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how old are the gulf stream and the NAC?

After reading about the NAC (North Atlantic Current) weakening in the news, we got to wondering about its history and that of the gulf stream. Specifically, how and when did they start? Were there conditions during the last ice age that prevented…
Syndic
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Where can we see the noctilucent clouds?

I saw many pictures of noctilucent clouds in the UK. Is it a phenomenon only visible in the UK or we can see it somewhere else?
Archa
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Do lead 206 and other daughter isotopes occur naturally?

I am reading studies about the age of the earth and U-238 to Pb-206 comes up a lot. My question is: In meteorites, or really anywhere, is lead 206 natural or does it always come from radioactive decay? If it is natural is the potential quantity of…
Beans
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Why do clouds dissipate when mixing with dry air?

So if dry air is just low humidity, meaning it has the capacity to hold more water vapour, it should make sense that the water droplets from the clouds will just evaporate and fill that dry air with the evaporated water vapour. Right? However, why…
Miah Tayen
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What exactly is "Land-Use Change and Forestry"?

What exactly is "Land-Use Change and Forestry" and why is it sometimes hugely positive (Indonesia) but sometimes hugely negative (China)? Isn't it supposed to be a type of source, not sink (you cut trees, you get more GHG)? See the data here.
Sergey Zolotarev
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How much cheaper is it to mount oceanographic sensors on elephant seals and other animals, compared using Argo floats and other abiotic sensors?

This article says that mounting sensors on animals is relatively cheap compared with the alternatives. Seals, in other words, were filling in the blind spots on oceanographer’s maps. And they were doing it relatively cheaply—at least compared to…
InquilineKea
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Do fluctuations in radioactive isotope decay rates affect carbon dating techniques?

In 2010, Purdue University published a research paper[1] stating that their researchers had detected slight fluctuations in radioactive isotope decay rates "in synch with the rotation of the sun's core." The article also stated: The team has not…
Chris Bloom
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Question about earthquake data attribute codes

I have some earthquake data with an attribute field call M and has values c, h , l , m or w. There is another one called Magnitude so I assume its not that. Any ideas what M represents and what the codes mean? Thanks!
Gern Blanston
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Is ground level ozone dangerous to human health when other pollutants are not present, for example, at high altitudes?

In mountainous areas there is often little or no air pollution such as particulate matter, sulphur/nitrogen dioxide etc. However, ground-level ozone is frequently more present at these higher altitudes. For example, in the Pyrenees mountains between…
David James
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Was the Caribbean Sea a closed sea during the last glaciation?

Taking a look at Google Earth the straits between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are not very deep. The sealevel during the last glaciation was 120 meters lower than the present level. Was the Caribbean Sea a closed or semi-closed sea…
user20559
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Where can I find an anisotropic PREM-like model for Earth's interior?

So, I just discovered PREM (the Preliminary reference Earth model) which models the density distribution of matter inside the Earth to any depth. The PREM is very convenient but since it only depends on the depth I see that is an isotropic model,…
Swike
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Relative Humidity approximation from Dew Point and Temperature

I would like to find a formula to approximate RH based on known air temperature and dew point. I need the approximation to be valid at least between -20...+40 degrees Celsius. I read the accepted answer on this question, but unfortunately the link…
Darius V.
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Wasn't Earth a magma ocean before core-mantle differentiation?

I've always thought that the process of planetary accretion was energetic enough to keep the proto-Earth entirely molten, and the subsequent evolution of the planet (the formation of the crust, etc...) was simply centered on its cooling by gradual…
Swike
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What are these river/canyon-like carvings in the ocean?

Browsing around Google Maps, I came across this off the south-west coast of Ireland It looks very consistent with the shape rivers and their tributaries might make, but it has me puzzled since it's all underwater! The main, most "river-like" one is…
komodosp
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Does a geomagnetic storm visibly deflect a compass?

Reading Solar Storms Could Confuse Whales and Cause Mass Strandings and the linked open access paper in Current Biology Gray whales strand more often on days with increased levels of atmospheric radio-frequency noise I see that there is a…
uhoh
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