Where does snow come from? This may seem like a simple question to ponder as half the planet emerges from a season of watching whimsical flakes fall from the sky—and shoveling them from driveways. But a new study on how ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 22, 2021
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A University of Arizona-led team has nailed down the temperature of the last ice age—the Last Glacial Maximum of 20,000 years ago—to about 46 degrees Fahrenheit (7.8 C).
Earth Sciences
Aug 26, 2020
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You've probably seen the satellite images that show a hurricane developing: thick white clouds clumping together, arms spinning around a central eye as it heads for the coast.
Earth Sciences
May 13, 2020
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Shipping lanes through the Arctic Ocean won't put the Suez and Panama canals out of business anytime soon, but global warming will make these frigid routes much more accessible than ever imagined by melting an unprecedented ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 4, 2013
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Will it be an invention joining a storage room of other inventions? Or kicked further up to gadget boutiques for the very rich? Or a popular gadget for many worldwide? Whatever its destiny, the device concept ...
Researchers have found that areas near commercial airports sometimes experience a small but measurable increase in rain and snow when aircraft take off and land under certain atmospheric conditions.
Earth Sciences
Jun 30, 2011
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Touch navigational screens, Internet, communications systems: Automakers are ramping up an array of connectivity gizmos to lure consumers into buying next-generation vehicles.
Hi Tech & Innovation
Jan 14, 2010
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Artificial intelligence (AI) can quickly and accurately predict the path and intensity of major storms, a new study demonstrates.
Earth Sciences
Apr 22, 2024
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In 2020, a line of severe thunderstorms unleashed powerful winds that caused billions in damages across the Midwest United States. A technique developed by Penn State scientists that incorporates satellite data could improve ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 21, 2024
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Events in the stratosphere are making long-range weather in Northern Europe easier to forecast, researchers at LMU have discovered.
Earth Sciences
Mar 15, 2024
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Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase "before the mast" which denotes anything related to ordinary sailors, as opposed to a ship's officers.
In medieval shipbuilding, a ship of war was usually equipped with a tall, multi-deck castle-like structure in the bow of the ship. It served as a platform for archers to shoot down on enemy ships, or as a defensive stronghold if the ship were boarded. A similar but usually much larger structure, called the aftcastle, was at the aft end of the ship, often stretching all the way from the main mast to the stern.
Having such tall upper works on the ship was detrimental to sailing performance. As cannons were introduced and gunfire replaced boarding as the primary means of naval combat during the 16th century, the medieval forecastle was no longer needed, and later ships such as the galleon had only a low, one-deck high forecastle.
In addition to crew's quarters, the forecastle may contain essential machinery such as the anchor windlass. On many modern US Naval ships, such as aircraft carriers, the forecastle is the location where boatswain will display their fancy knotwork such as coxcombing.
Some sailing ships and many modern non-sail ships have no forecastle as such at all but the name is still used to indicate the foremost part of the upper deck – although often called the foredeck – and for any crews quarters in the bow of the ship, even if below the main deck.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
