Scientists at work: The lava lovers who flock to volcanoes on land and at sea
Tuesday, January 28, 2014 - 08:30
in Earth & Climate
In January 2011, aboard a scientific drilling ship in the Pacific Ocean, I witnessed an enigmatic green flash before sunrise. This optical phenomenon has been recorded to occur if the conditions are just right – clean, stable air that causes as little scattering of sunlight as possible. Being awake for sunrise and examining volcanic rocks from the sea bed till late in the night was all in a day's work on the Joides Resolution.