Environmental and Earth Sciences

Arctic Science, Geography, Geology, Oceanography, Hydrology, Glaciology, Seismology, Meteorology, Climate Science, Limnology, Remote Sensing, Natural Resources, Mining, Green Tech, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development, Archeology, Paleontology

Palaeo How-To: What is Palaeontology?

21mediair Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, General Science
By Lindsay Kastroll, Master’s student in Biological Sciences, University of Alberta Demystifying the way the science actually works… Much of the work that museums do boils down to educating the public, and they are often quite good at it. You probably wouldn’t be reading this blog if that wasn’t the case! Science communication is an...

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Killer Whales Versus Orcas & Big Bigg’s Whale News with NOAA Scientists Tom Jefferson & Kim Parsons

Mark Leiren-Young Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Policy and Politics
NOAA scientists Kim Parsons & Tom Jefferson on killer whale science, killer whales versus orcas, orcas versus dolphins, how science becomes official, the challenges of translating science to civilians and so much more in the first of a special two-part episode on the two soon to be official species of orcas who call the Salish Sea...

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Eco-Pirate and Eco-Church Founder Paul Watson on Fighting for Whales and Phytoplankton, Launching Neptune’s Navy and Daring Iceland to Arrest Him

Mark Leiren-Young Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Policy and Politics
Eco-pirate Paul Watson talks about taking on whalers in Iceland and Japan, splitting with the Sea Shepherd, launching an eco-church and what the hell just happened in his world with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (author of Sharks Forever & Orcas Everywhere). “We’re ecologically ignorant. And unless we learn to educate ourselves, we’re not going to...

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A Very Snail-y Spring, BioBlitzing SoCal’s Rare Snails

chloevanloon Biology and Life Sciences, Communication, Education and Outreach, Environmental and Earth Sciences
We didn’t set out this spring to document as many snails as possible, but that’s essentially what happened. During the winter of ’23-24, we were based in one of our favorite spots, the remote community of Fernbrook, in San Diego County. Normally, the winter is full of mushrooming and tidepooling, but this year, we ended...

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Encouraging ethical publishing

Caroline Tucker & Marc Cadotte Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences
Scientists establish their credentials and reputations by publishing in peer-reviewed articles. Participating in the act of asking answerable questions, collecting unbiased empirical evidence to evaluate those questions, and passing through the gauntlet of peer-review to publish findings are the hallmark of science. Essentially, publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journal means that you are a scientist. However,...

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Dungeons and Dragons and Dinosaurs: How Do Prehistoric Creatures Fit Into Tabletop Roleplaying Games?

21mediair Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, General Science
By Lindsay Kastroll, Master’s student in Biological Sciences, University of Alberta When you think about the hit table-top roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, you typically think about elves, wizards, magical quests, and of course, dragons. Dinosaurs don’t really factor into that equation. However, you may be surprised to learn that prehistoric creatures have had a long...

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A Little Late Cretaceous Monster from the Banks of the Wapiti

21mediair Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, General Science
Huge dinosaurs like Pachyrhinosaurus and Edmontosaurus roamed the Grande Prairie area about 70 million years ago, but such heavyweights never had the Cretaceous world to themselves. There were plenty of smaller dinosaurs around, like the little carnivore Boreonykus, and dinosaurs were only one component of a diverse ecosystem that also included fish, turtles, mammals and many other vertebrates, alongside plants...

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A Record-Breaking Year on the Prairies: 2023 Weather Overview

Saskatchewan Research Council Environmental and Earth Sciences, General Science, Technology and Engineering
With several longstanding climate records shattered in 2023, Saskatchewan’s weather was right at home in a year full of impactful events. This year, SRC's Climate Reference Station (CRS) located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, logged record amounts of bright sunshine, record daily high temperatures and below average precipitation making 2023 the fifth driest year on record.

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