News

  • Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi: One of the most powerful cyclones to affect Australia

    Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi: One of the most powerful cyclones to affect Australia

    By Shari L. Gallop The vulnerability of Queensland to storm surges Queensland, Australia is vulnerable to storm surges due to the combination of: (1) the relatively high frequency of tropical cyclones; (2) wide continental shelf which can amplify surges; and (3) many low-lying cities and towns (Griffith University, n.d.). Most tropical cyclones impact the northern areas of Queensland, but they can affect southern…

  • 'Supertides' from St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    'Supertides' from St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    ‘Supertides’ have been making headlines here in the UK this week, but concerns over flooding have been raised all over the world. Here are a few photographs taken last Saturday (26th September 2015) at 1300 (local time) by the marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, courtesy of Digna Rueda of University of South Florida. The water level was unusually high, reaching the…

  • After the supermoon, comes the supertide

    After the supermoon, comes the supertide

    ..and high tides. Paul J Martin / Shutterstock.com By Ivan Haigh, University of Southampton and Kevin Horsburgh, National Oceanography Centre The city of Plymouth, on England’s south coast, normally has fairly moderate tides. However this week it will have a 6m “supertide” – the highest tide in 18 years. This comes just days after the celebrated…

  • State of the UK Climate: annual summary from the UK Met Office

    State of the UK Climate: annual summary from the UK Met Office

    A yearly publication made available by the Met Office providing an up-to-date assessment of UK climate trends, variations and extremes is now available. The report summaries yearly climatological statistics, whilst looking at these in the context historical climate using long-term, high-quality observational datasets. Some key findings are given below: 2014 was the warmest and also fourth wettest year on record for the UK in a series…

  • Chile earthquake: aerial view of tsunami aftermath

    Chile earthquake: aerial view of tsunami aftermath

    Five days ago, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck offshore in central Chile, which caused devastating damage in combination with a series of tsunami waves that followed. At the time of reporting, 13 people have been killed and 1 million have been displaced from their homes. Evidence of the extent of the damages have been accumulating over recent days, and here is a video of aerial…

  • Chile earthquake triggers tsunami alert - one million evacuated

    Chile earthquake triggers tsunami alert - one million evacuated

    At least five people have died following an 8.3-magnitude tsunami-generating earthquake just offshore the central Chilean coast, which hit at 19:54 local time (22:54 GMT 16/09/2015). According to news reports, one million people have been evacuated following tsunami alerts for much of the Pacific. Waves of between 3 to 5 meters were detected within minutes, and tide gauge observations at Coquimbo show that they have continued…