The Paluweh Volcano, also referred to as the Rokatenda Volcano, has been busy since late 2012.  This stratovolcano, located in Indonesia, just erupted in early August of 2013, killing at least five people.  Unfortunately, many news media outlets are characterizing the most recent eruption as a lava flow, which is scientifically inaccurate.  The eruptive behavior is that of a pyroclastic flow.  To read the past and present history of Paluweh/Rokatenda, please visit:

An excellent interdisciplinary article that explains how chronicles written by religious men in Ireland hundreds of years ago have helped scientists draw a link between frigid periods of the country's history and volcanic eruptions.

Read the full article at: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/06/monks-volcanoes-and-very-cold-wea...

The latest trend in urban renewal involves opening up underground streams. There's likely an underground stream in your city, but it may soon be seeing the light. Uncovering buried streams has had huge impacts in places as diverse as Seattle, Washington, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and even Seoul, Korea—improving local water quality, providing habitat for fish and birds, and turning neglected parking lots and roads into public parks that boost neighbors' property values and can revitalize entire cities. And city planners everywhere are starting to take note.

Climate change alters the way in which species interact with one another--a reality that applies not just to today or to the future, but also to the past. "We found that, at all time scales, climate change can alter biotic interactions in very complex ways," said paleoecologist Jessica Blois of the University of California, Merced, the study's lead author. "If we don't incorporate this information when we're anticipating future changes, we're missing a big piece of the puzzle."

Researchers study how various sizes, shapes of volcanic ash travel through the atmosphere.

From PBS-NOVA:  Earth From Space is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. Produced in extensive consultation with NASA scientists, NOVA takes data from earth-observing satellites and transforms it into dazzling visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate and surprising web of forces that sustains life on earth.

The National Science Foundation has been publishing a series of articles as part of the SEES (Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability) investment.  Each article is written for a general audience and is supported with images.

Can Marcellus Shale Gas Development and Healthy Waterways Sustainably Coexist?

Three short online videos embedded below depict the dramatic changes in Alaska’s marine ecosystems through interviews with scientists and Alaska natives. The videos were produced by the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Alaska, the Alaska Sea Grant program, the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, and the Alaska Ocean Observing System.

To view more Alaska COSEE Resources, go to http://www.coseealaska.net/resources/.

Most apes eat leaves and fruits from trees and shrubs. But new studies show that human ancestors expanded their menu 3.5 million years ago, adding tropical grasses and sedges to an ape-like diet. The change set the stage for consuming more modern fare: grains, grasses, and meat and dairy from grazing animals.