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1500 questions
8
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Will a Mohs hardness scratch pen need to be replaced or resharpened?

I am considering buying a set of Mohs hardness scratch pens (aka hardness picks). As a hobbyist the price is quite high, starting at 300 USD and upwards for a complete set. I can accept this price if I can expect them to do their job for a lifetime,…
Mads Skjern
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8
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1 answer

Is there a simple model for the interaction between greenhouse gases and infrared radiation?

I am thinking (in the simplest model) that the Earth emits $N$ photons per unit time, some proportion $p$ hit a greenhouse gas particle and will be re-emitted back towards the earth with a probability $0.5$. Therefore the more greenhouse gas…
8
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How will the rising ocean affect aquatic life?

On one hand it creates more habitat for oceanic life, on the other hand, it warms up the oceans and mixes the salt and fresh waters.
tox123
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8
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Why does the Northern polar vortex usually have two centers?

From http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Polar_vortex polar vortex A planetary-scale mid- to high-latitude circumpolar cyclonic circulation, extending from the middle troposphere to the stratosphere. The Northern Hemisphere vortex often features two…
congusbongus
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8
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1 answer

How did the Cliffs of Dover form flint in regular stripes?

The White Cliffs of Dover are mostly chalk but there are regularly spaced horizontal lines of flint. I understand how the chalk and flint layers are formed independently (from Wikipedia) but I haven't been able to find any information on why they…
John Leonard
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8
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1 answer

Is there an earth science discipline, or subdiscipline, that only studies magma or lava?

I know volcanologists study volcanoes. Is there a subdiscipline that only studies maga or lava? A magmatologist?
Hal
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8
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2 answers

What determines when the end of a volcanic eruption will happen?

The Cumbre Vieja volcano of La Palma Island, Spain, started to erupt 3 months ago. This week, the volcano stopped emitting lava and there remains only degassing processes. According to this news story, the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN)…
user20559
8
votes
1 answer

Should a primary consumer always be a herbivore?

BBC Bitesize defines primary consumers as the following, implying that (if I've interpreted this correctly) the term includes any animal that feeds on the primary producer — plants: This refers to organisms that eat the producer. Most are…
Shane
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8
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Do these islands exist or are they technical artifacts?

I am using data in a GIS application that shows some land or islands in areas where I would not expect such, or at least have never heard that there are islands. How to find these in Google Earth? Do they have names?
HeyGeorge
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8
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3 answers

What gases are in the vesicles of pumice?

Many references state that pumice is formed by gases in lava, but I have yet to find a reference of which gases they are. If a piece of pumice floats, then conceivably it still contains the original gases from the magma, right? Breaking the pumice…
Fuhrmanator
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8
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2 answers

Where to find reliable water temperature?

I need data regarding water temperature of Mediterranean Sea according to changes in depth. I couldn't find these data in the Copernicus Marine website, so I'd like to know if you know of any database where I can find this type of data, and if you…
Mirko
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8
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1 answer

Geometrical differences of subduction zones

I am looking for geometrical differences in subduction zones. What are the differences, in dip, curvature of the interface, thickness of the plates etc.? There are differences between the Chile and the Mariana type (as sketched here), but what about…
traindriver
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8
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Nobel prize Manabe's 1967 code for solving the 1D atmospheric thermal equilibrium model

Does someone know where to find a (hopefully modern) version of the numerical code for solving the 1D atmospheric thermal equilibrium model, the one Syukuro Manabe & Richard T. Wetherald used in their seminal 1967 publication in J.Atmosph.Sciences ?…
ELw38fr
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8
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2 answers

Similarities and differences between lava flows and fluvial geomorphology (rivers)

How are active lava flows similar to fluvial geomorphology? You can search youtube for these dramatic videos of lava flows, and they all seem to look very similar to streams or rivers. I know that the major difference is laminar flow vs the…
8
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Calculating Monthly Accumulation value of the Clearness Index KT

I have an hourly data file of a particular location which contains the following variables (extracted from the Meteonorm7.0 data base, for a typical one year of data): GlobHor (W/m2): Horizontal Global Radiation. DiffHor (W/m2): Horizontal Diffuse…