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GPS network navigates climate and seismic disaster prevention

Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god, was revered, and greatly feared, for his purported ability to send rain as well as bring drought and famine. He was believed to be able to hurl lightning, unleash devastating hurricanes and bring down rains that could destroy crops. Today a modern-day GPS network with the same name will help forecast the same elements to prevent calamity rather than wreaking it.

TLALOC-Net: a network of GPS and meteorological stations in Mexico was born out of a collaboration to enable applied climate research, weather forecasting and the study of the physical processes that control earthquakes and volcanoes. Inspired and created after scientists, Latin American, North American and European National Research and Education Networks (NREN) representatives, the National Science Foundation (NFS) and CONACyT met in Puerto Vallarta to investigate ways to analyse the fundamentals, uses and implementation of a state-of-the-art atmospheric and GPS network in Mexico.

Curious to read more and/or the Spanish version of the full article? Read it on the In The Field blog!

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