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An apparent inconsistency has been diagnosed between interannual variations in the net radiation imbalance inferred from satellite measurements and upper-ocean heating rate from in situ measurements, and this inconsistency has been interpreted as ‘missing energy’. Where was it going? Now Scientists come up with an answer..... "Missing Energy" is in the Ocean  "Our data show that Earth has been accumulating heat in the ocean at a rate of half a watt per square meter (10.8 square feet), with no sign of a decline," Loeb said. "This extra energy will eventually find its way back into the atmosphere and increase temperatures on Earth." Read more: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-029 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093947/Nasa-solves-mystery-Earths-missing-energy--going-sea-says-space-agency.html?ito=feeds-newsxml Paper:  http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1375.html#/access doi:10.1038/ngeo...

COLD PLASMA LAYER DETECTED HIGH ABOVE EARTH The new findings suggest that about two lbs. (1 kilogram) of cold plasma escape from Earth's atmosphere every second. As physicists further map cold plasma around Earth, they could discover more about how it reacts during solar storms and other events, deepening our understanding of space weather. Read more:  http://news.discovery.com/earth/earth-cold-plasma-layer-found-120127.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

The global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since 1880, according to NASA scientists. Observe an updated analysis that shows temperatures around the globe in 2011 compared to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html  The average temperature around the globe in 2011 was 0.92 degrees F (0.51 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline. "We know the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting," said GISS Director James E. Hansen. "So we are continuing to see a trend toward higher temperatures. Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Niña influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the 10 warmest years on record." Animation can be seen here, http://www.nasa.gov/mp4/616923main_GISStemperature2011_withColorbar.mp4 Understand  More: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html# http://data.giss.nasa.go...

Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics Volume 74 , January 2012, Pages 232–237 Impact of a noon-time annular solar eclipse on the mixing layer height and vertical distribution of aerosols in the atmospheric boundary layer Manoj Kumar Mishra,  K. Rajeev ,  ,  Anish Kumar M. Nair,  K. Krishna Moorthy,  K. Parameswaran For full paper, click this link:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2011.10.012 , Abstract Impact of the long duration noontime annular solar eclipse on 15 January 2010 on the vertical distribution of aerosols and mixing layer height ( H M ) in a well-developed convective atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) has been investigated using continuous Lidar observations over a tropical coastal station, Thumba (8.5°N, 76.9°E). This study shows that  H M  has decreased from its peak value of ∼1800 m at 12:00 h to ∼1000 m following the annular phase of the eclipse (13:17 h), whil...

Python is a scientific language which combines remarkable power with clean, simple and easy-to-understand syntax. That some of the most robust scientific packages have been written in Python makes it a natural choice for scientific computational tasks. Although tools like Mathematica and Matlab remain commercial, the open source community has also developed some equally powerful computational tools, which can be easily used by students and independent researchers. These tools are so robust that they are now also used at educational institutions and research labs across the globe. Read more : http://www.linuxforu.com/2011/05/what-is-scientific-programming/

Photographer :  Anthony Ayiomamitis At  apogee , the  Moon  is on average approximately 406,500 km (252,587 mi) away from Earth with an apparent diameter of about 29.5  arc-minutes  (about one half degree); whereas at  perigee , the Moon is approximately 356,500 km (221,500 mi) distant and has an apparent diameter of about 33.6 arc-minutes. This difference of 50,000 km (31,069 mi) between apogee and perigee results in a dramatic change in the apparent diameter as illustrated by the two  full Moons  above, photographed in 2010. These particular full Moons were strategically selected to have the full Moon as near as possible to its minimum perigee and maximum apogee when crossing the local meridian in Athens, Greece. The Moon photo at left was taken on January 30, 2010 (at 00:31:28 local time) and the Moon at right was snapped on August 25, 2010 (01:26:33 local time). Courtesy: http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2011/03/full-moon-...

The bright surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet reflected well over half of the sunlight that fell on it. This reflectiveness helped keep the ice sheet stable. In the past decade, however, satellites have observed a decrease in Greenland’s reflectiveness. This darker surface now absorbs more sunlight, which accelerates melting.  difference between the amount of sunlight Greenland reflected in the summer of 2011 versus the average percent it reflected between 2000 to 2006. Warmer, lower-elevation areas of the ice sheet have darkened more than the colder, higher-altitude interior. Each summer, winter snow retreats from the edge of the ice sheet. Dark pools of melt water form on the surface of the ice, and windblown dust and other particles also collect near the surface, making it even less reflective. Jason Box of Ohio State University, who analyzed the reflectiveness data propose that ice itself undergone change in shape and structure... Read more here :  http:/...

Global warming caused by greenhouse gases delays natural patterns of glaciation suggests a study co-authored by a University of Florida researcher and published online Jan. 8 in Nature Geoscience. The Earth's current warm period that began about 11,000 years ago should give way to another ice age within about 1,500 years, according to accepted astronomical models. However, current levels of carbon dioxide are trapping too much heat in the atmosphere to allow the Earth to cool as it has in its prehistoric past in response to changes in Earth's orbital pattern. data indicate that the next ice age will likely be delayed by tens of thousands of years. Good news ...?                 NO! Ice sheets like those in western Antarctica are already destabilized by global warming, they eventually slough off and become a part of the ocean's volume, it will have a dramatic effect on sea level. Read more here :  http://www.physorg.com/news/...