Painted Sunsets Hold Record of Volcanic Eruptions, Pollution
Every PIcture Tells A Story By analyzing the mix of colors master artists since 1500 chose for painted landscapes, researchers can accurately reconstruct a record of the particulates in past atmospheres. The data may prove useful to refine contemporary climate change models. "Sunset," c. 1875, by Winslow Homer/National Gallery of Art Environmental data is turning up in unexpected places. In the April issue of Popular Science, Katie Peek reports on one such source: the journals of Henry David Thoreau. The 19th-century naturalist and writer wrote down such detailed, comprehensive observations on the flora and fauna around him that a Boston University lab was able to chart the impacts of climate change -- how much much earlier leaves appear, flowers bloom and birds migrate in the early 21st century compared to the...