The Nature of Aftershocks

An earthquake occurs when pressure is released along a fault; this pressure builds up due to friction between two plates, whether related to...

Ocean Currents & Regional Climates

The surface currents of our oceans, which extend to depths of 1500 feet, are determined by wind patterns and the effect of Earth's rotat...

A Raw East Wind

My walk to work this morning was into a chilly east wind. In this part of the country, an east wind is generally damp and uncomfortable, es...

Journey to Swan Lake

Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge spreads across the Glaciated Plain of north-central Missouri, just east of the Grand River Valley.Its mos...

Rewards of Ugly Weather

This morning dawned cold and gray in central Missouri and the threat of chilly rain or wet snow was beginning to douse our spring fever. Nev...

The Early Swallow

Among the earliest of our summer birds to return to their breeding grounds, tree swallows usually appear in the American Midwest by mid Marc...

Vulture Traffic

The turkey vultures of Columbia, Missouri, have established a large colonial roost near the south edge of the MU campus. From our back deck...