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1500 questions
21
votes
3 answers
How to interpolate scattered data to a regular grid in Python?
I have three txt files for longitude, latitude and temperature (or let's say three lists lon, lat, temp) from scattered weather station in the UK. I would like firstly to interpolate these data in order to get a nice colourful map of temperatures.…
Stavros Keppas
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21
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4 answers
Where can I get archived hourly temperature data?
I am looking for historical hourly temperature data from many cities in the US what other data sources are there except wunderground?
UPDATE: I will use the data to compare stations from the same city and need data with high temporal & spatial…
eliavs
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20
votes
1 answer
What is this "crystal ball" located at a meteorological station?
I found what looks like a "crystal ball" in a meteorological station in the Vlădeasa mountains (Romania). What is its purpose?
andi
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20
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4 answers
Was Judea as desertified 2000 years ago as it is now?
The ancient fortress of Masada is currently so dry and forbidding that is hard to imagine anyone living there. Was the climate in the surrounding area more wet 2000 years ago, or was it as much a desert as it is now?
Tyler Durden
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20
votes
2 answers
How do seismologists locate the epicenter and focus of an earthquake?
I know the focus of an earthquake is where the earthquake originated from, but what I could never figure out is, how to scientists find out where exactly the focus (and epicenter) are located?
Azzie Rogers
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20
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1 answer
What was the ocean circulation like during the time of Pangaea?
So Enderton and Marshall (2009) wrote an interesting paper on the ocean circulation of various aquaplanets covered with certain terrain: e.g. an aquaplanet with a small ridge of land that ranged from North Pole to South Pole, and studied the effects…
InquilineKea
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20
votes
1 answer
What causes intra-plate faults, such as the New Madrid fault?
There's been news (some recently) about the New Madrid fault and other active intra-plate faults. For those living in the midwest of the United States, it's been a bit of a shock to learn they have to worry about earthquakes as well as…
Richard
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20
votes
2 answers
How does one measure what causes earthquakes?
I know that they occur when energy that was previously stored is released in seismic waves. But how is the energy stored in the earth in the first place, and what can trigger the release of such energy?
Put another way, the above preconditions for…
Tom Au
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20
votes
3 answers
How did Earth's plate tectonics start?
Plate tectonics is a theory which describes Earth's lithosphere as being composed of distinct plates which are able to move atop of the underlying asthenosphere. At plate boundaries, this movement can give rise to convergent boundaries where…
Kenshin
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20
votes
5 answers
Does vegetation contribute to long-term carbon sequestration?
We know that vegetation sequesters CO2 in its leaves. Much of this carbon sequestration is temporary, since when the plant dies, much of it is released back into the atmosphere as CO2. If it dies in a frozen region, it could be sequestered in…
InquilineKea
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20
votes
2 answers
How are the banded-iron-formation iron-ores formed?
Many of the richest and purest iron ores are found in so called banded iron formations, cm thick magnetite or hematite layers intermixed with iron poor rock layers. Since these are usually of pre-Cambrian age, the processes involved seem to preclude…
Peter Jansson
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20
votes
3 answers
What are rare earths and why do they cluster near alkaline magmatism?
'Rare earths' play a vital role in the modern economy, and they are becoming more of a point of focus in geopolitical realms. What are 'rare earths' and why do they appear to cluster in association with:
alkaline to peralkaline igneous…
DrewP84
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20
votes
3 answers
Why does Volcano Lightning occur?
There are many pictures I've seen of lightning coming out of the plume of smoke caused by a volcano (Often called 'Volcano Lightning').
Example:
Why does this happen?
Azzie Rogers
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20
votes
1 answer
What fraction of dry land is below sea level?
Someone just asked me if it would be practical to counter the rise of sea level by pumping water into storage on land. It struck me that if there is enough land below sea level, this would require construction of aquifers, but would not require…
mwengler
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20
votes
1 answer
How is global weather model skill measured?
The models I have in mind are the major global models such as the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF).
These models produce numerous output and as such there are numerous ways to…
casey
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