The 30 Arc-Second Elevation Model GTOPO30

The Global 30 Arc-Second Elevation Data (GTOPO30) is a 30 arc second (approximately 1 km) global digital elevation data set that contains only elevation data and no bathymetry. MathWorks announced that the gtopo30 function to read the data would be discontinued and that one should use the readgeoraster function instead. Here’s the updated recipe from Chapter 7 of the MRES book (Trauth, 2021). Continue reading “The 30 Arc-Second Elevation Model GTOPO30”

Is LibreOffice Writer the better Word?

The older you get as a scientist, the more you encounter the problem that old files can no longer be opened. This does not affect MATLAB code and data files as much as graphics or text files. In the case of text, it turns out that LibreOffice displays Word files from the 1990s correctly, while Word is unable to open files created by older versions of the same software.

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New Paper on Past abrupt changes, tipping points and cascading impacts in the Earth system

The climate time series from the Chew Bahir Basin in southern Ethiopia shows one of the best examples of climate tipping, the transition from one stable condition to another. About 5,500 years ago, the climate of East Africa tipped from humid conditions with extensive lakes and forests to a dry climate at the end of the so-called African Humid Period. Continue reading “New Paper on Past abrupt changes, tipping points and cascading impacts in the Earth system”