Science Current Events 08-09 2

Summary-

What lies in the water 65 million years after the Cretaceous period ended? Well, the scientists at the University of Missouri and University of Florida took chemical samples of ancient fish, bones, and teeth. During the late Cretaceous period, the high atmospheric levels, carbon dioxide, and warm temperatures were outstanding. Water masses naturally have signs of chemicals that show the land that they are from. These chemicals get carried across the oceans and are recorded by fish material. Whatever happens to the fish debris happens to the signature. University of Missouri and University of Florida have collected 45 samples of fish debris which vary from 95-65 million years ago. They got this fish debris from the Demerara Rise in the tropical parts of N.A. With this technique, the scientists can assume how the water flowed in the Cretaceous period. “Constraining ocean circulation patterns during greenhouse times, especially across the very large changes in the global carbon cycle that occurred during the interval we studied, is giving us a better understanding of how greenhouse oceans behave,” Ken MacLeod said. Carbon dioxide levels were two to four times higher than it is today, resulting in the waters rising 7 degrees higher than today. The signatures that they found were astonishing because the values were extremely low for the ocean back then. Also, there was a shift that was larger than anything before that happened for the past 200 million years ago. These Cretaceous findings were characterized by sinking of warm, salty, equatorial waters, and became more vigorous over the years.

Work Cited- http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2008/1020-macleod-ancient-ocean.php

Science Current Events 08-09

Summary-

On Friday, October 10^th, a group of scientists simulated a volcanic eruption in 3-D with controlled pressure. With this ability to simulate volcanic eruptions, it will be easier to predict when other real eruptions may occur. These scientists got some rock from the active volcano of Mount Etna. With this rock, the scientists got the results that would usually occur before a volcanic eruption. “The holy grail of volcano research is to be able to predict with complete accuracy when and how exactly a volcano will erupt,” said Philip Benson.

However, Marie-Curie said that “We are not quiet there yet and we may never be.” Nearly 500 million people live near 600 volcanoes and with this skill they can save them from physical harm. The man who did the experiment was not classified under the type of scientist, but he was highly skilled so he was chosen. The final thanks were to the Canada Foundation for Innovation for funding the whole experiment.

Work Cited

http://www.news.utoronto.ca/science-and-technology/volcanic-eruption-signals-simulated-in-lab-for-first-time.html