VOL. 97 NO. 18 15 SEP 2016

NORTH AMERICA’S MIDCONTINENT RIFT

Augmented Reality for Earth Science

Quirky Geoscience Tunes

Future of AGU Meetings NEW in Fall 2016

GeoHealth will foster the intersection of Earth science disciplines (Earth processes, climate change, atmospheric and ocean sciences, hydrology, among others), with those of the health sciences, defined broadly (environmental and ecosystem health and services, human and agricultural health, geomedicine, and the impact of natural hazards). Now Accepting Applications for Two Editors in Chief of GeoHealth

AGU is launching GeoHealth under Founding Editor Rita R. Colwell. We are seeking applications for two dynamic, well-organized scientists with high editorial standards and strong leadership skills to serve 4-year terms as the editors in chief (EICs) to lead this exciting journal starting in 2017 and beyond. One editor’s main area of focus will be on the geosciences, while the other editor’s main area of focus will be on health. This is an important opportunity to help shape and lead this increasingly important, cross-cutting discipline. The EICs will be the principal architects of the scientific content of the journal. They are active scientists, well-known and well-regarded in their respective discipline. The EICs must be active in soliciting the best science from the best scientists to be published in the journal. Working with the other editors and AGU staff, EICs are the arbiter of the content of the journal. Among other functions, EICs will be responsible for: • Acting as an ambassador to the author/editor/reviewer/scientist community. • Setting the strategy for the journal. • Leading the editor selection process. • Assigning and balancing review work load. • Making decisions related to scientific ethics. • Reviewing and contributing to periodic monitoring reports. • Conducting and attending meetings.

If you would like to be considered for one of the Editor in Chief positions of GeoHealth, send your curriculum vitae with a letter of interest via email to [email protected]. If you would like to nominate a highly qualified colleague, send a letter of recommendation to the same email address. Please make sure that you specify GeoHealth in the subject line of the email.

geohealth.agu.org Earth & Space Science News Contents

15 SEPTEMBER 2016 PROJECT UPDATE VOLUME 97, ISSUE 18

18

Augmented Reality Turns a Sandbox into a Geoscience Lesson Superimposing responsive digital effects onto sand in a sandbox places educators, students, and policy makers in an augmented reality, offering a ­hands-on​­ way to explore geoscience processes.

NEWS

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Science Groups Voice Concern for Academics in Turkey International science and education organizations respond to reports of forced resignations of university deans and mass firings of teachers following last month’s 10 failed coup attempt. RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT COVER Insights into Long- 27 Standing Bias in Cloud New Insights into North America’s Property Retrieval Midcontinent Rift A new framework provides a more comprehensive view of how subpixel The Midcontinent Rift has characteristics of a large igneous province, variations can create biases in a commonly causing geologists to rethink some ­long-​­standing assumptions about used method of analyzing cloud properties how this giant feature formed. with satellites.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 1 Contents

DEPARTMENTS

Editor in Chief Barbara T. Richman: AGU, Washington, D. C., USA; eos_ [email protected] Editors Christina M. S. Cohen Wendy S. Gordon Carol A. Stein California Institute Ecologia Consulting, Department of Earth and of Technology, Pasadena, Austin, Texas, USA; Environmental Sciences, Calif., USA; wendy@ecologiaconsulting​ University of Illinois at [email protected]​ .com Chicago, Chicago, Ill., USA; [email protected] José D. Fuentes David Halpern Department of Meteorology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pennsylvania State Pasadena, Calif., USA; University, University davidhalpern29@gmail​ Park, Pa., USA; .com [email protected]

Editorial Advisory Board Mark G. Flanner, Atmospheric Jian Lin, Tectonophysics Sciences Figen Mekik, Paleoceanography Nicola J. Fox, Space Physics and Paleoclimatology and Aeronomy Jerry L. Miller, Ocean Sciences Steve Frolking, Biogeosciences Michael A. Mischna, Planetary Sciences Edward J. Garnero, Study of the Thomas H. Painter, Cryosphere Sciences Earth’s Deep Interior Philip J. Rasch, Global Environmental Michael N. Gooseff, Hydrology Change Brian C. Gunter, Geodesy Eric M. Riggs, Education Kristine C. Harper, History Adrian Tuck, Nonlinear Geophysics of Geophysics Sergio Vinciguerra, Mineral Susan E. Hough, Natural Hazards and Rock Physics 26 Emily R. Johnson, Volcanology, Andrew C. Wilcox, Earth and Planetary Geochemistry, and Petrology Surface Processes Keith D. Koper, Seismology Earle Williams, Atmospheric Robert E. Kopp, Geomagnetism and Space Electricity 23–25 AGU News and Paleomagnetism Mary Lou Zoback, Societal Impacts Closing the Air Quality Data Gap in John W. Lane, Near-Surface Geophysics and Policy Sciences the Developing World; Charting the Staff Future for AGU’s Meetings Program. Production and Design: Faith A. Ishii, Production Manager; Melissa A. Tribur, Senior Production Specialist; Liz Castenson, Editorial and Production Coordinator; Elizabeth Jacobsen, Production Intern; Yael Fitzpatrick, Manager, Design and Branding; Travis 26–27 Research Spotlight Frazier and Valerie Friedman, Electronic Graphics Specialists Revising the Displacement History Editorial: Peter L. Weiss, Manager/Senior News Editor; Mohi Kumar, Scientific of New Zealand’s Alpine Fault; Content Editor; Randy Showstack, Senior News Writer; JoAnna Wendel, News Writer; Amy Coombs, Editorial Intern Your Phone, Tablet, and Computer Marketing: Jamie R. Liu, Manager, Marketing; Angelo Bouselli and Tyjen Conley, Screens Aren’t Safe from Hackers; Marketing Program Managers Insights into Long-Standing Bias in Advertising: Christy Hanson, Manager; Tel: +1-202-777-7536; Email: advertising@ agu.org Cloud Property Retrieval. ©2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may be 28–32 Positions Available photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is also granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific books and Current job openings in the Earth journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Office. and space sciences. Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published semi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th of the month by the American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D. C., and at additional mailing 5 Inside back Cover: offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Postcards from the Field Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; 3–9 News Students use a carbon dioxide flux Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; Email: [email protected]. meter at Yellowstone National Park. Use AGU’s Geophysical Electronic Manuscript Submissions system Tanzanian Volcanoes May Hold to submit a manuscript: http://eos-submit.agu.org. Helium Ready for the Taking; Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official Bacteria Preserve Record of Earth’s On the Cover positions of the American Geophysical Union unless expressly stated. Magnetic Fields; Science Groups A cliff of North America’s Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO Voice Concern for Academics in Midcontinent Rift, overlooking Turkey; Amoeba People Sing Quirky Lake Superior. Credit: iStock.com/ Tunes About Geoscience. jimkruger.

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A Goldilocks Zone Tanzanian Volcanoes May Hold Barry returned to Tanzania to survey helium reserves at the request of Helium One Ltd., a Helium Ready for the Taking ­start-up​­ mining company that was registered in the British Virgin Islands in 2015. The com- pany had found a 1967 scientific paper indi- cating rich helium deposits in the Rift Valley’s thermal springs (see http://bit​­ .​ ly/­ HeRift)​­ and wanted Barry and his colleagues to verify the findings. To test helium concentrations, the researchers took samples of gas bubbling from the hot springs reservoirs by means of a fun- nel connected to a copper tube. Surface gas samples typically reflect true subsurface con- centrations, Barry told Eos. Samples taken within 20–30 kilometers of a trio of active volcanoes contained helium at a concentration of only 0.0005%, according to Barry. However, helium concentrations in samples taken in the Rungwe area of the Rift Valley, about 150 kilometers from those volca- noes, reached as high as 2.5%. Less than 50 kilometers from the Hanang and Labait volcanoes, in another Rift Valley region called Balangida, the team measured the extraordi- nary concentrations of 10.2% helium. On the basis of the findings, Barry and his colleagues suggest that most deposits of con- Peter Barry Peter centrated helium gas occupy a Goldilocks zone Helium bubbles up through a hot spring in the Rift Valley of Tanzania. that lies at a “just right” distance from volca- noes. Volcanic heat can liberate helium from ancient rock. However, the researchers specu- olcanologist Peter Barry spent years in composes more than 0.7% of the total volume. late, volcanic gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania as a At large natural gas plants in Qatar, helium abundant near erupting volcanoes, may then V graduate student studying the noble concentrations sometimes barely reach 0.05%. dilute the helium, driving concentrations gases released at hot springs, asking broad In contrast, the more highly concentrated down. The location of the Goldilocks zone scientific questions about the region’s nearby helium in Tanzania appears to be mixed would depend on factors such as how active volcanoes. But unbeknownst to Barry, beneath mainly with nitrogen, from which helium is his feet lay a precious supply of helium gas more easily separated. potentially more concentrated than any reser- Helium finds wide use as an ultracold liquid voir of the element previously discovered. in MRI equipment and other medical devices, “The helium was under our noses the whole spacecraft, and scientific facilities such as time, but we weren’t thinking about develop- particle accelerators. The gas changes to a liq- ing resources and were instead asking broader uid at the extraordinarily low temperature of scientific questions about the volcanoes −269°C and therefore can be used to cool themselves,” said Barry, now a postdoctoral superconducting magnets and other devices. researcher in the Department of Earth Sci- An MRI scanner contains about 1500–2000 ences at University of Oxford in the United liters of liquid helium to cool its magnets. Kingdom. The new findings of ­high-​­concentration A team led by Barry recently found evi- helium may profoundly alter the way the ele- dence for unusually rich helium deposits ment is extracted from the Earth, according to across the Rift Valley. One apparent reser- Barry and other helium experts. voir of the gas offers the ­unheard-of​­ helium “In Tanzania we can drill a well to target concentration of more than 10% by volume. just helium. This is…unique—no one else is At sites around the valley, the researchers doing this,” said Barry. His team presented more commonly found helium in the 1.5%– evidence of the ­high-​­concentration helium 2.5% range. reservoirs on 27 June at the Goldschmidt Con-

ference in Yokohama, Japan. The findings also Barry Peter A Unique Helium Deposit may clarify how volcanic activity influences A geologist with Helium One takes gas samples at a hot The world’s 33 helium plants extract the ele- the richness and locations of natural helium spring using a funnel that feeds into an impermeable ment from natural gas, and helium rarely reservoirs. copper tube.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 3 NEWS

the volcanoes are and which volcanic gases are production steady because they lacked costly the new source in Tanzania is really high, the present, Barry said. ­cold-temperature​­ storage to hold additional producers will benefit from lower costs,” said “If volcanic gases are causing dilution, then output. Gubler. you will see high CO2 and low helium closest In response to the shortage, producers of The discoveries in Tanzania aren’t expected to the active volcano. Farther away, the MRI scanners began recovering and recycling to make a big difference to the world helium will dominate. This is what we are see- helium. Recession in Europe and Asia also reserves. The estimated 1.53 billion cubic ing,” said Diveena Danabalan, a Ph.D. student reduced demand just as the delayed sites meters of helium gas there would meet only from Durham University, also in the United began to increase supply. Adding to the over- about 9 years of global helium demand, Kingdom, who worked with Barry on the sam- supply, new producers have recently come according to Robert Jolley, field manager at pling. Because Hanang and Labait are rela- online in the United States and Algeria. Today the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve in Amarillo, tively inactive volcanoes for the region, they most helium production sites are running at Texas. Rather, “it is the high helium concen- might not greatly dilute helium by producing only 50% capacity, said Ralf Gubler, a senior trations [that] are significant, as opposed to large amounts of CO2, Danabalan added. principal analyst covering industrial gases at the total amount of gas, which is not huge IHS Chemical in Zurich, Switzerland. compared to other ­helium-producing​­ Helium Glut If the Tanzanian measurements lead to regions,” said David Hilton, an isotope geo- The Tanzania find comes on the heels of a accessible reservoirs of helium not mixed chemist at Scripps Institution of Oceanogra- period of severe instability in the global with natural gas, those new sources may pre- phy in La Jolla, Calif. helium market, which was valued in 2015 at vent future price shocks like the ones that For now, Josh Bluett, technical director at $700 million. Contrary to the popular percep- debilitated past markets, according to Gubler. Helium One Ltd., hesitates to claim too tion that helium stocks are running out, the When a liquefied natural gas plant that’s also much, noting that “it will require further world supply currently significantly outstrips a helium source requires maintenance or if geophysical surveys and drilling to prove up demand. That abundance follows a shortage production stalls, the helium market loses the potential and to ultimately realize pro- from 2011 to 2013 when several new helium some of its supply, he noted. Tapping reser- ductive helium reserves.” production sites delayed opening, mainte- voirs of helium gas rather than natural gas nance work at natural gas plants idled some containing helium might also prove more existing suppliers, and remaining sites held profitable. “If the helium concentration at By Amy Coombs, Editorial Intern

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ments, but many were more than 30 nanome- Bacteria Preserve Record ters long, large enough to hold a magnetic direction for as long as billions of years. These of Earth’s Magnetic Fields particles confirmed for the researchers that given enough time, bacteria could prompt larger and larger magnetic crystals to grow in their environment, just by moving and stirring up the water and excreting ­iron-rich​­ waste. In ancient waters, large particles recorded the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field when they settled on the seabed. Most of the stable particles aligned with the Earth’s mag- netic field. Sediment settled on top of them, holding them in place. The different layers in sedimentary rock provide a continuous time- line of the shifting strength and direction of the magnetic field over time—“almost like a bar code,” according to David Heslop, a geo- physicist at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, who was not involved with the new study.

Too Small to Be Useful? Scientists have known for decades that sedi- mentary rock captures a record of the Earth’s magnetic field. But if the new findings pub- lished on 13 June are correct, they shed light on the way in which many of Earth’s rocks became magnetic, according to Heslop. Researchers had known that magnetic parti- cles could be generated by erosion from iron- Mark A. Wilson rich minerals or the remains of magnetotactic Magnetic minerals, such as the dark stripes of magnetite seen here in beach sand in India, can form layers in sedi- bacteria that create chains of magnetized par- ments. ticles in their bodies to help them navigate. But even though scientists can easily deter- mine whether a rock is magnetic or not, defin- n the waters of a prehistoric ocean, a FeBacteria), shed light on how sediments gain itively finding the cause of that magnetism—a minuscule bacterium swims back and forth, and retain magnetism. necessary step if scientists are to glean useful I seeking food. As it does so, it leaves tiny information about Earth’s magnetic ­history— metallic particles swirling in its wake—some Answers in Sludge is much more difficult. already present in the water column, some For their study, the team used “bacteria that If the common bacteria in the experiment excreted as the bacteria’s ­by-​­products. As the are taken from nature, normal groundwater could generate stable magnetic particles, he water churns from the motion of other bacte- bacteria,” said Alexandra Abrajevitch, a paleo- said, a similar process could have been hap- ria, some of these ­particles—magnetic​­ ones—​ magnetist at the Institute of Tectonics and pening throughout Earth’s oceans, rivers, and ­attract each another, coalescing into larger, Geophysics of the Russian Academy of Sci- lakes farther back in time than scientists have but still tiny, magnetized crystals of magne- ences in Khabarovsk, Russia, and lead author even looked, back when microbes first became tite, goethite, hematite, and other minerals. on the study. The scientists seeded the vessel abundant. These iron-­ rich​­ crystals drift slowly downward of water with iron, food, and sand. Then they Researchers have been searching for these to land on the ancient seabed, aligning with waited. bacterially generated particles for some time, the Earth’s magnetic field as they’re buried by Two years later, when the team looked at the but past studies have found mostly tiny, other sediment and eventually locked into reddish sludge that had formed at the bottom unstable, microbe-­ made​­ magnetized parti- place. of their experiment, they found that the sam- cles. Those smallest particles would simply be A scene much like this has unfolded again ple contained large crystals of magnetite and too tiny to hold a magnetic direction for long. recently in a glass experimental vessel holding goethite. These are stable minerals, capable of Heslop explained that when a magnetic ­bacteria-​­filled water in a Russian laboratory. A carrying a magnetic signature over long peri- particle is too small, a tiny amount of heat can team of scientists was curious to see how large ods of time. The team also found lepidocrocite, cause its magnetic field to change orientation. the crystals could grow and whether they a magnetically unstable mineral that can The poles of such particles jump in all direc- could become substantial enough to maintain transform into more stable forms over time. tions multiple times a second at room tem- a stable magnetic orientation over millions, or According to the paper, tests of the sludge’s perature. Longer particles would be much even billions, of years. magnetism revealed that it contained a broad more magnetically stable and therefore useful Their findings, published recently in Geo- range of particle sizes. Some were tiny and to scientists who want to study what the Earth physical Journal International (see http://bit.ly/ unstable like those found in previous experi- was like millions of years ago. However,

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 5 NEWS

researchers had no proof that bacteria could knowledge in hand, scientists will be able to cles, “with a few extra calculations, we can produce them. scan more rocks with better accuracy to find make an estimate of how strong the Earth’s Because there was no proof that they could the direction of Earth’s ancient magnetic field magnetic field was at that time,” Heslop be stable, the particles were dismissed as a and to determine the strength of that mag- said. potential data netic field as well. Similar data have been used Because scientists had dismissed particles source. But the to track continental drift and discover more inadvertently produced by swimming bacteria authors of the new about flips and other distortions in the mag- as too small and unstable to generate this kind study say that prior netic field similar to those that could disrupt of sustained magnetism, they assumed that researchers didn’t our communications and mapping satellites in the rocks’ magnetism must have come from wait long enough for the future. other sources, such as eroded magnetic min- the particles to erals or magnetotactic bacteria. mature and grow to Finding the Strength Figuring out exactly what kinds of particles their full size. Scientists have historically had trouble the majority of bacteria produce and how Heslop expects researching the strength of the Earth’s strongly they align with Earth’s magnetic field that with this new ancient magnetic field. Magnetic minerals could help scientists refine their estimates of from different sources and of different sizes the strength and orientation of Earth’s mag- Scientists fi lled this con- vary in how readily they will align with a netic field in the deep geologic past. This new tainer with water, ground- field, Heslop said. When researchers are experiment was small, Heslop said, but its water bacteria, iron, food, looking at a rock’s magnetism, they have to results may encourage scientists to revisit and sand. Two years later, know either the strength of the Earth’s archives of sedimentary rock samples with they found a reddish magnetic field when the rock was formed or new, more reliable information on the origins sludge, visible here, con- how responsive the magnetic alignment of of their magnetic properties. taining mineral crystals that type of iron- rich particle was to the large enough to preserve field. Knowing one can allow researchers to a magnetic signature for figure out the other. If scientists know the By Elizabeth Deatrick, Freelance Science Jour-

L. M. Kondratyeva billions of years. source and magnetic efficiency of the parti- nalist; email: edeatrick@ elizabethdeatrick.com

Open Up Your Science Earth and Space Science welcomes original research papers spanning all of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences, particularly papers presenting and interpreting key data sets and observations.

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statement. “To what extent [the statement] Science Groups Voice Concern has an impact on the politicians and the polit- ical development, that is more a question of for Academics in Turkey belief than anything, I think, but we can hope [for] the best.” He added that he thinks Turkey’s leadership lacks trust in the nation’s scientists. “I think they are afraid of [the scientists’] ability to he International Council for Science Providing Support for Turkish Scientists talk freely about a number of issues,” Sydnes (ICSU) and other scientific and academic Leiv Sydnes, chair of ICSU’s Committee on explained. T organizations have expressed strong Freedom and Responsibility in the conduct of Some Turkish scientists expressed thanks opposition to a reported crackdown on educa- Science (CFRS), told Eos that the group’s state- for ICSU’s statement and for “being watch- tors and academics in Turkey following the ment helps to shine a spotlight on the issue. dogs for what is taking place,” according to 15 July failed coup d’etat in the country. Sydnes. The Turkish government has Sydnes said that ICSU previ- ordered more than 1550 university ously expressed concern about aca- deans to resign, has fired more than demic freedom in Turkey. A January 15,000 teachers and other education 2016 letter signed by ICSU and others staff, and has banned all academics (see http://bit.ly/Turkeyscholars) from leaving the country following the expressed concern about “widespread coup, according to news reports. pressures” on members of the coun- ICSU’s 28 July statement (see http:// try’s higher education and research bit.ly/ICSU728), which deplores the communities. Sydnes said that the coup, expresses “grave concern” about pressure has intensified in the current the current situation in Turkey. It urges situation. the Turkish authorities to uphold the Other scientific organizations issu- civil liberties and academic freedom of ing statements about the current situ- educators and of research, to exercise ation in Turkey include the European restraint, and to observe the rules of University Association, the Interna- law. The statement calls for Turkey to tional Astronomical Union, restore its Principle of Universality of REUTERS/Osman Orsal and national academies in the United Science, which embraces the free and The view through a damaged window at the police headquarters in Ankara, Kingdom (see http://bit​­ .​ ly/­ EUATurkey,​­ responsible practice of science. ICSU is Turkey, on 18 July, a few days after a failed coup attempt. http://bit​­ .​ ly/­ IAUTurkey,​­ and http://bit​­ ​ a nongovernmental organization com- .ly/­ UKTurkey).​­ prising 122 national scientific bodies At press time, the Turkish govern- and 31 international scientific unions. “It is very important for the Turkish scien- ment had not responded to a request from Eos The statement expresses particular concern tists to see that people outside the country for comment. about reports that academics and educators care about their situation,” said Sydnes, a pro- have lost their positions “in a summary fash- fessor of chemistry at the University of Bergen ion” since the failed coup. in Norway, who wrote the draft for the ICSU By Randy Showstack, Staff Writer

Check out Eos.org for more Earth and space science news:

• New Flood Model Offers National Streamflow Coverage (http://bit.ly/EOS_flood-model) • Forecasting Space Weather Like Earth Weather (http://bit.ly/EOS_forecasting-space-weather) • U.S. Parks to Make Adaptation to “Continuous Change” a Top Goal (http://bit.ly/EOS_parks​ -adaptation) • NASA’s New Asteroid Sampler Will Illuminate Solar System’s History (http://bit.ly/EOS_asteroid​ -sampler) • Climate Scientists’ New Hurdle: Overcoming Climate Change Apathy (http://bit.ly/EOS_climate​ -change-apathy)

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 7 NEWS

Amoeba People Sing Quirky Tunes About Geoscience

he Amoeba People are redefining Earth Wegener! / You are a brilliant, brilliant man! / ­rimmed glasses to fit in with the television and space science education, one song Continental Drift! Alfred Wegener’s theory!” transmissions of traditionally clad space sci- T at a time. “The kids went crazy for it, and I began to ence engineers Crouton detected from Earth With humorous, catchy, and offbeat num- write more,” Hedgpeth told Eos. The song led circa 1962. bers about geophysics that mix ­G-rated pop, to his forming the Amoeba People that year The name of the band originates from a col- rock, folk, jazz, ­hip-​­hop, and other genres, the with drummer Dustin Jordan and bass and league of Hedgpeth who mentioned that kids band, based in Lakewood, Calif., recently keyboard player Ryan Mosley. learning to draw at first mostly make “those released its fourth album and saw its top Not your average band, the Amoeba People amoeba people”: blobs with arms, legs, and a music video, “Continental Drift,” surpass a combine studiously researched songs with a face. Hedgpeth said that when he saw band- half million views on YouTube (see http://​­bit​ wacky mythology that traces them to the mate Jordan drawing “little green amoeba .ly/­ CDAmoeba).​­ planet Crouton, a fictional world 17 light years guys,” the band thought “it would be cool if Guitarist Ray Hedgpeth, an elementary from Earth whose leaders supposedly sent that’s what the band was on their home planet school teacher who also plays the banjo, there- them here as musical ambassadors charged but they could ­shape-​­shift when they came to min, and other instruments, wrote that song in with gathering scientific data and sending Earth and ‘take on’ a human form.” 2010 while trying to interest his students in the them back home in musical form. story of Alfred Wegener and plate tectonics. The When performing live or on video, the band Music as an Educational Tool tune, which includes a boiled down historical members dance like dorks and dress in short-­ ​ The Amoeba People, who refer to themselves take about Wegener, exclaims, “Yee haw! Alfred ­sleeve white shirts, narrow ties, and ­horn-​ as Meebs, “are moving science education out Courtesy Amoeba People The Amoeba People (left to right) Dustin Jordan, Ryan Mosley, and Ray Hedgpeth camping it up for their music video “The Geologists Are Coming.”

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of the textbook,” making science more acces- also hit “the sweet spot” of appealing to col- video serves as an effective learning tool that sible, and treating scientific knowledge like an lege students and others. “Every time I would does more than burn up a few minutes of class art medium, according to Benjamin Dickow, come up against something in the [Earth sci- time. president and executive director of the Colum- ence] textbook, it resulted in a new Amoeba The Amoeba People “had done their home- bia Memorial Space Center in Downey, Calif., People song,” he said, adding that he delves work,” Brande said, noting that the educa- NASA’s memorial to the shuttle Columbia. He deeply into the material and then fact-checks tional content in their music video “corre- said the group, which serves as the museum’s it with geologists and other experts. sponded to and overlapped with” a lot of the official house band, has “a ­punky-​­surf-​ “I really, really research the stuff. I really material he was talking about in class. rockabilly­ foundation.” dig deep, and the hard part is you know you “The Ballad of Carl Sagan” ranks as Dick- are going to leave stuff out” of songs, he Musical Influence ow’s favorite song; its refrain about the said. Musicologist Barret Hansen, better known as astronomer goes, “Straight outta Brooklyn Band member Mosley, who works as an Dr. Demento, also sings the praises of the like a comet to the stars / Carl’s mind wan- electrician, said that he and Jordan have been Meebs, who draw influences from a variety of dered from this pale blue dot of ours.” excited about the ideas Hedgpeth comes up musicians, including the Beatles, Devo, and The Meebs plan to release a music video of with for music with a scientific slant. “It’s the Kingston Trio. the song “involving as many Carl Sagan imper- kind of a niche that we’re trying to fill that we Dr. Demento, who provided then teenager sonators as we can muster,” Hedgpeth said. don’t feel like anyone else is doing,” he said. “Weird Al” Yankovic with his first media “Literally, you have a whole world to draw exposure, said that the band can generally be “A Great Jumping-Off Point” compared with music greats like humorist For Jen Parks, an instructor in the Earth Tom Lehrer or with musicians who make and Environmental Sciences Department music “that’s specifically for kids to use at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, their brains with.” Canada, the Amoeba People “contribute a “It’s not just mindless repetition of car- novel way to introduce scientific content to toon songs, and it’s not based on stuff that undergraduate classes.” they’ve seen on television. [The Amoeba Parks uses their songs during her lec- People] have created their own little tures as “a great ­jumping-​­off point” to world,” he said. more advanced content and to encourage During his Internet show’s recent Earth fun and creativity in the classroom. Parks Day set, Dr. Demento played the band’s said that when she first heard their music song “Seismograph,” which squeezes in in 2013, “I couldn’t believe someone had concise definitions of P and S waves (see written lyrics that were scientifically cor- http://bit​­ .​ ly/­ DementoED).​­ rect and had put [them] together with such The band’s first song featured on a quirky tunes that reminded me of some Dr. Demento show, “Cosmology, Your ska bands I used to listen to when I was Futon and You,” features lyrics including younger.” “And you’re sitting on your futon / And Her favorite song, “The Geologists Are your thoughts turn to cosmology.” Hedg- Coming,” not only has a campy accompa- peth said that the Meebs plan soon to nying video of nerd geologists running Courtesy Amoeba People release a music video of that song while down hills and hammering at rocks (see Songs on the latest album by the Amoeba People include “Who’s the band also works on its next album and http://bit​­ .​ ly/­ GeoAmoeba)​­ but also includes a Geophysicist?” and “Goodbye Pangaea.” explores a possible science television delightfully silly lyrics such as “The geolo- show. gists are coming! / Yes, they’re trudging “Dear Pluto,” a tribute to the down- down the hill. / When they say that moun- graded planet, ranks as another of the doc- tain’s young / They’re talking ten to twenty off of,” added Jordan, a delivery driver and tor’s favorites by the band. The lyrics include mil.” former heavy metal drummer for a different “And I’d like to reassure you / That no matter Parks related that during a recent field trip band who does artwork for the group’s album how you’re categorized / You’re still our favor- with her ­second-year​­ mineralogy class, stu- covers. “I’m just really blown away that you ite object in the night sky.” dents in separate minivans sang that song guys in the geology community even like what “That’s certainly one of their talents, creating over walkie-­ ​­talkies while driving between we’re doing,” he said. amusing lyrics with original and articulate word field stops. play. Weird Al does that too,” Dr. Demento said. Hedgpeth traced the song’s title to a 2009 “A Head-Hummer Tune” “That’s real important.” Wired magazine article that said staffers at a Paleontologist Scott Brande counts himself The other important thing, Hedgpeth said, San Francisco brewpub couldn’t take vaca- among those fans. Brande, an associate pro- is telling “momentous stories in Earth science tion during AGU meetings “because the fessor at the University of Alabama at Bir- [that] nobody knows about.” geologists are coming” (see http://​­bit​.­ly/​ mingham, discovered the band’s “Continental “There are many, many stories and many ­GeoWired). Drift” music video a few years ago while concepts that are easy to grasp and fun” but searching for interesting material for an that don’t get a lot of attention, he said, “and Researching and Writing introductory geology course he teaches. so that’s the area we want to fill.” As the group’s principal songwriter, Hedgpeth “It’s a head-­ hummer​­ tune. You can’t get it said he tries to write songs specifically for pri- out of your head. [The students] loved it,” mary school students in grades 4–6 that might Brande said. But more important, to him, the By Randy Showstack, Staff Writer

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 9 New Insights into North America’s Midcontinent Rift

By Seth Stein, Carol Stein, Jonas Kley, Randy Keller, Miguel Merino, Emily Wolin, Douglas Wiens, Michael E. Wysession, Ghassan Al-Equabi, Weisen Shen, Andrew Frederiksen, Fiona Darbyshire, Donna Jurdy, Greg Waite, William Rose, Erika Vye, Tyrone Rooney, Robert Moucha, and Eric Brown

10 // Eos 15 September 2016 The Midcontinent Rift has characteristics of a large igneous province, causing geologists to rethink some ­long-​­standing assumptions about how this giant feature formed.

ome of the Midwest’s most scenic vistas are the black volcanic cliffs that tower above the brilliant blue waters of Lake Superior’s north shore. How these formed more than a billion years ago is an amazing story, illustrating one of plate tectonics’ most important ­processes: how continents form and break up. SOver geologic time, continents collide and fuse together. They also split apart, along rifts. Rifts are linear features along which continents stretch. When a rift succeeds, the continent splits, and a new ocean basin forms between the two parts of the continent. Some

A view of the shore of Lake Superior from Shovel Point in Minnesota’s Tettegouche State Park. Spring Images / Alamy Stock Photo Spring Images / Alamy Stock

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 11 Seth Stein

Cliffs of1.1-billion- ­ year-​­ old​­ volcanic rocks from the Midcontinent Rift in Tettegouche State Park in Minnesota tower above the brilliant blue waters of Lake Superior.

rifts, however, fail to develop into seafloor spreading cen- logical and geophysical data to understand the growth and ters and instead leave major relict structures within modification of North America over ­billion-​­year time ­continents—“fossils”​­ preserving the geologic environ- scales” (see http://www​­ .​ earthscope­ .​ org/).­ ments in which they formed. The new view begins from reanalysis of gravity data, The cliffs on the shores of Lake ­Superior—and​­ the lake which show that the MCR extends farther south than pre- ­itself—are​­ part of such a fossilized rift. Called the Midcon- viously thought. The east arm (Figure 1) had been tinent Rift (MCR), this ­3000-kilometer-​­ long​­ feature, made assumed to end in Michigan at the Grenville Front, the of 1.1-billion-­ year-​­ old​­ igneous and sedimentary rocks, westernmost deformation associated with the Grenville extends underground across the central United States. It orogeny. However, this arm now appears to extend along stands as one of the best examples of a failed rift (Figure 1). the previously enigmatic East Continent Gravity High, However, a puzzle remains. The MCR’s igneous rocks tell which now seems to be part of the MCR. The arm stops at of magma pools far more vast than what one would expect what scientists believe to be a fossil continental margin, in a failed rift. Why was where the Amazonia cra- the MCR so magma rich? ton (Precambrian rock Scientists are beginning The MCR’s igneous rocks tell of now found in northeast- to tease out answers. ern South America) rifted magma pools far more vast than from Laurentia (Fig- Formation ure 1b). at a Plate Boundary what one would expect in a failed rift. Hence the MCR proba- The traditional view of bly formed during this the formation and evo- rifting and failed once sea- lution of the MCR involved two premises. First, the MCR floor spreading between the major plates was established formed within Laurentia, the core of North America that [Stein et al., 2014]. In this view, the MCR’s arms were assembled in the Precambrian era. Second, the MCR failed boundaries of a microplate within a plate boundary zone to split the continent because compression from a [Merino et al., 2013], similar to the arms of today’s East ­mountain-building​­ episode ended the extension and vol- African Rift, where microplates exist in the zone where canism. This mountain building, called the Grenville orog- Africa is splitting into two major plates (Figure 1c). Once eny, finished about 980 million years ago and was associ- seafloor spreading between the major plates is fully ated with the assembly of Laurentia and other continental established in the East African Rift, some of the microplate blocks into the supercontinent of Rodinia. boundaries should stop spreading and remain within the However, a new view of the MCR emerges from studies continents as failed rifts. catalyzed by the National Science Foundation’s EarthScope The MCR formed in a similar way, as Laurentia and program. One of this program’s goals is “to integrate geo- Amazonia split apart.

12 // Eos 15 September 2016 Fig. 1. (a) Gravity map showing the Midcontinent Rift (MCR). The west arm extends southward from Lake Superior to at least Oklahoma along the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen (SOA). The east arm goes through Michigan and extends along the Fort Wayne Rift (FWR) and East Continent Gravity High (ECGH) to Alabama [C. A. Stein et al., 2015]. The Grenville Front is shown by a solid line where observed and by a dashed lined where inferred. “S” shows the location of the seismic line across Lake Superior in Figure 2a. The box shows the approximate area of the Superior Province Rifting EarthScope Experiment (SPREE). (b) Schematic illustration of MCR forming as part of the rifting of Amazonia from Laurentia. (c) Africa rifting into major plates and microplates [Stein et al., 2014].

Paleomagnetic studies show that Laurentia’s motion region of extensive volcanism associated with upwelling changed dramatically when the MCR ­formed. As volcanic and melting of deep mantle materials. MCR volcanics are rocks cooled, magnetic minerals aligned with Earth’s mag- significantly thicker than those at other LIPs because netic field, recording changes in the plate’s motion. Such magma was deposited within a narrow rift rather than changes are often found in the paleomagnetic record when across a broad surface. Hence the MCR is a hybrid with the continents rifted apart. As part of the rifting, the MCR geometry of a rift but the igneous rock volume of an LIP formed and began extending. The region between the [C. A. Stein et al., 2015]. MCR’s two spreading arms was forced to move away from the rest of Laurentia as a microplate. How Did This Hybrid Evolve? Reflection seismic data (Figure 2a) across Lake Superior A Hybrid Rift [Green et al., 1989] show how this unusual combination Dense volcanic material fills the MCR. This large, concen- evolved. The MCR is a basin between dipping faults that trated mass exerts a greater gravitational pull than the contains volcanic rocks up to 20 kilometers thick, overlain areas around it, resulting in what’s known as a positive by about 5–8 kilometers of sedimentary rocks. The lower gravity anomaly. In contrast, typical continental rifts have volcanic layers truncate toward the basin’s north side, negative anomalies because they are filled primarily with indicating that they were deposited while the rift was low-­ density​­ sedimentary rock. extending by motion on the northern fault. The upper vol- Tracing the gravity anomaly shows that the MCR’s arms canic layers and overlying sedimentary rocks dip from both have characteristic geometries of ­rifts—linear​­ depressions sides and thicken toward the basin center, indicating that that formed as plates pulled apart and that filled with sed- they were deposited after extension ended, as the basin imentary and igneous rocks. These depressions often continued to subside. Radiometric dating shows that the evolve into plate boundaries. volcanic rocks are about 1.1 billion years old. Calculating the volume of volcanic rock causing this Another seismic line to the east shows a similar positive gravity anomaly reveals something interesting sequence but with extension on the southern fault. Basins about the MCR. It is also a large igneous province (LIP), a produced by extension on only one side are called half gra-

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 13 bens (Figure 2a), so the MCR is a sequence of alternating half grabens, similar to what’s found today along the arms of the East African Rift. Working backward from the geometry of the volcanic and sedimentary rock layers seen today provides an evolu- tionary model of the feature (Figure 2b). The MCR began as a half graben filled by flood basalts. After rifting (exten- sion) stopped, the basin further subsided, accommodating more flood basalts. After volcanism ended, subsidence continued, accompanied by sedimentation. The crust depressed and flexed under the load of the basalt and sedi- mentary rocks. Long after subsidence ended, the area was ­compressed—​ ­a process called basin ­inversion—which​­ reversed motion on the faults and activated new ones. The original crust thinned during rifting as the crust stretched, rethickened during the postrift phase because of the added volcanics and sedi- ments, and thickened further because of the compression when the basin inverted. If the model is correct, then crustal thickness along the MCR should vary with the amounts of extension and volcanism and the amount and direction of compression applied to that portion of the MCR.

Surprises from Seismic Imaging New insights on MCR come from data from EarthScope seismometers in the transportable array that “rolled” Fig. 2. (a) Interpreted seismic reflection section across Lake Superior, across the United States, the Superior Province Rifting showing MCR structure. GLIMPCE = Great Lakes International Multidisci- EarthScope Experiment (SPREE) flexible array [Stein et al., plinary Program on Crustal Evolution. (b) Model of MCR evolution. The 2011; Wolin et al., 2015], and Canadian seismic stations. crust thinned in the rifting stage, rethickened during the postrift phase, Seismic models covering much of the rift are being devel- and thickened further because of the later basin inversion [C. A. Stein et oped with these data [Shen et al., 2013; Bollmann et al., 2014; al., 2015]. Al-Eqabi et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2015; Frederiksen et al., 2015]. As expected from the Lake Superior data, crust in the MCR’s west arm is thicker than its surroundings (Figures 3a and 3b) and is composed of sedimentary rocks underlain by layered volcanic rocks. Combining the results with gravity and seis- mic reflection data gives views of the MCR’s crustal thick- ness and structure that will better constrain models of its evolution [e.g., Levandowski et al., 2015]. These studies have already yielded surprising results. The MCR’s dense volcanic rocks appear clearly on gravity, seismic reflection, and receiver function data, which are sensitive to variations in density. However, surface wave tomography (Figures 3c and 3d) “sees” the rift’s sedi- mentary rocks through which seismic waves travel slowly but does not see high velocity in the ­rift-​­filling volcanics. The basalt rift fill is presumably denser than the sur- rounding crust, but the velocities of shear waves traveling through it are similar or slightly lower than those of the surrounding rocks. Another surprise is that the formation of the MCR left little signature in the upper mantle. Although vast quanti- ties of melt were extracted to fill the MCR, the mantle shows no significant seismic velocity anomalies [Shen et al., 2013; Bollmann et al., 2014]. Unless the mantle Fig. 3. Different seismological data show various aspects of the MCR’s beneath the MCR was replaced after the MCR formed, melt structure. Crustal thickening beneath the MCR’s west arm is shown by depletion seems to have had little effect on seismic veloci- (a) receiver functions [Moidaki et al., 2013] and (b) surface wave tomog- ties. The idea that extracting melt from the mantle would raphy [Shen et al., 2013]. The line in Figure 3b shows the location of the not change the mantle’s seismic velocity significantly is profile in Figure 3a. Shear-wave velocities (Vs) show that the surface surprising but consistent with a model for melt extraction waves capture (c) the MCR’s low-velocity sedimentary rocks but not by Schutt and Lesher [2006]. (d) the underlying volcanic rocks.

14 // Eos 15 September 2016 Seth Stein One of the best exposures of the Midcontinent Rift’s 1.1-billion-­ year-​­ old​­ volcanic rocks is in Interstate Park, along the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, where the St. Croix River cuts through a series of lava flows.

Moreover, mantle flows or oriented magma bodies usu- Precambrian mantle was hotter than today’s. Bowles-­ ​ ally make seismic wave speeds vary depending on the ­Martinez and Schultz [2015] find a highly conductive anom- direction the waves travel, so waves tend to go faster along aly below western Lake Superior and northwestern Wis- currently extending rifts than across them. However, Ola consin, extending to depths below 200 kilometers, that et al. [2016] find no such anisotropy below the MCR, per- may have been formed by a mantle plume and somehow haps because much of the volcanism occurred after exten- persisted. A question currently being discussed involves sion ended. how the magma source operated over a long period of rapid Current and future studies combining petrology, geo- plate motion [­Swanson-​­Hysell et al., 2014]. chemistry, geochronology, paleomagnetism, plate motions, and magnetotellurics will continue to explore MCR Failure what these surprises mean for the evolution of the rift. The MCR was previously thought to have ­failed—stopped​­ ­extending—because​­ of regional compression associated Did a Hot Spot Supply the Excess Magma? with the Grenville orogeny [Cannon, 1994]. However, new The MCR is an extraordinary feature that arose from an age dating shows that most of the compression recorded by unusual combination of a reverse faulting continental rift and an LIP, occurred long after illustrating that over a bil- Modeling implies that the MCR’s extension and volca- lion years of Earth history, nism ended. Thus the even unlikely events can magma volume cannot have been MCR’s failure was not happen. Rifting can be clas- due to Grenville com- sified into two types: “pas- generated by passive upwelling pression [Malone et al., sive” rifting in which forces beneath an extending rift 2016]. Instead, it pull the lithosphere in stopped spreading opposite directions, extend- much earlier, once sea- ing it [Sengor and Burke, 1978], and “active” rifting, where a floor spreading between Amazonia and Laurentia was fully mantle plume or hot spot thermally uplifts and stretches established. the crust above it [e.g., Nicholson et al., 1997]. For the MCR, we suspect that the rifting continent by chance overrode a Insights into Other Rifts and Continental Margins plume or a region of anomalously hot upper mantle, so both The MCR results help place other rifts worldwide in their active and passive rifting may have been at play. evolutionary sequence via “comparative ­riftology”—​ Initial modeling [Moucha et al., 2013] implies that the ­comparing rifts at different stages in their evolution. MCR’s magma volume cannot have been generated by pas- Today’s East African Rift looks like what we envision for sive upwelling beneath an extending rift, even though the the MCR during ­rifting—a​­ gravity low, low velocities due to

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 15 the high temperatures, and thin crust below the extending Bowles-Martinez, E., and A. Schultz (2015), Midcontinent Rift and remnants of initiating mantle plume imaged with magnetotellurics, Abstract T11D-2922 presented at 2015 Fall arms. The Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen, a failed rift that Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 14–18 Dec. opened in the Cambrian breakup of Rodinia and was Cannon, W. F. (1994), Closing of the Midcontinent Rift—A far-field effect of Grenvillian inverted in the late Paleozoic, appears similar to today’s compression, Geology, 22, 155–158. Frederiksen, A., et al. (2015), Crustal properties across the Mid-Continent Rift via transfer MCR, with a gravity high due to the igneous rocks filling function analysis, Abstract T11C-2905 presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Fran- the rift. cisco, Calif., 14–18 Dec. By analogy, failed rifts similar to the MCR will have thick Green, A. G., W. F. Cannon, B. Milkereit, D. R. Hutchinson, A. Davidson, J. C. Behrendt, C. Spencer, M. W. Lee, P. ­Morel-á-­ LáHuissier,​­ and W. F. Agena (1989), “GLIMPCE” of crust even if they have not been inverted, and inverted the deep crust beneath the Great Lakes, in Properties and Processes of Earth’s Lower ones will have the thickest crust. Similarly, the gravity Crust, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 51, edited by R. F. Mereu, S. Mueller, and D. M. Foun- tain, pp. 65–80, AGU, Washington, D. C. anomaly should change from a low to become progressively Levandowski, W., O. S. Boyd, R. W. Briggs, and R. D. Gold (2015), A random‐walk more positive as the rift fails and is later inverted. algorithm for modeling lithospheric density and the role of body forces in the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 16, 4084–4107, The MCR has many features similar to those observed at doi:10.1002/2015GC005961. volcanic passive continental margins. Volcanic margins Malone, D. H., C. A. Stein, J. P. Craddock, J. Kley, S. Stein, and J. E. Malone (2016), arise where continental rifting is associated with ­large-​ Maximum depositional age of the Neoproterozoic Jacobsville Sandstone, Michigan: Implications for the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift, Geosphere, 12(4), 1271–1282, ­scale melting that gives rise to thick igneous crust. Hence doi:10.1130/GES01302.1. the MCR shows what a passive margin looked like in its Merino, M., G. R. Keller, S. Stein, and C. Stein (2013), Variations in Mid-Continent Rift early stages. magma volumes consistent with microplate evolution, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40(8), 1513–1516, doi:10.1002/grl.50295. Moidaki, M., S. S. Gao, K. H. Liu, and E. Atekwana (2013), Crustal thickness and Moho MCR’s Legacy Showcases Geology’s Effect on Culture sharpness beneath the Midcontinent Rift, Res. Geophys., 3, e1. Moucha, R., et al. (2013), Geodynamic modeling of the Mid-Continental Rift System: Is a The MCR highlights geoheritage: geology’s role in an mantle plume required?, Abstract T21B-2545 presented at 2013 Fall Meeting, AGU, San area’s culture and growth [S. Stein et al., 2015]. Lake Supe- Francisco, Calif., 9–13 Dec. rior and the surrounding spectacular scenery in national, Nicholson, S. W., S. B. Shirey, K. J. Schulz, and J. C. Green (1997), Rift-wide correlation of 1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift system basalts: Implications for multiple mantle sources during state, and provincial parks are underlain by the MCR. The rift development, Can. J. Earth Sci., 34, 504–520. lake lies above the rift because soft sedimentary rocks Ola, O., A. W. Frederiksen, T. Bollmann, S. van der Lee, F. Darbyshire, E. Wolin, J. Rev- enaugh, C. Stein, S. Stein, and M. Wysession (2016), Anisotropic zonation in the within the MCR were easier for ice age glaciers to erode lithosphere of central North America: Influence of a strong cratonic lithosphere on the than the volcanic rocks. Thus the rift provided the Mid-Continent Rift, Tectonophysics, in press. region’s first transportation ­system—Native​­ Americans Schutt, D. L., and C. E. Lesher (2006), Effects of melt depletion on the density and seismic velocity of garnet and spinel lherzolite, J. Geophys. Res., 111, B05401, and Europeans used the lake to import and export trade doi:10.1029/2003JB002950. goods. The lake remains an economic engine and tourist Sengor, A. M. C., and K. Burke (1978), Relative timing of rifting and volcanism and its tec- tonic implications, Geophys. Res. Lett., 5, 419–421. attraction. Shen, W., M. H. Ritzwoller, and V. Schulte-Pelkum (2013), Crustal and uppermost mantle Also, the MCR’s mineral deposits shaped the region’s structure in the central U.S. encompassing the Midcontinent Rift, J. Geophys. Res. Solid settlement and growth. Water flowing through the volcanic Earth, 118, 4325–4344, doi:10.1002/jgrb.50321. rocks dissolved copper and deposited it in concentrations Stein, C. A., S. Stein, M. Merino, G. Randy Keller, L. M. Flesch, and D. M. Jurdy (2014), Was the Midcontinent Rift part of a successful seafloor-spreading episode?, Geophys. Res. that became sources of valuable ore in many places around Lett., 41, 1465–1470, doi:10.1002/2013GL059176. Lake Superior. For at least the past 7000 years, Native Stein, C. A., J. Kley, S. Stein, D. Hindle, and G. R. Keller (2015), North America’s Midconti- nent Rift: When rift met LIP, Geosphere, 11, 1607–1616. Americans have mined copper and traded it as far south as Stein, S., et al. (2011), Learning from failure: The SPREE Mid-Continent Rift Experiment, Illinois. The discovery of commercially viable copper GSA Today, 21, 5–7. deposits during the 1840s led to a mining boom that Stein, S., C. A. Stein, E. Blavascunas, and J. Kley (2015), Using Lake Superior parks to shaped the area’s economy. explain the Midcontinent Rift, Park Sci., 32, 19–29. Swanson-Hysell, N. L., S. D. Burgess, A. C. Maloof, and S. A. Bowring (2014), Magmatic More information for the public, park interpreters, infor- activity and plate motion during the latent stage of Midcontinent Rift development, mal educators, and teachers can be found on websites hosted Geology, 42, 475–478. by Michigan Technological University (http://​­bit​.­ly/​­mtu​ Wolin, E., S. van der Lee, T. A. Bollmann, D. A. Wiens, J. Revenaugh, F. A. Darbyshire, A. W. Frederiksen, S. Stein, and M. E. Wysession (2015), Seasonal and diurnal varia- -­mcr) and Northwestern University (http://​­bit​.­ly/​­nwu​-­mcr). tions in long-period noise at SPREE stations, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am, 105, 2433–2452. The MCR is a place where visitors can interact with geo- Zhang, H., et al. (2015), Crustal structure of and near the Mid-Continent Rift System from receiver function studies, Abstract S13B-4454 presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San logical features more than 1 billion years old. Its evolu- Francisco, Calif., 14–18 Dec. tion—from​­ extensional beginnings to rift failure, from ice age glaciers scouring it to lake infill, from ancient copper Author Information miners to modern boaters enjoying a lazy summer ­day—​ Seth Stein, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; email: seth@ ­shows how geology weaves the fabric not only of our conti- earth​.­northwestern​.­edu; Carol Stein, University of Illinois at Chi- nents but also of our lives. cago; Jonas Kley, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttin- gen, Germany; Randy Keller, University of Oklahoma, Norman; Acknowledgments Miguel Merino, Chevron Corporation, Houston, Texas; Emily This work was supported by National Science Foundation Wolin, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; Douglas Wiens, grants EAR-1148088 and EAR-0952345 and by the Alexan- Michael E. Wysession, Ghassan Al-Equabi, and Weisen Shen, der von Humboldt Foundation. Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.; Andrew Frederiksen, Uni- versity of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man., Canada; Fiona Darbyshire, References Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Que., Canada; Al-Eqabi, G., et al. (2015), Rayleigh wave tomography of Mid-Continent Rift, Donna Jurdy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; Greg Abstract T11C-2904 presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 14–18 Dec. Waite, William Rose, and Erika Vye, Michigan Technological Bollmann, T., S. van der Lee, A. W. Frederiksen, E. Wolin, G. I. Aleqabi, J. Revenaugh, D. A. University, Houghton; Tyrone Rooney, Michigan State University, Wiens, and F. A. Darbyshire (2014), Teleseismic P-wave tomography of the Superior Province and Midcontinent Rift region, Abstract S13B-4455 presented at 2014 Fall East Lansing; Robert Moucha, Syracuse University, Syracuse, Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 15–19 Dec. N.Y.; and Eric Brown, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

16 // Eos 15 September 2016 Election is Open Time to Vote

Your vote can influence the direction of AGU Visit elections.agu.org to review the ballots and candidate bios

Polls are open through 27 September

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Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 17 Augmented Reality Turns a Sandbox into a Geoscience Lesson By Sarah Reed, Sherry Hsi, Oliver Kreylos, M. Burak Yikilmaz, Louise H. Kellogg, S. Geoffrey Schladow, Heather Segale, and Lindsay Chan

18 // Eos 15 September 2016 Superimposing responsive digital effects onto sand in a sandbox places educators, students, and policy makers in an augmented reality, offering a hands- on way to explore geoscience processes.

student uses a rake to scrape sand in a 4- by 3-foot box, forming hills and valleys. Overhead, a Microsoft Kinect camera automatically gauges the distance to the sand and projects contour Alines and colors onto the scene—cool colors for depressions, warm colors for peaks. As the student pushes sand around into peaks, the colors swirl and dance, forming green and orange islands in a sea of blue. She hovers her palm over a mountain, and virtual rain pours down, slicking over cliffs and plunging into the blue. The student is using a specially designed augmented reality (AR) sandbox, developed by the LakeViz3D project, a collaboration that seeks to foster public awareness and stewardship of freshwater ecosystems. Unlike virtual reality, which immerses the user in a digitally generated environment, AR super- imposes visual, audio, and other digital effects onto a real- world scene or display that users can manipulate. What results is an interactive tool for geo- science education and science communica- tion. One of the challenges in learning Earth

Students at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Sci- ence in Washington, D. C., reshape sand in their school’s Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox. Above, a projector maps contour lines and colors indicating elevation—these continually adjust to the changing land-

Lauren Lipuma/AGU Lauren scapes that students build.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 19 of the sand. The virtual water slowly disap- pears as the simulation computes its infiltra- tion into the soil, or it can be drained rapidly with a push of a physical button or computer key.

History of Development The prototype of the AR Sandbox was devel- oped at the Keck Center for Active Visualiza- tion in Earth Science (KeckCAVES) at the Uni- versity of California (UC), Davis. This project was originally inspired by the SandyStation, developed by researchers working in the Czech Republic (see http://en.sandystation​ .­cz). The AR Sandbox prototype became an interactive public exhibit for science educa- Oliver Kreylos tion as part of the multidisciplinary National Overhead view of the Shaping Our Worlds Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox showing Science Foundation (NSF)–­ funded​­ LakeViz3D.­ contour lines and virtual water projected onto sand “landforms.” We chose a color map- This collaboration of scientists, science edu- ping similar to that used in atlases (white for peaks and high elevations, red/brown for cators, evaluators, museum professionals, upper slopes, and green for lower slopes) and specific contour spacing for the default and media developers created 3-D­ visualiza- visualization to help users understand how elevation changes relate to hydrologic processes. tions to help improve public understanding and stewardship of freshwater ecosystems. The first four AR Sandboxes were built at the science is visualizing processes that occur over large spatial science center partners of ­LakeViz3D: ­KeckCAVES; the and temporal scales. However, with the Shaping Our Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, Calif.; Tahoe Envi- Worlds AR Sandbox, many slow, large, and complex Earth ronmental Research Center in Incline Village, Nev.; and processes can become more apparent and tangible. Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunities (ECHO), What Is the AR Sandbox? Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt. The AR Sandbox combines the power of exploration for The software that produces the visualization is created advancing learning [Singer et al., 2006] via a kinesthetic using an ­open-source​­ virtual reality development tool kit experience in which users create topographic models by for 3-D­ graphics applications (VRUI), also developed at shaping sand with ­geoscience-​­relevant digital imagery KeckCAVES. The flow visualization is based on the ­Saint-​ [Reed et al., 2014]. Venant­ shallow-­ water​­ equations, a depth-­ integrated​­ ver- The AR Sandbox uses a computer projector and a sion of the ­Navier-​­Stokes fluid flow equations [Kurganov motion-sensing input device (e.g., a Microsoft Kinect and Petrova, 2007]. three-dimensional​­ (3-D) camera) mounted above a box of sand. The user shapes the sand in the box, and the camera Strong Engagement and Adaptable detects the distance to the sand below. A 3-D model of the Earth Science Learning sand surface is used to project contour lines and a ­color-​ The AR Sandbox was initially launched in museum settings ­coded elevation map representing the corresponding in 2012, and it has since been adapted for use in more than topography onto the sand’s surface. As users move the 150 universities, research centers, conferences, govern- sand, the camera perceives the changes, and the projected ment organizations, and schools around the world. Appli- colors and contour lines change accordingly. cations span a wide variety of Earth science topics and When the camera senses an object (such as a hand) at a learning environments. specified height above the sand surface, virtual rain People, regardless of age or background, like to learn by appears below the object as a blue, dynamically changing exploring. The tangible interaction and kinds of inquiry texture on the sand. A flow simulation model moves the provided by the AR Sandbox provide a high level of engage- water across the landscape in accordance with the laws of ment. Users are initially drawn in by the vibrant colors and motion and the boundary conditions provided by the shape water flow visualization. When they recognize that their

Watch a video of the AR Sandbox in action at http://bit.ly/EOS_ARSandbox

20 // Eos 15 September 2016 actions can not only reshape the sand but also control the visualizations, they are truly hooked. In the sandboxes at the ­LakeViz3D institutions, users often stay at the sandbox for more than 20 minutes (and sometimes more than an hour), far exceeding common dwell times at single exhibits. In addition, users are fre- quently observed working together on tasks they have set for themselves, especially building specific land- scapes with the sand [Audience Viewpoints Consulting, 2014]. Educators can demonstrate a wide range of Earth science

concepts interactively. For instance, they can show—and GNU LGPL3+ Esser via GMT, Tyler encourage students to build—the varied landforms found More than 150 AR Sandboxes have been developed following the on Earth’s surface and illustrate how they were created by original LakeViz3D­ model. These include sandboxes at schools, univer- a variety of processes such as flooding, erosion, tectonics, sities, research centers, government organizations, museums, and sci- and glaciation. ence centers. The AR Sandbox is being used to investigate and teach a The U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observa- wide array of topics, including geology, soil science, hydrology, energy tory reports that “the sandbox is a mesmerizing story­ and mineral exploration, forestry, seismology, military operations, telling device.” Staff there use the sandbox to explore with coastal engineering, regional planning, and disaster preparedness. visitors how composite volcanoes like Mount St. Helens are built, what happened during the 1980 eruption, and how lahars can travel far downstream of a volcano. the ­3-D landscape depicted as lines on a topographic map, Instructors have used the sandbox successfully to teach concepts that students find challenging. In addition, ECU ­university-level​­ students about topographic maps, hydrol- students model, predict, and then explore whether water ogy, and geomorphology. At UC Davis, students in ­upper can move naturally on the surface from one drainage basin ­division structural geology courses use the AR Sandbox to to an adjacent basin [Woods et al., 2015]. visualize subsurface structures before they go out into the At the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif., field. instructors of geology and natural disasters courses found Faculty of East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, that the sandbox reduces barriers to spatial learning and N.C., report that the AR Sandbox helps students in physical helps students develop an intuition for understanding geology laboratories interpret contour lines and visualize topography and its applications [Jenkins et al., 2014]. Lauren Lipuma/AGU Lauren

A student at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science prepares to flatten a mountain within the school’s AR Sandbox.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 21 On the basis of these positive results, we propose that AR Sandboxes be more widely instituted in university geoscience education.

The AR Sandbox as a Tool for Science Communication and Research The engagement and learning benefits of the sandbox can also help scientists communicate their research to policy makers, funding agencies, and the public. Recently, the AR Sandbox was featured at this year’s annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. One was also presented in the NSF booth at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D. C., attended by more than 300,000 members of the public, and at the White House Water Summit. That particular

AR Sandbox was then installed in a sixth- Champlain Center for Lake Leahy ECHO, grade classroom at the Middle School of Visitors explore the AR Sandbox exhibit at the Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunities (ECHO), Mathematics and Science on the nearby Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, a science center and lake aquarium in Burlington, Vt. Here visitors use Howard University campus. the sandbox to learn about how humans interact with and influence watersheds. Sandbox users can At these gatherings, the visualizations build and breach dams and think about where people build cities and what risks building in different provided by an AR Sandbox served as a pow- places poses to humans and the environment. Users can also explore the possible effects of drought and erful outreach and communication tool to its environmental effects using the exhibit’s “drain” button, which removes all the virtual water. engage politicians, collaborators, students, and funders in deeper conversations around Acknowledgments large data sets involving local and global systems of This material is based upon work supported by NSF grants change. For example, land management and planning 1114663 and 1135588. We gratefully acknowledge members agencies can test environmental change scenarios in an and advisers of the LakeViz3D­ project, including those at AR Sandbox to inform decisions related to natural disaster UC Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Research Center; planning. UC Davis’s ­KeckCAVES; UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Sci- In fact, researchers at Newcastle University in New- ence; ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain; and Audi- castle upon Tyne, U.K., are using an AR Sandbox to study ence Viewpoints Consulting. and communicate flood risk. Educators at the Zephyr Education Foundation in Falmouth, Mass., use the sand- References box to build topographic models of Boston, with which Audience Viewpoints Consulting (2014), 3D visualization tools for enhancing awareness, understanding and stewardship of freshwater ecosystems, Formative Eval. Rep. 1–6, they explore sea level rise and storm surge scenarios. Herndon, Va. [Available at http://informalscience​­ .​ org/­ evaluation/​­ ic​­ -​ 000­ -​ 000­ -​ 010­ -​ 363/­ ​ Earth science researchers can also use AR Sandboxes to 3D­ _​ Visualization­ _​ Tools­ _​ Formative.]­ project a variety of Earth observation data (e.g., satellite Jenkins, H. S., R. Gant, and D. Hopkins (2014), Shifting sands and turning tides: Using 3D visualization technology to shape the environment for undergraduate students, Abstract images, vegetation indices, solar radiation) onto ­3-D ED53B-3489 presented at 2014 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 15–19 Dec. landscape models to better visualize and understand Kurganov, A., and G. Petrova (2007), A second-­ order​­ well-­ balanced​­ positivity preserving central-­ upwind​­ scheme for the Saint-­ Venant​­ system, Commun. Math. Sci., 5(1), 133–160. how spatial patterns of environmental data relate to Reed, S., O. Kreylos, S. Hsi, L. Kellogg, G. Schladow, M. B. Yikilmaz, H. Segale, J. Sil- topography. verman, S. Yalowitz, and E. Sato (2014), Shaping Watersheds Exhibit: An interactive, augmented reality sandbox for advancing Earth science education, Abstract ED34A-01 presented at 2014 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 15–19 Dec. Building the Next-Generation Learning Sandbox Singer, D. G., R. M. Golinkoff, and K. Hirsh-Pasek (2006), Play = Learning: How Play Moti- Developers, scientists, and educators are invited to fur- vates and Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth, Oxford Univ. ther enhance the capabilities of the sandbox and extend Press, Oxford, U.K. Woods, T. L., J. A. Woods, and M. R. Woods (2015), Using the Kreylos Augmented Reality the modeling software. The ­3-D software used to create Sandbox to teach topographic maps and surficial processes in an introductory geology the AR Sandbox is open-source and freely available lab at East Carolina University, Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr. Programs, 47(7), 111. online, together with the sandbox blueprints, a facilita- tor’s guide (support and ideas for teaching with the sand- Author Information box), and a public forum for help troubleshooting sandbox Sarah Reed, The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of issues or to post questions and suggestions (see https://​ California, Berkeley; email: [email protected];​­ Sherry Hsi, ­arsandbox.​ ­org). The Concord Consortium, Emeryville, Calif.; Oliver Kreylos, We are excited to see the many innovative AR Sandbox M. Burak Yikilmaz, and Louise H. Kellogg, Department of applications and modifications that have emerged. We Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis; hope that others are inspired to explore the sandbox and S. Geoffrey Schladow, Tahoe Environmental Research Center, expand its application in Earth science education, policy, University of California, Davis; Heather Segale, Tahoe Environ- and research. mental Research Center, University of California, Davis, Incline To find an AR Sandbox near you, visit http://​­bit​.ly/­ ​ Village, Nev.; and Lindsay Chan, Department of Earth and ARSandboxMap.­ Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis

22 // Eos 15 September 2016 AGU NEWS

Flasher’s software development skills, the Closing the Air Quality Data Gap couple collaborated with the local science community to build Mongolia’s first social in the Developing World media–­ based​­ air quality data-­ sharing​­ plat- form. It wasn’t long before the platform ele- vated the conversation about air pollution in Mongolia. National news outlets covered the project, and the team was invited to present research to the Mongolian Parliament, the U.S. Embassy, and the Canadian Embassy. The couple, empowered by the success of that first project, decided to expand their focus from Mongolia to the entire developing world. According to the World Health Organization, poor air quality is responsible for one in eight deaths around the world, and 90% of those deaths occur in developing countries. Yet the developing world, where the problem is most acute, is exactly where data are scarcest. To address this gap, the team created OpenAQ (https://openaq​­ .​ org),­ the world’s first free, open, ­real-time,​­ international air quality data hub. OpenAQ was recently awarded a $15,000 Sharing Solutions grant from AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange (http://thrivingearthexchange​­ ​ .org)­ and Amazon Web Services, which allows the team to use Amazon’s ­cloud-computing​­ services to store and share data and code. Winning the award “is a huge opportunity to scale up our platform, get more data, and share it out,” said Hasenkopf. Many developing countries and localities do

Einar Fredriksen, CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://bit.ly/ccbysa2-0) 2.0 Einar Fredriksen, CC BY-SA collect air quality data, but typically they are Air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, can make it look as if the city is constantly covered by fog or smoke. A lack of not archived, standardized, or aggregated. The local air quality data made it difficult to quantify health effects or gain political traction to improve the city’s air quality. OpenAQ platform is designed to harvest and bring together ­real-time​­ data from the thou- sands of official, publicly available data chance encounter with a photograph Neither Hasenkopf nor Flasher had exper- sources around the world, both large and sparked a new international air quality tise in air pollution specifically, although small. The data are then captured and archived A data resource, the latest recipient of a Hasenkopf had some relevant knowledge from to make them available for research. Thriving Earth Exchange grant from AGU. studying particulate matter on Saturn’s moon The strength of the OpenAQ platform lies in Christa Hasenkopf, a recent Ph.D., worked as Titan. The photo cinched the location for their its open-access model and its open-source an atmospheric research scientist in Boulder, planned international move—it Colo. She and her husband, Joe Flasher, an inspired the couple to move to astrophysicist and software developer, knew Ulaanbaatar and learn more. that they wanted to work internationally after They quickly realized that Hasenkopf graduated. despite the obviously severe pol- They didn’t know exactly what form their lution, residents and decision work would take, but social relevance was makers had virtually no local data important to both of them. Hasenkopf had on air quality. They did, however, worked with Teach for America in Baltimore, have the evidence of their own Md., and Flasher was interested in applying observations. Living in highly his expertise in open data and technology to polluted areas can cause respira- solve global problems. tory and cardiovascular disease, One day, Hasenkopf was speaking with a but without data, it would be dif- researcher colleague who had recently spent ficult to document the devastat- time in Mongolia when the colleague shared a ing health effects of Mongolia’s photo showing the view from his hotel win- pollution or to get traction to (http://bit.ly/ccby4-0) 4.0 et al. [2016], CC BY Hasenkopf dow in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. The make things better. Some of the world’s most polluted cities are also those with the least air air pollution was so severe that it was clearly Drawing on Hasenkopf’s atmo- quality data and research. (PM10 refers to particulate matter 10 microm- visible in the photo. spheric science knowledge and eters or less in diameter.)

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 23 AGU NEWS

code. The data are freely available for any sci- entist, journalist, educator, or policy maker to Charting the Future access, and any software developer can create apps that use these data. for AGU’s Meetings Program Despite the obviously severe pollution in Mongolia, residents and decision makers had virtually no local data on air quality.

In addition to providing a platform for data sharing, OpenAQ also hosts workshops and creates tools to guide users. The ultimate goal of all this is to inspire scientists, activists, and engineers to create data visualizations, ana- lytics, and software that can be used to influ- ence government policy to protect public health. OpenAQ tracks such projects on its blog (https://medium​­ .​ com/­ @openaq)​­ so that involved researchers, developers, and community members can learn from one another. Hasenkopf is confident that OpenAQ Ebbe Roe Yovino-Smith/Gary Wagner Photography Wagner Yovino-Smith/Gary Ebbe Roe could also add value to international projects Attendees of the 2015 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco stride through the hallways and talk with colleagues like the World Health Organization’s Outdoor between scientific sessions. Air Pollution Database and the Global Burden of Disease study. “Our main goal, in addition to aggregating [these] data, is to get people involved in the or 5 decades, the AGU Fall Meeting has program limits AGU’s ability to have a greater platform as much as they want to be,” said been a place where members of the impact. Hasenkopf. “There is always an open invita- F Earth and space science community tion for people to reach out to us.” come to learn more about the latest research, Changing Methods of Communication “This is a community effort with some fan- to make connections with potential collabo- and Collaboration tastic, wonderful folks, from the U.S. to Spain rators, to reconnect with colleagues, and to Because AGU has already conducted extensive to Rwanda to Mongolia, who have been essen- advance their careers. In the past decade, research with attendees, we know that they tial to the platform,” she added. attendance has grown ­rapidly, testament to rely on our meetings as opportunities to net- To date, the data aggregated by OpenAQ the meeting’s value within the scientific work and collaborate as much as to present have been accessed from 674 cities in community. In addition, Joint Assembly, the their research. We also know that their com- 88 countries. The team hopes that the plat- Meeting of the Americas, and meetings with munications and collaboration methods are form will provide a sustainable, ­community-​ partner organizations such as the Japan Geo- ­changing—and​ changing quickly. Whether ­driven environment for concerned individuals science Union have provided similar experi- researchers document their work on Tumblr, to come together, use data, and find solutions ences on the international stage. Also, present via Periscope, collect data via apps, or for some of today’s most pressing environ- ­ground-breaking​­ research has emerged from find potential collaborators on Twitter, it’s mental health issues. the more than 50 Chapman Conferences AGU clear that they no longer regard the poster has hosted since 2007. hall, session room, and networking reception Reference Today, however, growth in attendance at as their only (or even primary) way to advance Hasenkopf, C. A., D. P. Veghte, G. P. Schill, S. Lodoysamba, M. A. the Fall Meeting has begun to level off (see science. Freedman, and M. A. Tolbert (2016), Ice nucleation, shape, and com- position of aerosol particles in one of the most polluted cities in the Figure 1), and we are increasingly hearing Despite these changes, AGU’s meetings world: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Atmos. Environ., 139, 222–229. concerns that the meeting is too big to be program has remained largely the same. useful but too important to be missed. What’s Meeting formats haven’t evolved at the same more, although other meetings in AGU’s pace as people’s behavior and expectations, By Kathleen Pierce, Freelance Science Com- portfolio, such as the Chapman Conferences, and our portfolio of meetings could be more municator/Contributing Writer for Creative Sci- receive high marks for their scientific quality effective at facilitating our attendees’ ability ence Writing and the Thriving Earth Exchange; and attendee experience, their lack of inte- to advance their science and careers. This dis- email: [email protected]​­ gration with the rest of the Union’s meetings connect limits AGU’s potential for growth and

24 // Eos 15 September 2016 AGU NEWS

sustainability, as well as our ability to advance ­content—for​­ instance, by linking the meet- • What types of meetings should AGU offer to the Union’s mission to “promote discovery in ings program to AGU ­publications—​­and how better facilitate our members’ science? Our cur- Earth and space science for the benefit of we can improve networking within and rent meetings portfolio includes the broad humanity.” among groups ranging from single- or and very large Fall Meeting, several smaller ­cross-​­disciplinary communities to students but still fairly broad meetings (such as Ocean A New Vision for AGU’s and the established scientists who are will- Sciences), and the much smaller and more Meetings Program ing to serve as their mentors. targeted Chapman Conferences. Although With these circumstances in mind, AGU this portfolio includes larger and more undertook in 2014 a strategic review of our Feedback from AGU Members diverse meetings than many other science meetings program. Following the results of and Meeting Attendees societies offer, given the changing nature of that study, President Margaret Leinen The task force recognizes that feedback from our science, does it really support the work formed the Meetings Strategy Task Force to AGU members and attendees is vitally AGU members are currently involved in? For develop a vision for how AGU’s meetings important to the success of this effort. example, would small, targeted workshops program can better meet the needs of our Although task force members have already allow us to better support the kind of collab- members. reviewed a great deal of AGU member feed- oration our attendees need? This goal likely sounds familiar, given that back to inform development of the draft • Might new meeting formats, such as trans- in recent years AGU has taken similar steps strategy, they are aware of the importance of disciplinary meetings or open space meetings, for our governance structure and publica- meetings to AGU members and will be seek- increase AGU’s impact on society and emerging tions program. In both cases, groups were ing additional insight. Once the draft strat- sciences? Could AGU be more proactive in formed to study the landscape in which AGU egy has been written, AGU will look to its building relationships and working with operates, to solicit feedback from stake- members to help envision the strategy’s societies of engineers, public policy special- holder groups, and to develop ists, economists, social scien- short- and ­long-​­term strategies tists, or practitioners of other to improve the success of each disciplines to develop transdis- program and its ability to meet ciplinary meetings, such as the needs of the Earth and space catastrophe risk modeling? science community. Would this enable AGU to do The Meetings Strategy Task more to inform society? And if Force was convened early in 2016 we embraced the concept of and has met several times, both open space ­meetings—​­events virtually and in person, to begin where only the date and topic drafting the strategy to present are decided in advance and the to the AGU Board and Council attendees work together to for their comments in Septem- develop the agenda and ber 2016. The final strategy will ­outcomes—​­could we be more go to the Board for approval in effective in addressing pressing December 2016, to be followed needs in emerging areas of sci- by creation of a multifaceted AGU ence? implementation plan starting in Fig. 1. After a period of rapid growth, scientific attendance at AGU’s Fall Meeting has early 2017. increased more slowly in recent years. Among other AGU-sponsored meetings, Ocean Experimentation Sciences has grown modestly while the Joint Assembly has remained roughly to Begin Soon Key Areas for Development unchanged. We look forward to keeping you Already, the task force has begun up to date on the progress of this to analyze the strategic review important effort and, when the findings from 2014, as well as feedback from implementation and how the strategy will time comes, seeking your input to help us AGU leadership, numerous years’ worth of influence the growth and transformation of imagine what the scientific meeting of the meeting surveys, AGU member surveys, and AGU’s meetings portfolio. Examples of the future will look like. other data and member input. During this types of questions the task force might ask Those attending the Fall Meeting in 2016 process, task force members have identified at that time include the following: will see our preliminary efforts to experiment several keys areas for development, includ- • What should change about AGU’s meetings with new formats and opportunities. When ing supporting the growth and advancement to improve the attendee experience? Our rein- the meeting travels to New Orleans in 2017 of transdisciplinary science, facilitating the vention of the meetings experience goes and Washington, D. C., in 2018, the change of identification of rapidly emerging scientific beyond operational issues, such as larger venue will give us an opportunity to experi- topics, engaging attendees outside of the rooms and shorter beer lines. We want to ment even more. The possibilities for AGU’s meeting itself, collecting and analyzing out- focus on transformational ideas. Here is a meetings program are endless, and we want comes, and optimizing the meeting experi- taste of what we mean: Imagine poster ses- our members and attendees to help us chart ence for each individual. sions with touchscreen monitors to display the future. They have also considered issues such as animations and that allow attendees to zoom how AGU can enhance its connections to the in on elements of graphs, eliminating the public and ensure that its meetings program need for printed posters and allowing for By Rick Murnane, Meetings Committee Chair, has a broader impact in society, how we can interactivity even when the presenter isn’t AGU, and AGU Council Member; email: better integrate Earth and space science there. [email protected]​­

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 25 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Revising the Displacement History of New Zealand’s Alpine Fault Tristan Schmurr Tristan A view of Aoraki (Mount Cook) in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, still on the rise due to the Alpine Fault.

n New Zealand, the boundary between the rely on incorrect assumptions about the ori- To accomplish this hefty displacement, the Pacific and Australian plates is defined by entation of a series of terranes that are offset Alpine Fault has maintained an average rate Ithe Alpine Fault, a major ­strike-slip​­ feature along the Alpine Fault. Earlier studies of slip comparable to its ­present-​­day rate with a small horizontal component of com- assumed that these terranes were contiguous (about 30 millimeters per year) over the past pression that is actively raising the Southern across the fault in the Eocene, when the 25 million years—a rate that is both faster Alps mountain range along the South Island’s modern plate boundary developed. The and has persisted longer than those of other western edge. According to the prevailing authors conducted a reanalysis of paleomag- major continental ­strike-​­slip boundaries. view, the Alpine Fault has accommodated netic data from the sediments covering these The revised history indicates that a narrow, about 450 kilometers of ­right-​­lateral displace- terranes, ranging from 36 million to 15 mil- 10-­ kilometer-­ wide​­ zone straddling the fault ment during the past 40 million years. lion years in age, and found that there was has accommodated more than 94% of the rela- Because this offset accounts for less than insufficient deformation during that period tive plate motion, suggesting that deformation 60% of the ­long-term​­ relative motion between to account for their present locations. at continental plate boundaries does not need these plates, previous studies have assumed The results instead suggest that the total to occur across broad distributed zones, as has that rotation and displacement on other faults displacement along the Alpine Fault has been widely assumed. Instead, the zone more across a 300-​­kilometer-wide​­ zone have accom- exceeded 700 kilometers in the past 25 million closely resembles oceanic plate boundaries, modated the difference. However, Lamb et al. years. This offset, the researchers argue, has where relative plate motion is accommodated question this view and present an alternative reversed roughly 225 kilometers of left-­ lateral​­ by narrow transform faults with lengthy his- view of ­long-term​­ deformation in this area. motion that occurred during the Late Creta- tories spanning tens of millions to hundreds On the basis of a reinterpretation of struc- ceous. This early ­left-lateral​­ displacement was of millions of years. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, tural and paleomagnetic data, the team sug- linked to rifting between East and West Ant- Geosystems, doi:10.1002/2015GC006225, 2016) gests that previous displacement estimates arctica during the breakup of Gondwana. —Terri Cook, Freelance Writer

26 // Eos 15 September 2016 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Your Phone, Tablet, and Computer Screens Aren’t Safe from Hackers

icture this scene: A hacker takes a seat netic disturbances emanating from the tablet The reproduced image isn’t always perfect; in a crowded cafe, latte in hand, and screen itself. She carefully shifts her laptop the hack works best with mostly static images Pcasually pulls out her laptop. With a on the table, it picks up and processes the and ­high-​­contrast changes. But that’s good discreet sideways glance, she eyes her target signal, and—voilà!—his tablet screen comes enough to take advantage of mobile devices, at the table next to her, blithely tapping away into view on hers, its images plucked out of whose on-screen keys light up when they’re on a tablet. He’s not on ­Wi-​­Fi, but that the air. touched, making it possible to capture pass- doesn’t matter. Her laptop is equipped with This isn’t just spy movie gadget magic. In words and other sensitive input. The author special equipment to detect the electromag- recent years, researchers have demonstrated notes that as receiver technology gets better this exploit, successfully decoding the and cheaper, the threat to our screens will leaked signals to recover an ­on-screen­ only grow. image. In a new paper, Hayashi highlights To combat these attacks, users can take this security threat and how electronics some measures to shield their devices: For manufacturers can take steps to secure our example, placing a ­see-through​­ conductive screens. film over the display can reduce screen leak- This hack is possible because the inter- age. But the author also says that manufac- nals of every computing device we own give turers, which so far have focused on protect- off electromagnetic radiation. It leaks from ing our data, must now also consider how to the cables and circuitry that carry the dis- design devices with secure screens. Possible play signal from the processor to the countermeasures include passive solutions screen, and it’s even emitted by the screen like internal shielding and ensuring that com- pixels themselves. These cables and cir- ponents don’t act like antennas. But they may cuitry become accidental antennas that also extend to active solutions like embedding iStock.com/Rostislav_Sedlacek transmit the display signal into our a piece of circuitry to scramble the signal. Electronic gadgets are becoming targets for hackers, thanks surroundings—one­ that a would-­ be​­ hacker (Radio Science, doi:10.1002/​­2016RS006034, to accidental antennae on every screen. could tune in to. 2016) —Mark Zastrow, Freelance Writer

Insights into Long-Standing Bias in Cloud Property Retrieval

louds play an incredibly important role account for the fact that each pixel is continu- cloud field created using a ­large-​­eddy simula- in shaping the Earth’s climate, both ous with—and thus constantly influencing­ ­—​ tion model called DHARMA. MODIS collects C reflecting solar radiation back out to its neighbors. This problem can be exacer- data at several different spatial resolutions, space and acting like an insulating blanket, bated because many current analyses treat i.e., different pixel sizes. This allowed the trapping heat near the surface. The net optical thickness and droplet radius as two researchers to explore whether their frame- warming or cooling effect depends on several independent, noninteracting variables. In work could predict the variations observed in properties, including cloud optical thickness reality, they influence each other. the reported optical densities and droplet and droplet size. But unlike other facets of In an effort to understand and quantify radii for the different resolutions. The team climate science, clouds are ethereal and tran- how these subpixel variations can bias the reports that their framework was quite useful sient, making them difficult to model despite bispectral method, Zhang et al. developed a in predicting the biases caused by subpixel their importance. new mathematical framework that uses a variability in both the ­large-​­eddy simulation One of the most commonly used methods Taylor expansion to account for the fact that and ­real-​­world MODIS data. for analyzing cloud properties is known as the droplet radius and optical thickness variables The researchers suggest that their mathe- bispectral method, which measures the reflec- are mutually dependent. The framework matical framework could be useful for under- tance of two different wavelengths of light to allows researchers to estimate how the two standing the statistical differences observed glean information about a cloud’s optical variables change from one application of the at different spatial resolutions when using thickness and droplet radius. These measure- bispectral method to the next, especially the bispectral method to resolve cloud prop- ments, usually gathered by orbiting satellites, when using different satellites, which often erties, thus providing future researchers with rely on breaking an image down into pixels have different pixel resolutions. more accurate tools to analyze our planet’s and performing a pixel-­ by-​­ pixel​­ analysis. The team then applied their framework to clouds and their impact on climate. (Journal of Although useful, this sort of approximation ­real-​­world data acquired from NASA’s Mod- Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, doi:10.1002/​ can also lead to significant biases because it erate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ­2016JD024837, 2016) —David Shultz, Freelance ignores subpixel variation and doesn’t (MODIS), as well as data from a synthetic Writer

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 27 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

ATMOPSHERIC SCIENCES Salary entist position in the area of modeling AGU’s Career Center is Salary will be commensurate with atmospheric chemistry and aerosol the main resource for Post Doctoral Fellowship in Simula- experience. processes over a wide range of oxida- recruitment advertising. tion of Wind Climates How to apply tion-reduction states and their inter- Description For full consideration, please send a actions with the climates of Solar Sys- All Positions Available and Applications are sought for a Post letter of application, a current curricu- tem rocky planets and rocky additional job postings Doc to participate in a project designed lum vitae, and the names and contact exoplanets in a three-dimensional can be viewed at to (i) quantify aspects of wind climates information of three references to: general circulation model. This is a of relevance to wind energy, (ii) assess Professor S.C. Pryor (sp2279@cornell. full-time position for a 2-year period. https://eos.org/jobs-support. causes of intra-annual to intra-decadal edu). The successful candidate will par- variability in wind climates and (ii) Applications will be processed until ticipate in a groundbreaking NASA AGU offers printed recruitment diagnose where and how wind condi- the position is filled but those received research initiative, the Nexus for Exo- advertising in Eos to reinforce tions may change over time. This proj- by 15 September 2016 will receive full planet System Science (NExSS; your online job visibility and ect is a collaboration between profes- consideration. Cornell University is an https://nexss.info), with an interdis- your brand. sors at Cornell University, scientists at Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affir- ciplinary team of scientists from the a national laboratory (PNNL) and in mative Action Employer and we Goddard Institute for Space Studies Visit employers.agu.org to view private industry, and the selected strongly encourage applications from (GISS), the Goddard Space Flight Cen- all of the packages available for applicant will have the opportunity to women and minorities. ter, Columbia University, and other recruitment advertising. work closely with all three partners. Specific responsibilities (and institutions. The broad goals of the Qualifications approximate effort allocation): team’s research are to address ques- The selected applicant will lead the (45%) Conduct simulations with tions about the habitability of the past SIMPLE TO RECRUIT numerical modeling using WRF and a WRF over North America climates of Earth, Mars, and Venus, to global variable resolution model, and (30%) Conduct simulations with use these insights to assess the habit- • online packages to access our Career Center audience must hold a Ph.D. in atmospheric sci- MPAS over North America ability of exoplanet climates, and to ence, engineering or related subject. (5%) Archive model output using inform the design of future spacecraft 30-day and 60-day options • Experience with WRF is highly desir- best-practice data provenance proce- missions for detecting and character- available able, familiarity with wind engineer- dures prices range $475–$1,215 izing habitable exoplanets. The candi- • ing or atmospheric modeling using (15%) Develop publication-quality date will be expected to perform origi- variable resolution models is desir- research manuscripts nal research, present the results of the CHALLENGING TO RECRUIT able and familiarity with high-per- (5%) Other research activities online and print packages research at scientific meetings, and • formance computing and program- publish first-author papers in to access the wider AGU ming in Fortran and Matlab is Postdoctoral Research Scientist peer-reviewed journals. The candidate community essential. The Department of Applied Physics will be resident at NASA GISS, located • 30-day and 60-day options Term and Applied Mathematics at The Fu in New York City near the Morningside available The preferred start date is 1 Novem- Foundation School of Engineering and Campus of Columbia University. • prices range $795–$2,691 ber 2016 and the initial appointment Applied Science of Columbia University will be for 1 year with the possibility of in the City of New York invites applica- EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT renewal. tions for a Postdoctoral Research Sci- INFORMATICS • our most powerful packages for maximum multimedia Assistant Professor in the Energy exposure to the AGU community Cluster at the University of Pennsyl- vania • 30-day and 60-day options available As part of a larger investment to cre- ate the new Vagelos Institute for • prices range $2,245–$5,841 Energy Science and Technology, the School of Arts and Sciences at the FREE TO RECRUIT University of Pennsylvania seeks to these packages apply only to • add faculty to our newly formed student and graduate student Energy Cluster spanning the natural roles and all bookings are sciences. We invite applications for a subject to AGU approval tenure-track assistant professor posi- • eligible roles include: student tion in one of the following depart- fellowships, internships, ments: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and assistantships, and scholarships Environmental Science, or Physics & Astronomy. Exceptional senior candi- dates will also be given consideration. • Eos is published semi-monthly The successful candidate will mount on the 1st and 15th of every an innovative program of fundamental month. Deadlines for ads in scientific research that impacts our each issue are published at societal energy challenges, broadly http://sites.agu.org/media- defined, and in doing so will forge col- kits/eos-advertising-deadlines/. laborative links with other Penn sci- • Eos accepts employment and entists and engineers involved in open position advertisements energy research. Applicants must from governments, individuals, apply online at http://facultysearches. organizations, and academic provost.upenn.edu/postings/937. institutions. We reserve the Required application materials right to accept or reject ads at include: curriculum vitae with a list of publications, a research statement our discretion. that includes the candidate’s per- • Eos is not responsible for spective on how she or he fits into typographical errors. one of the four departments and identifies potential collaborative * Print-only recruitment ads will only be links with other natural science allowed for those whose requirements include that positions must be advertised departments, and a teaching state- in a printed/paper medium. ment. Applicants should also submit the names and contact information for

28 // Eos 15 September 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

three individuals who will provide let- must be submitted by October 28, 2016. ters of recommendation. Review of For a complete position description, applications will start on October 15, call +1-715-836-3732 or visit http:// 2016 and will continue until the posi- www.uwec.edu/geology/index.htm. tion is filled. The School of Arts and UW-Eau Claire is an AA/EEO employer Sciences is strongly committed to and encourages applications from Penn’s Action Plan for Faculty Diver- women and minorities. sity and Excellence and to establishing a more diverse faculty (for more infor- INTERDISCIPLINARY mation see: http://www.upenn.edu/ almanac/volumes/v58/n02/diversity- NASA/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS plan.html ). The University of Penn- CHAIR IN ASTROBIOLOGY sylvania is an equal opportunity The John W. Kluge Center at the employer. Minorities/Women/Individ- Library of Congress invites applica- uals with disabilities/Protected Veter- tions from all disciplines for the ans are encouraged to apply. Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, a HYDROLOGY senior research position in astrobiol- ogy and its implications for humanity Tenure-track faculty position and society. The Dept. of Geology is seeking a per- The applicant will be in residence at son to teach water resources, physical the Library of Congress for up to hydrogeology, chemical hydrogeology, 12 months and will conduct indepen- and introductory geology courses as dent research using the Library’s col- needed starting Fall 2017. Applicant lections that explores the intersection must also involve students in of the science of astrobiology with its high-quality collaborative research humanistic and societal implications. projects. A Ph.D. in geology or a The applicant will also convene related closely related discipline is required at public programs that ensure the sub- the time of appointment. The depart- ject of astrobiology’s role in culture ment has modern facilities in hydro- and society receives considered treat- geology (including on-campus well ment each year in Washington, D.C., nests), geophysics, geochemistry, and and be expected to participate in the sedimentology. intellectual community at the Kluge Only online applications are Center. accepted; go to http://uwec.ly/ The Chair is open to scholars and jobopenings to apply. For priority con- leading thinkers in the fields of astro- sideration, all application materials biology, astronomy, planetary science,

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 29 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

history of science, philosophy, reli- should also include as part of their Programme (WCRP) invite applica- Inquiries about the position may be gion, sociology, anthropology, ethics, proposal detailed plans and a budget tions for the post of Executive Director directed to Mike Sparrow, e-mail: literature, the arts, paleontology, (no more than three pages) for such of the International CLIVAR (Climate [email protected]. Earth and atmospheric sciences, geo- auxiliary activities as workshops, and Ocean - Variability, Predictability, The position will remain open until logical sciences or other fields. The symposia, or small conferences, and Change) Project Office. filled by a suitable candidate. The Chair may undertake research on a explaining how these activities would The goal of CLIVAR is to improve application must include a covering wide range of issues related to how life support the research and/or contrib- understanding and prediction of letter summarizing details of your rel- begins and evolves, or examine the ute to any public presentation of the ocean-atmosphere interactions and evant qualifications and experience, a social, religious, ethical, legal, and human implications of astrobiology. their influence on climate variability CV and the names and contact infor- cultural concerns that arise from The Chair holder will be appointed by and change, to the benefit of society mation of three references and should researching the origins, evolution, and the Librarian of Congress on the recom- and the environment (http://www.​ be sent to Ms. Lina Kang (lina.kang@ nature of life in the universe. mendation of a selection committee ­clivar.org). CLIVAR is a core project of clivar.org). The possibilities for research subjects consisting of representatives from the the WCRP (http://wcrp-climate.org). are many. The following are meant to academic community jointly selected by The Executive Director will be SEISMOLOGY inspire, not to limit creativity: legal NASA and the Library of Congress. responsible for a range of activities issues related to governance of planets For more information, please visit including managing the Project Office, Director of the Southern California and space; ethical implications of http://www.loc.gov/loc/​­kluge/​ participating in relevant meetings, Earthquake Center and Professor of cross-contamination; scientific and ­fellowships/​­NASA-​­astrobiology.html. promoting CLIVAR objectives, and Earth Sciences, University of South- philosophical definitions of life; con- The John W. Kluge Center was seeking sources of additional funding. ern California ceptions of the origins of life in theistic established at the Library of Congress Candidates should hold at least an The Dana and David Dornsife Col- and non-theistic religions; comparison in 2000 to foster a mutually enriching MSc in oceanography, climate or closely lege of Letters, Arts and Sciences of of the discussion of these issues in mul- relationship between the world of relate field. Required skills include a the University of Southern California tiple nations and cultures; life’s collec- ideas and the world of action, between broad knowledge of oceanography and in Los Angeles, California, seeks a tive future—for humans and other life, scholars and political leaders. The climate science, ability to communicate senior earthquake scientist to lead the on Earth and beyond, examining the Center attracts outstanding scholarly to a range of stakeholders, and demon- Southern California Earthquake Cen- impacts on life and future evolutionary figures to Washington, D.C., facilitates strated team leadership. Excellent writ- ter (SCEC) as its director and principal trajectories that may result from both their access to the Library’s remark- ten and spoken communication skills in investigator. The appointment will be natural events and human-directed able collections, and helps them English are essential. made at the tenured faculty level activities; or other subjects that involve engage in conversation with policy- The work place is the First Institute (Associate Professor or Professor) in astrobiology and its effects on humanity makers and the public. Learn more at: of Oceanography of the State Oceano- the Department of Earth Sciences and society. http://www.loc.gov/kluge. graphic Administration of China, (http://dornsife.usc.edu/earth/). The Proposals should be submitted via located in Qingdao, China. The posi- SCEC director will oversee a the Kluge Center’s online application OCEAN SCIENCE tion is available from 1st October 2016. world-leading program in earthquake system by close of business on For additional information see Fur- system science that currently involves December 1, 2016. Applicants must Executive Director of the CLIVAR ther Details (http://wcrp-climate.org/ over 1000 earthquake experts at more include a completed application form, International Project Office News-Highlights/2016/Documents/ than 70 universities and research a C.V., a complete project proposal, The First Institute of Oceanography CLIVAR_ED_Further%20details%20 institutions. The successful candidate and three references. Applicants (FIO) and the World Climate Research final.pdf). will have a strong record of federally

30 // Eos 15 September 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

funded earthquake research, innova- and background. The University par- tive ideas about the future of earth- ticularly encourages women, members quake science, and the ability to artic- of underrepresented groups, veterans ulate scientific results to end-users and individuals with disabilities to and the general public. She or he will apply. USC will make reasonable be knowledgeable about the applica- accommodations for qualified individ- tion of advanced computational meth- uals with known disabilities unless ods to solve system-level problems, doing so would result in an undue including the use of physics-based hardship. Further information is methods for earthquake forecasting. available by contacting uschr@usc. Doctoral degree and teaching experi- edu. ence is required. Applications should include a cur- Tenure Track Faculty Position in riculum vitae, publication list, state- Global Geophysics, University of ment of teaching and research inter- Southern California ests, and three names of individuals The Department of Earth Sciences familiar with the applicant’s work who in the Dana and David Dornsife Col- could be contacted for letters of refer- lege of Letters, Arts and Sciences of ence. It should also include a vision the University of Southern California statement on how, as SCEC director, in Los Angeles, California, invites the applicant would move forward the applications for a faculty position in Center’s research program. In order to global geophysics at the tenure-track be considered for this position, appli- Assistant Professor or tenured Associ- cants are required to submit an elec- ate Professor level. We seek candi- tronic USC application through the dates who will develop a program of following link: http://jobs.usc.edu/ fundamental research on the struc- postings/68664. ture, deformation, and/or evolution of Inquiries may be directed to: Chair, the lithosphere and its interactions Search Committee, c/o Karen Young with the Earth’s deep mantle and fluid ([email protected]). Review of com- envelopes. The successful candidate plete applications will begin Novem- will bring new approaches—observa- ber 1, 2016, and will continue until the tional, experimental, computational, position is filled. and/or theoretical—to lithospheric USC is an equal-opportunity educa- studies and will demonstrate a strong tor and employer, proudly pluralistic commitment to both graduate and and firmly committed to providing undergraduate teaching. We are par- equal opportunity for outstanding ticularly interested in candidates who persons of every race, gender, creed can connect research on lithospheric

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 31 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

problems to other areas of depart- interests, and three or more names Committee, c/o Karen Young (kay- University particularly encourages mental interest, which include global of individuals familiar with the [email protected]). Review of complete women, members of underrepre- environmental change, geobiology, applicant’s work who could be con- applications will begin November 1, sented groups, veterans and indi- and earthquake system science tacted for letters of reference. In 2016. viduals with disabilities to apply. (http://dornsife.usc.edu/earth/). order to be considered for this posi- USC is an equal-opportunity edu- USC will make reasonable accom- Applicants must have a PhD in a tion, applicants are required to sub- cator and employer, proudly plural- modations for qualified individuals related field. mit an electronic USC application istic and firmly committed to pro- with known disabilities unless doing Applications should include a through the following link: http:// viding equal opportunity for so would result in an undue hard- curriculum vitae, publication list, jobs.usc.edu/postings/67388. Inqui- outstanding persons of every race, ship. Further information is avail- statement of teaching and research ries can be directed to: Chair, Search gender, creed and background. The able by contacting [email protected]. PLACE YOUR AD HERE Visit Careers.agu.org to learn more about employment advertising with AGU

32 // Eos 15 September 2016 Postcards from the Field

Hi, Everyone.

At the second Deep Carbon Observatory Summer School in Yel- lowstone National Park this July, 35 early-career scientists from around the world participated in a field sampling day to explore the geochemistry and microbiology of hydrothermal systems out- side the park. Here, Moyosore Ajayi (left; Vanderbilt University, USA) and Ery Hughes (right; University of Bristol, UK) are flushing the chamber of a carbon dioxide flux meter before taking another measurement of carbon dioxide fluxes released from the soil. The Summer School was led by Rick Colwell (Oregon State University, USA) and a team of nine additional instructors. To learn more about the Summer School and the Deep Carbon Observatory, visit deepcarbon.net or follow us on Twitter @deepcarb #DCOSS16.

—Katie Pratt, Communications Director, Deep Carbon Observatory

This page has been corrected from the version printed in the 15 ­September magazine to reflect Dr. Pratt’s correct affiliation and remove an incorrect attribution for the photograph.

View more postcards at http://americangeophysicalunion.tumblr​.com/­ tagged/postcards​­ -​ from­ ​ -the­ -​ field­ . Organizational Partner Spotlight:

Why We Support AGU

Why does your organization see value in being a Partner of AGU? As a company that provides solutions to a broad range of hydrosphere applications, Pro-Oceanus values the extensive and diverse community of scientists and engineers that the AGU brings together.

What impact does AGU science have on your industry

W1M3A Marine Observatory of the National Research Council of Italy or business? The science conducted by AGU members guides the direction of Pro-Oceanus research and development of oceanographic instrumentation.

What do you wish the general public knew about AGU’s impact and the impact of Earth and space science? It is important to know that the AGU provides resources and information about local and world issues in Earth and Space science that is useful to not only scientists and engineers, but also educators and the general public.

Which areas of the Earth and space sciences are of most importance to your business? CO2-Pro instrument from the W1M3A observatory after a year long deployment Oceanography and Limnology are the most important scientific areas for Pro-Oceanus. Climate change and ocean acidification are two concerns that Pro-Oceanus addresses through research and collaboration with researchers around the World.

Why should other organizations support AGU and look into becoming an Organizational Partner? The AGU reaches more researchers dedicated to the advancement of Earth and Space science than any other organization. The AGU’s ability to connect a broad base of scientists as well as focused groups of individuals with Organizational Partners is of immense value.

The Organizational Partnership program helps develop relationships that align with AGU’s values and mission. Pro-Oceanus is a proud partner with AGU; their funding has helped to support, among other things, the 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting.