels continue to rise as projected
this century, and if farmers can adapt their agricultural practices to the resulting
climate change. Visit
the Top Story page.
Red
Alert! "Recycled" Ozone Adds to Health Hazards in Zambia
 Researchers
analyzing harmful low-level ozone or ``smog'' over the African country of Zambia
measured high amounts of pollution throughout the burning season in the year 2000,
and discovered that the pollution is ``recycled'' from other southern African
countries. Visit
our Top Story page for more information.
Safari
2000 Captures Pollution and Climate Interactions, Debuts at AGU Press Briefing,
December 12 During
the year 2000, above average seasonal rainfall spurred vegetative growth in South
Africa, providing more fuel for biomass burning and adding pollution to the atmosphere.
The increased levels of pollution created health hazards and some smoke plumes
traveled one-third of the way around the world. A
press briefing highlighting these and other findings from The Southern African
Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) will be held on Wednesday, December
12, at 2:00 p.m. PST at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, in San Francisco,
Calif. The event will be held in room 112 of the Moscone Convention Center. Visit
the Top Story page. Back
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