Learning to Link Land and Air

VOL. 97  NO. 12  15 JUN 2016

Earth & Space Science News

Reality Test for Climate Models

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15 JUNE 2016 PROJECT UPDATE VOLUME 97, ISSUE 12

A More Powerful Reality Test for Climate Models A new climate model evaluation package will deliver objective comparisons between models and observations for research and model development and provide a framework for community engagement.

NEWS

Gypsum Forms in an Unexpected Way Scientists spot the “stem cell” building 14 blocks that lay the foundation for gypsum’s formation.

COVER RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Teaching the Integration of Geography Ionospheric Waves and Atmospheric Sciences 29 Linked to Polar Atmospheric Dynamics Atmospheric scientists spent a decade incorporating geographic Ionospheric waves are likely to be caused information systems into their research and operations. Now it is time by processes in the polar atmosphere to incorporate GIS into atmospheric science education. rather than by space weather.

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 M. Lee Allison, Earth and Space John W. Lane, Near-Surface Geophysics Science Informatics Jian Lin, Tectonophysics Mark G. Flanner, Atmospheric Figen Mekik, Paleoceanography Sciences and Paleoclimatology Nicola J. Fox, Space Physics Jerry L. Miller, Ocean Sciences and Aeronomy Michael A. Mischna, Planetary Sciences 28 Steve Frolking, Biogeosciences Thomas H. Painter, Cryosphere Sciences Edward J. Garnero, Study of the Philip J. Rasch, Global Environmental Earth’s Deep Interior Change Michael N. Gooseff, Hydrology Eric M. Riggs, Education 12–13 Opinion Brian C. Gunter, Geodesy Adrian Tuck, Nonlinear Geophysics Kristine C. Harper, History Sergio Vinciguerra, Mineral Diversifying Skills and Promoting of Geophysics and Rock Physics Teamwork in Science. Susan E. Hough, Natural Hazards Andrew C. Wilcox, Earth and Planetary Emily R. Johnson, Volcanology, Surface Processes Geochemistry, and Petrology Earle Williams, Atmospheric 25–27 AGU News Keith D. Koper, Seismology and Space Electricity Robert E. Kopp, Geomagnetism Mary Lou Zoback, Societal Impacts Villages Must Recalibrate Time to and Paleomagnetism and Policy Sciences Survive in the Pamir Mountains; Staff Share Your Science with Teachers Production and Design: Faith A. Ishii, Production Manager; Melissa A. Tribur, and the Public at Fall Meeting. Senior Production Specialist; Liz Castenson, Editorial and Production Coordinator; Yael Fitzpatrick, Manager, Design and Branding; Valerie Bassett and Travis Frazier, Electronic Graphics Specialists Editorial: Peter L. Weiss, Manager/Senior News Editor; Mohi Kumar, Scientific 28–29 Research Spotlight Content Editor; Randy Showstack, Senior News Writer; JoAnna Wendel, News Writer; 7 A Hole in Earth’s Surface; Elizabeth Deatrick, Writer Intern Ionospheric Waves Linked to Polar Marketing: Angelo Bouselli, Marketing Program Manager; Jamie R. Liu, Manager, Atmospheric Dynamics; Becoming Marketing Advertising: Christy Hanson, Manager; Tel: +1-202-777-7536; Email: advertising@ 3–9 News Habitable in the Habitable Zone. agu.org Undersea Data Tie Slow Fault ©2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may be Slip to Tsunami-Causing Quakes; 30–32 Positions Available photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is also Gypsum Forms in an Unexpected 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. Way; Climate Cooling from and space sciences. Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published semi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th of the month by Icy Clouds May Fall Short of the American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, Expectations; Chilly Reception for USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D. C., and at additional mailing New Australian Climate Science Inside Back Cover: offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Center; Crowdsourced Seismology; Postcards from the Field Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; U.S. Arctic Leader: Shell Oil Pullout Gazing at pillow basalts in the Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; Email: [email protected]. Reduced Beneficial Focus on Arctic. Oman ophiolite. Use AGU’s Geophysical Electronic Manuscript Submissions system to submit a manuscript: http://eos-submit.agu.org. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official 10–11 Meeting Reports On the Cover positions of the American Geophysical Union unless expressly stated. Salinity Monitoring Gives Insight National Guard helicopter fights a Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO into the Global Water Cycle; wildfire near Bastrop, Texas. Credit: Paleofires and Models Illuminate Texas Army National Guard photo by Future Fire Scenarios. Sgt. 1st Class Malcolm McClendon.

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Undersea Data Tie Slow Fault Slip to Tsunami-Causing Quakes

earthquakes at shallow depths within this margin sent tsunamis crashing onto New Zealand’s shore, damaging buildings and roads.

Slowly Slipping Plate Scientists have long tracked tectonic plate movements at subduction zones—for example, in Japan, Costa Rica, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest—by using land-based GPS monitors on the overlying plate that can detect motions deep below. However, gathering data on plate behavior at the relatively shallow undersea trench that lies offshore and is where the leading edge of the overlying plate meets the subducting plate has proven to be a difficult task requiring other sorts of sensors. GPS observations typically reveal slow-slip events in subduction zones at depths 25–50 kilometers below the trench, Wallace said. Onshore near the Hikurangi margin, GPS measurements have shown that slow-slip events occur roughly every 18 months, the

Takeo Yagi, University of Tokyo Yagi, Takeo larger ones taking place once every 4–5 years, Scientists deploy an ocean bottom seismometer and absolute pressure gauge offshore of Gisborne, New Zealand, according to Wallace. To find out whether from the R/V Tangaroa. slow slip could be observed at shallow depths and offshore near the trench, she and her team picked a yearlong window of time when ecent monitoring of the seafloor off ever, in slow-slip events, which are common they would mostly likely detect a slow-slip the coast of New Zealand has revealed at subduction zones, sliding of the plates at a event. Then, in May 2014, they deployed an R that episodes of slow rupture of Earth’s more rapid pace than usual (although still array of 15 ocean bottom seismometers and crust can occur in the same shallow portion much slower than the sudden shift of an 24 seafloor pressure gauges to record possible of a fault zone where tsunami-generating earthquake) relieves stress in the fault zone events. earthquakes originate. The new finding deep- over a period of typically days to months. Between May 2014 and June 2015, the pres- ens scientists’ suspicions that the type of In the new research published on 6 May, sure detectors revealed vertical movements of slow-motion, or “silent,” earthquake that Wallace and her colleagues studied a sub- the ocean floor by, in essence, weighing the the researchers detected, known as a slow- duction zone called the Hikurangi margin off overlying water column: Higher pressure slip event, may signal or even trigger the the east coast of New Zealand’s North meant that the seafloor sank and more water onset of tsunami-generating earthquakes. Island, where the Pacific plate slowly slides pressed down, whereas a lower pressure indi- “There seems to be a link potentially with under the Australian plate. In 1947, two cated a rising seafloor, which displaced water where these really shallow slow-slip events and decreased the pressure. happen and where tsunami-generating After analyzing the data, the researchers earthquakes happen,” said Laura Wallace, a “There seems to be a found a slow-slip event that lasted 2 weeks research scientist at the University of Texas and moved the seafloor upward 1.5–5.5 centi- at Austin. Wallace is the lead author on a link potentially with meters—a vertical movement associated with paper published last month in Science about 15–20 centimeters of total slippage along the the new observations (see http://bit.ly/NZ where these really shallow plate boundary. That shift equates to 3 to -slow-slip). slow-slip events happen 4 years of normal plate movement, Wallace In undersea trenches in many parts of the said. world, one of the Earth’s tectonic plates and where tsunami- The recently revealed slow-slip rupture pushes beneath another, or subducts, in an took place in the same shallow portion of the inching, lurching process that builds up generating earthquakes subduction zone where the 1947 tsunami- stress in the subduction zone that can cata- happen.” generating earthquakes had originated. If this strophically be released as an earthquake, slip had occurred suddenly rather than over which in turn can trigger a tsunami. How- the course of 2 weeks, it would have clocked in

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as a magnitude 6.8 earthquake, the researchers report. Gypsum Forms “Our results clearly show that shallow, slow-slip event source areas are also capable in an Unexpected Way of hosting seismic rupture and generating tsunamis,” said Yoshihiro Ito of Kyoto University in Japan, who coauthored the study.

Future Earthquake Monitoring Earlier this year, another Science paper reported that slow-slip events often occurred before an earthquake of magnitude 5 or higher hit. In fact, a swarm of slow-slip events preceded the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 (see http://bit.ly/subtle-seismic). Scientists have typically detected slow slip at subduction zones at tens of kilometers beneath the trench, where temperatures reach 350°C–450°C and pressures are high, Wallace said. They suspected that slow-slip events also occurred in shallower regions of trenches, less than 10–15 kilometers deep, where pressures and temperatures are lower and tsunami-generating earthquakes originate. The new findings indicate that slow-slip events can indeed happen “over a massive range of conditions,” from warm temperatures and high pressures within the crust to

shallow locations, cooler crustal tempera- Alexander E. S. van Driessche tures, and lower pressures, Wallace contin- Gypsum selenite crystals on a matrix of alabaster from Quinto de Ebro, Zaragoza, Spain. Museo Geominero, Madrid, ued. “This is important to know because we Spain. Gypsum’s formation has been found to begin with the assembly of previously unknown “nanobricks.” don’t really understand yet why these slow- slip events happen.” She added that slow- slip events might trigger earthquakes in a ypsum, a common and economically said Tomasz Stawski, a geochemist with the subduction zone by providing stress relief in important mineral that occurs on University of Leeds in the United Kingdom as one area that causes stress buildup some- G Earth’s surface, has long been thought well as the German Research Centre for Geosci- where else, leading to a sudden rupture. by scientists to grow simply from the right ions ences in Germany and lead author of the recent “These data should aid in better under- meeting up in a liquid solution. But experi- Nature Communications paper (http://bit .ly/ standing these somewhat enigmatic shallow ments by a team of European researchers show gypsum-nanobricks). “It seems that [the nano- tsunami earthquakes,” said Roland Burg- that gypsum, which is the main ingredient in bricks] form immediately in solution, and then mann, a seismologist at University of Califor- plaster wallboard used in construction the entire process is driven by the interaction of nia, Berkeley, who wasn’t involved in the throughout the world, forms by means of a those nanobricks…with each other,” he said. research. much more complex process than that. Wallace and her colleagues plan to investi- Gypsum, it seems, gets made not in one “Stem Cell” Building Blocks gate the Hikurangi margin in the future by step but in a series of four distinct stages, Stawski and his colleagues achieved their drilling into the seafloor to figure out what starting with the self-assembly of submicro- novel insights into gypsum formation by causes slow-slip events in the first place. scopic cylindrical particles the experimenters using X-ray beams produced by the Diamond Having now observed slow slip close to the call “nanobricks.” By manipulating this four- Light Source synchrotron in Harwell, U.K., to epicenter of the 1947 earthquake underscores stage process, the experimenters said, manu- observe the process as it unfolded. Because the need for monitoring, Wallace said, facturers may one day make the annual pro- gypsum is a type of calcium sulfate, the “because there’s potential for a slow-slip duction of billions of kilograms of plaster of researchers first mixed in a glass reactor an event to trigger an earthquake that could gen- paris—and thus the manufacturing of wall- aqueous solution rich in calcium chloride and erate a big tsunami.” board—far more energy efficient than current another rich in sodium sulfate to bring methods permit. together the ingredients necessary to make The new work may have otherworldly the basic compound. Then, circulating the By JoAnna Wendel, Staff Writer implications as well, the researchers said: It mixed solutions through a much smaller might yield new insights into the evolution of chamber for observation, the team fired Editor’s Note: For a detailed look at research the surface of Mars. X-ray beams “head-on through the sample,” efforts off New Zealand’s coast that led to the “I think the most important highlight…is Stawski said, and studied the ways those results described above, visit http://bit.ly/shallow that gypsum grows from nanobricks rather beams scattered off of building blocks of gyp- -slow-slip. than from simple ions dissolved in solution,” sum as they formed in the liquid.

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“Think about the sunset,” Stawski said. “When you start seeing red colors in the sky, it is due to the scattering of sunlight at very small angles when it hits dust particles in the air.” Similarly, he explained, when X-rays strike newly formed structures in the solution, the beams deflect in specific directions based on the unique arrangement of the atoms com- posing those structures. The scattering patterns, interpreted with the help of a mathe- matical model, allowed the scientists “to extrapolate how large those [precursors of gypsum] are, or what their shape is,” Stawski said. “Everything has a structure, and scattering methods are fantastic [for] accessing this hidden information.” The four stages of the pathway unfolded as follows, according to Stawski. First, nanobricks about 3 nanometers in length and 1 nanometer in diameter formed. Then the bricks clustered into loose groups, or “domains”—a very important development, Stawski said, “because the chances that the Chip Clark bricks will meet each other increase,” leading A specimen of the mineral gypsum exhibits sinuous crystal growth. Gypsum (R 13219), National Mineral Collection, to mineral precipitation. Smithsonian Institution. In the third stage, “there is a triggering moment during which all the nanobricks come together, and this is what we see as precipita- reported in our paper can lead to bassanite or understanding calcium sulfate minerals’ for- tion, but at this stage there is still no gypsum.” anhydrite instead of gypsum,” said Stawski. mation pathway might help us better under- Finally comes the fourth stage: Within the Prior to these new experiments, it was thought stand the evolution of the surface of a sister structures that formed in stage 3, “the nano- that dehydrating gypsum, or causing it to lose planet—Mars—the scientists propose. bricks begin to reassemble, maybe to grow in its water molecules, was the only way of form- Whereas bassanite can occasionally be found size—we’re not exactly sure—and only in this ing a phase like bassanite, the key ingredient on Earth, “it’s not very common because the stage does gypsum form,” Stawski noted. in plaster of paris. moment it gets any moisture it converts into “What this group has done is figure out how gypsum,” said Stawski. “But it’s very abundant to use light sources in order to probe all of Industrial Applications on Mars, [and] the question is, How does it these early events and get information that is and Water on Mars form there?” very difficult to get any other way,” said Jim Knowing what’s really going on in gypsum “If it formed by the dehydration of gypsum, De Yoreo, a materials scientist at Pacific formation could eventually help curb the that will tell us something about the [early] Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, voracious energy consumption of the con- conditions on Mars,” where, if gypsum was Wash., and the University of Washington in struction industry, the research team reports once present, then there may also have been Seattle, who was not involved in the new in its 1 April paper. Each year humanity pro- more water there than exists today. Alterna- work. “They have done what I think is an duces about 100 billion kilograms of plaster of tively, if rearranging nanobricks can also form incredible job in using a modern tool to track paris by heating gypsum to about 150°C to bassanite, then Martian bassanite may not down and scoop out this pathway.” remove the water molecules, the experiment- have formed simply by drying out, added De Yoreo compared the nanobricks loosely ers note. “It is superinefficient—it’s a very Stawski. to stem cells, which can ultimately turn into a energy-intensive process, and you need to For all the light that Stawski and his col- variety of different tissues in the body. Like remove the water to get bassanite,” which, leagues have now shed on gypsum’s forma- stem cells, the nanobricks will not necessarily Stawski said, is dehydrated gypsum—plaster tion, a lot about the four-stage pathway still go on to form only gypsum: They can also lead of paris’s primary ingredient. remains to be discovered, said De Yoreo, who to other calcium sulfate minerals like bassan- By manipulating the four-stage formation calls the four-stage pathway “a solid concept ite and anhydrite, depending on the condi- pathway, it might be possible to produce plas- seen through very foggy glasses.” tions under which mineral formation takes ter of paris without using so much energy, he “It’s an advance in that we can say, ‘yes, place. Which mineral you get depends on how explained: “If you take gypsum and put it into there are these objects, and we can track the much water permeates the mineral structure. water and dissolve it, [you can] get the nano- time scale over which this happens,’” he Whereas a minuscule single crystal of gypsum bricks again,” he said. Then, instead of doing explained. However, exactly how does each harbors two water molecules, two bassanite all that heating, “we need simply force the stage transform into the next? he asked. crystals share just one water molecule. Anhy- nanobricks to rearrange themselves into bas- That’s still a mystery. drite crystals contain no water molecules. sanite rather than gypsum, by controlling the Depending on the “physiochemical condi- chemistry.” tions—such as very high salinity, higher tem- An extraterrestrial consequence of the new By Lucas Joel, Freelance Writer; e-mail: peratures, or rapid quenching—the reaction findings might even await. That’s because lucasvjoel@ gmail.com

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above. By shining a laser down into the Climate Cooling from Icy Clouds clouds, the satellite was able to determine whether any given spot in a cloud was made May Fall Short of Expectations of water, ice, or air. Its polar orbit allows the satellite to get much more data on cloud composition over the entire planet than ground-based lidar systems, which typically predict and study on send laser beams up from a fixed point or a large scale. vehicle. After analyzing more than 6 years’ This unpredict- worth of data, the team of scientists found ability has import- that mixed-phase clouds were much more ant implications for liquid, and less icy, than previous estimates climate change had suggested—their study brought the esti- because mixed- mated fraction of liquid water in the cloud phase clouds have from 20% to around 60%. been a climate mys- The findings, published on 8 April, could tery for many years. have a big impact on what we know about Clouds can have Earth’s future: Because mixed-phase clouds either a cooling or a have less ice in them to begin with than most warming effect on scientists originally thought, their potential Larissa Lacher Larissa the planet, depend- for becoming denser is also less than previ- A wave of mixed-phase clouds composed of ice and supercooled liquid water brushes ing on their altitude ously predicted. This diminished potential the peaks of Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps. Wispy cloud layers indicate the presence and composition: means that clouds are much less effective as a of ice crystals. Puffy cloud layers contain a larger fraction of liquid droplets that reflect Low-lying, watery buffer against global warming than climatolo- sunlight more effectively than ice does. clouds block sun- gists have assumed. light for a mild cool- With all these new data taken into account, ing effect, whereas Tan said, the team’s climate model yields con- loud science matters to many climatol- higher-altitude icy clouds, including mixed- siderably higher estimates than it previously ogists almost as much as it does to phase clouds, let in more sunlight. Because did for how much global temperature will rise C meteorologists. Depending on clouds’ scientists weren’t sure of the exact mix of because of greenhouse gas emissions. In a altitudes and compositions, those vaporous water and ice in mixed-phase clouds, their scenario in which the concentration of atmo- puffs can influence global temperatures effect on climate was difficult to determine. spheric carbon dioxide doubles, the team’s enough that climate scientists include them in What’s more, unlike already liquid clouds model had predicted a global temperature rise their predictive models. at lower altitudes, mixed-phase clouds’ com- of 2.0°C to 4.6°C, which agreed with most cli- A recent study published in Science reveals, position will likely change as their layer of matologists’ expectations. With the revised however, that most models underestimate the atmosphere heats up. “The entire tropo- impact prediction for mixed-phase clouds, the how much cooling the planet receives now sphere deepens with global warming,” model’s estimates increase by as much as from clouds that contain both water droplets explained Ivy Tan, one of the authors of the 1.3°C, Tan and her colleagues report. and ice crystals (see http://bit . ly/ mpc - paper). new study. As the troposphere creeps Moreover, the chilling impact of those clouds upward, the rising warmth should melt some Another Piece in the Climate Puzzle may diminish as atmospheric greenhouse gas of the ice in clouds. When that happens, The new study has “made a simple and per- concentrations increase. “regions with clouds once dominated with ice suasive point demonstrating the importance now predominantly contain liquid,” Tan said. of the mixed-phase cloud feedback in the Clouds Respond to Carbon Dioxide The shift to more liquid makes the clouds Earth system,” Daniel McCoy, an atmospheric Although anyone can observe clouds simply by denser, more opaque, and better at reflecting scientist at the University of Washington in looking at the sky, these important atmo- the Sun’s radiation. However, cloud Seattle, commented in an email. McCoy was spheric features have proven difficult to study researchers could only estimate how much not involved in the study. scientifically, especially when it comes to this transition in cloud composition would Some scientists remain unconvinced that mixed-phase clouds. These clouds, prevalent act as a brake on climate warming because the team’s new projections for global tem- at higher latitudes, drift across the skies in the they had only a general idea of how much of perature increase are on the mark. Emphasiz- upper reaches of the Earth’s troposphere, the water in mixed-phase clouds was frozen. ing that mixed-phase clouds are just one ele- where the air temperature ranges from about ment of a dynamic climate system, Gavin 0°C to −40°C. Unlike clouds in lower, warmer CALIPSO’s Unclouded Vision Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute layers of the atmosphere, which contain only To get a better picture of these mixed-phase for Space Studies in New York, N.Y., who was liquid water droplets, high-altitude mixed- clouds, the research team, composed of Ivy not involved with the study, urged in an email phase clouds contain water as supercooled liq- Tan and Trude Storelvmo of Yale University in that the new cloud data should be tested with uid droplets mixed with some ice fragments. New Haven, Conn., and Mark Zelinka of Law- other constraints and other models. “This is The ratio of water to ice can vary depending on rence Livermore National Laboratory in Liv- one extra ingredient that needs to go into the the cloud—and because the cloud’s behavior ermore, Calif., looked at data from Cloud- hopper,” he wrote. depends on a set of complex interactions Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder between melting ice and freezing water, the Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), a NASA sat- effects of these interactions can be difficult to ellite that uses lidar to observe clouds from By Elizabeth Deatrick, Writer Intern

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across the world called the plans a blow to Chilly Reception for New Australian Australia’s scientific reputation and argued against the research shift because scientists Climate Science Center still have much to learn about the climate system. Now, with the proposed new division, scientists are expressing some relief. And Liberal Party senator Richard Colbeck, who already supported CSIRO’s research refocusing, lauded the creation of the center and the advisory board, which he said would advise Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberal- National coalition government. However, scientists still worry that CSIRO will struggle to keep its promise of maintaining key basic climate research projects, among them the Cape Grim greenhouse gas monitoring station and the Argo ocean floats.

New Center Too Small? In statements compiled by the Australian Sci- ence Media Centre, many climate scientists said the center needs more than 40 staffers. Similar centers in other countries have several times more, according to Matthew England, a climate researcher at the Univer- sity of New South Wales based in the Sydney area (see http://bit.ly/CSIRO-center -Feedback). Australian senator Peter Whish-Wilson of the Australian Greens party cited these scientists’ statements in noting his own skepticism of the plan. “Clearly the reaction…was that Bruce Miller The proposed new Climate Science Centre would coordinate the Australian government’s remaining basic climate the number is too low and that this was more measurements and modeling, including its program of Argo ocean floats (shown). or less reshuffling the deck chairs,” he said on 27 April at a live webcast Australian Senate budget panel hearing. ustralia’s Commonwealth Scientific will help coordinate and preserve those mod- CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall and Industrial Research Organisation eling and measurement projects. And agency responded that recent research budget cuts A (CSIRO) has created a new climate sci- officials said they planned to cut 25 to 30 fewer have forced tough choices at the agency. “Any ence division, a move many scientists said climate science staff across CSIRO than before chief executive would always want more wouldn’t fully undo the damage of previously (see http://bit.ly/CSIRO-CSC). money to do more,” he said at the hearing. announced research cuts. As the nation’s pre- Marshall added that CSIRO created the cen- miere scientific agency, CSIRO sparked con- Long-Simmering Controversy ter with feedback from staffers as well as troversy months ago by revealing plans for a Still, many Australian scientists are unmoved, external scientists and universities. Having a shift in its research focus away from basic cli- saying the center’s meager staffing level ren- body to oversee key agency climate projects mate science and toward climate change ders it a mostly toothless face-saving effort. and giving it an advisory board will help coor- response strategies. “While the retention of some of CSIRO’s cli- dinate the research and promote external col- The announcement of the new research mate science capabilities is welcome, the level laboration, he said. unit, CSIRO leaders said, served in part as a announced is analogous to trying to put a Steven Sherwood, a climate researcher at response to widespread criticism from sticking plaster over a gaping wound,” sus- the University of New South Wales, looked scientists—including some in-house—over tainability researcher Dave Griggs of Monash favorably on the prospect of more coordina- the proposed shift in focus. Critics had argued University in Melbourne said in a 26 April tion and the advisory board, even as he criti- that CSIRO’s previously disclosed plans to cut statement. cized its staffing level. “Both of these would roughly half of its 140 climate science staffers The controversy traces back to February, be positive developments, but the small size would imperil the agency’s ability to carry out when CSIRO told staff of its proposed cuts, of the new centre would limit what it could the basic climate modeling and measurement likely followed by new hires in other areas. achieve for Australia,” he said in a state- projects that it had hoped to keep. CSIRO leaders, wanting to shift focus toward ment. But CSIRO leaders say the new Climate Sci- climate change mitigation and adaptation, ence Centre—staffed by 40, overseen by an argued that Australia needed economically independent advisory board, and armed with a innovative research to stay globally competi- By Puneet Kollipara, Freelance Writer; email: decade-long commitment from the agency— tive. Scientists and scientific organizations [email protected]

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

Quake-Catcher Network. This project 4 works much like AcceleROB but on a global scale: Teachers and other hosts can ask for a Crowdsourced Seismology sensor that can be taped to the floor and plugged into a computer by means of a USB cable. The sensor then constantly monitors tremors, broadcasting any disturbance back to Washington, D. C., the project leaders at the California-based told Eos. She works Quake-Catcher Network (QCN). The project on the California- also has an educational component: The proj- based Quake- ect leads are trying to get more schools Catcher Network involved, distributing lesson plans on the QCN project. website (see http://bit .ly/ Q- C- N). Each project has its Did You Feel It? The USGS has its own own scope, focus, and 5 earthquake-watching project that gets its means of detecting input from questionnaires. For 20 years, users earthquakes; here are anywhere in the world have been able to fill five of them: out an online form when they feel a quake, MyShake. This answering such questions as “Did you notice 1 app for Android any swinging of doors or other free-hanging phones relies on the objects?” The program takes the answers and phone’s internal aggregates them with other local reports to

Berkeley Seismological Laboratory Berkeley sensor to detect assign an intensity to the quake. The team is In tests of the MyShake app, researchers subjected cell phones to simulated earth- ongoing quakes. currently building a prototype system of vol- quakes using a shake table at the University of California, Berkeley. Place the phone on a unteer reporting that they hope will be able to flat surface, leave it gather earthquake location and intensity data alone for half an faster than traditional seismograph networks t the Seismological Society of America hour to calibrate, and it will begin “listen- (see http://bit.ly/Did- You _Feel_It). (SSA) meeting this spring, in a session ing” for tremors that disturb the phone’s For most of these projects, seismologists A on “Citizen Seismology,” researchers built-in accelerometer. Anything that fits seemed encouraged by the responsiveness of from around the globe presented their crowd- the profile of an earthquake gets automati- citizen scientists. “For a very large earth- sourced earthquake detection networks. cally reported to the MyShake database. The quake, we’ll get around 20,000–30,000 From cell phone apps to sensors in base- MyShake team at the University of Califor- responses in the U.S.,” Quitoriano told Eos. ments, these projects recruit ordinary people nia, Berkeley, hopes eventually to build a “For smaller earthquakes, we’ll get on the to gather and report data on nearby earth- global network of MyShake users and to pro- order of 5000–6000.” quakes. They generate dense networks of sen- duce an iPhone version of the app (see Seismological research has benefited from sors while also teaching their citizen volun- http://bit.ly/My-Shake). these new data sources. For instance, during a teers about earthquakes. LastQuake. Like MyShake, LastQuake is an 24 January, 7.1 magnitude Alaskan earthquake Made possible by the advent of the Internet 2 app for smartphones—but this one relies (see http://bit.ly/alaskan-quake), seismometers and smartphones, this distributed way of on volunteer reporting rather than on the tuned to monitor lower-magnitude tremors gathering data can sometimes make up for phone’s internal hardware. The LastQuake became oversaturated by the quake’s intensity. shortfalls of traditional precision seismograph system, created by a team at the European- “But some of the USB sensors that we had in networks, seismologists said. For instance, Mediterranean Seismological Centre in schools were able to get really accurate record- citizen science networks can sometimes out- Essonne, France, sifts through Internet traffic ings,” said Sumy. “So they’ve proved very use- pace traditional earthquake monitoring net- on Twitter and other public networks, looking ful in environments where other sensors that works in reporting to a central database and for reports of tremors. Users located near might not be on the right scale have failed.” may form denser networks than the conven- earthquake epicenters can fill out a question- At the SSA meeting, which took place in tional ones, enabling seismologists to more naire to rank the earthquake’s intensity (see Reno, Nev., in late April, the different groups quickly triangulate an earthquake’s epicenter. http://bit.ly/Last-Q). were able to meet and share their data. Some What’s more, they can capture the actual AcceleROB. Not all earthquake crowd- of the researchers have said they hope to impact of an earthquake on people’s lives, 3 sourcing requires a smartphone: Across interconnect citizen science networks with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) analyst Vincent Belgium, in quiet garages and basements, a traditional instruments to collect data from Quitoriano, who works on a quake detection network of cheap, boxy sensors attached to both simultaneously, which should result in website called “Did You Feel It?,” told Eos. bricks is listening for tremors. The AcceleROB more quickly available and accurate online Because these novel quake monitoring program, run by the Royal Observatory of Bel- earthquake maps. “In the future, we’re hoping projects engage volunteers and turn them gium in Brussels, has asked volunteers to host to have a convergence of data streams,” said into a larger scientific workforce, “there’s its cheap, low-power, Internet-connected Quitoriano. “There’s still some work to be more education happening, there’s more accelerometers in their homes. So far, only done, but I can see that that’s the direction research happening. People are just more 28 households across Belgium have done so, we’re heading in.” involved in their communities,” Danielle but the program hopes to send out 70 more Sumy, a seismologist with the Incorporated sensors, allowing its team to monitor the Research Institutions for Seismology in whole country (see http://bit.ly/A-R-B). By Elizabeth Deatrick, Writer Intern

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cans outside of Alaska. He noted that U.S. U.S. Arctic Leader: Shell Oil Pullout president Barack Obama, who spent 3 days in Alaska last summer, “is personally engaged in Reduced Beneficial Focus on Arctic Arctic issues” and has focused on the effect of climate change in the Arctic. Papp described a “sense of urgency” at the White House “that progress has to be made now in advancing our Arctic priorities.” “We must address the impacts of climate change,” Papp added. “There may be no issues with greater long-term consequences for the Arctic.” He said the council “is looking at what a 2°C temperature increase would look like for the Arctic” to prepare for warming effects and push resilience efforts.

Initiatives Include Scientific Cooperation and Arctic Infrastructure The United States chairs the council until May 2017. Papp said that before the term ends, the council might finalize a legally binding agreement on scientific cooperation in the Arctic region (see http://bit.ly/Arctic -pact). It’s also working on a circumpolar infrastructure assessment with recommen- dations for Arctic states to ramp up telecom- munications capacity to support navigation, offshore development, and improved responses to environmental and humanitar- ian emergencies.

REUTERS/Jason Redmond Arctic Council member states also recently Shell Oil had used the Polar Pioneer rig during a drilling campaign off Alaska before deciding last fall to cease offshore provided reports to the council on black car- exploration activities in the Arctic. bon, or soot—a global atmospheric pollutant and major contributor to climate change. Among other effects, black carbon darkens oyal Dutch Shell’s September 2015 rank as probably his highest priority as U.S. snow and ice, increasing energy absorption decision to cease oil exploration activ- special representative for the Arctic, Papp and melting. R ity offshore of Alaska has lessened told Eos. Another council project cited by Papp, an global awareness of Arctic issues, said the Brookings billed Papp’s talk as a status online map of circumpolar renewable energy U.S. special representative for the polar report on U.S. leadership in the Arctic at the resources, could help Arctic communities region in a recent talk in Washington, D. C. midpoint of the United States’ 2-year chair- reduce costs and greenhouse gases. Papp “I am discouraged that Shell is not going to added that the United States will lead discus- be drilling up there in the near future,” sions on Arctic marine cooperation and a Admiral Robert Papp Jr. (retired) told a Papp described a “sense regional seas agreement. 25 April forum at the Brookings Institution, of urgency” at the White a policy think tank (see http://bit.ly/Admrl Oil Concerns Continue -Papp-talk). House “that progress has Papp said the Arctic Council’s 2013 oil spill The oil company’s activity “was visible, preparedness agreement came into effect ear- something that really drew a lot of attention to be made now in lier this year, and he hopes a full-scale exer- [and] which provided that sense of urgency to advancing our Arctic cise will take place soon. He emphasized that act,” Papp said. Shell’s activities had put Arc- despite Shell’s decision to cease its offshore tic issues, including climate change, prevent- priorities.” drilling, oil spill prevention remains a high ing oil spills, and balancing environmental concern. protection and resource development, in the “The reality is that there are ships passing spotlight. through the Bering Strait each and every day In an interview with Eos, Papp also manship of the Arctic Council, an intergov- carrying fuel,” he said. A ship leak may not expressed concern about keeping attention ernmental forum of eight Arctic nations. cause as much damage as a blown-out oil well, on the Arctic following the U.S. presidential Member countries rotate through 2-year he said, but any oil spill is “particularly bad in election and during a new administration stints chairing the body. the Arctic.” with its own priorities. “Making sure we have Papp cited progress in the first year of the continuity [on Arctic issues] and get[ing] the U.S. chairmanship on Arctic issues, including new team up to speed as quickly as possible” raising awareness of the region among Ameri- By Randy Showstack, Staff Writer

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 9 MEETING REPORT

ocean, which influences a wide range of pro- Salinity Monitoring Gives Insight cesses affecting ocean dynamics, including sea level height, interocean water exchange, into the Global Water Cycle propagation of planetary and tropical instability waves, and mesoscale variability in ocean Salinity and Water Cycle over the Oceans: fronts and eddies. Recent Progress and Future Challenges At the workshop, advances in under- Hamburg, Germany, 12–15 October 2015 standing the ocean’s water cycle, made possible by innovations in the salinity observing system that recently began providing near-instantaneous snapshots of the global salinity field, were reported. These advances include the near-global three- dimensional sampling by the Argo array of temperature and salinity profiling floats (see http://www.argo.ucsd . edu) and space- borne measurements of sea surface salinity using the European Space Agency’s Soil

0) Moisture and Ocean Salinity spacecraft (SMOS; see http://bit.ly/SMOS-spacecraft) and NASA’s Aquarius mission aboard the Argentine SAC-D spacecraft (which ceased operations in June 2015; see http://aquarius .nasa.gov). A major recommendation of the workshop is to maintain data streams from surface and satellite observing systems. This includes maintaining the Argo array, con- tinuing salinity satellite missions, and, especially, expanding satellite constella- tions to observe the entire global hydrological cycle, including processes over the ocean, in the cryosphere, on land, and in the

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC BY 2.0 (http://bit.ly/ccby2- 2.0 CC BY Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA atmosphere. Data from NASA’s Aquarius instrument reveal seasonal changes in the Amazon River’s plume. (This map shows condi- Existing observations of salinity changes tions on 27 February 2013. Red indicates high salinity, and blue indicates low salinity.) Depending on the prevailing cur- provide strong evidence for changes in the rents, the river’s freshwater outflow heads east toward Africa or bends north toward the Caribbean. Salinity variations ocean water cycle over recent decades. Climate are one of the main drivers of ocean circulation. projections suggest that those changes will further amplify in a warming world. The next challenge is to reconcile available information he global water cycle is one of the fun- Hamburg, Germany) reviewed recent progress over land and over the ocean and to damental elements of the Earth’s cli- on salinity and freshwater research and strengthen the link between efforts concern- T mate system, involving the exchange of included discussions of problems that must be ing the oceanic and terrestrial components of freshwater within the entire ocean-land- solved to improve our understanding of future the global hydrological cycle. Providing better atmosphere system. Predicting changes in this changes in the water cycle. estimates of precipitation over the ocean is a cycle over the next decades and beyond pro- The workshop brought together nearly 100 step in this direction. vides critical information to societies for mak- scientists from around the world. Their results This workshop was sponsored by the ing decisions on water management, agricul- emphasized the importance of salinity Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft–funded ture, and other factors. changes to changes in the density field of the research effort FOR1740 on salinity changes The ocean is the world’s largest reservoir of and by the European Space Agency, NASA, and water, providing more than 75% of Earth’s the National Oceanic and Atmospheric evaporated and precipitated water. Thus, to Existing observations of Administration. It was endorsed by Climate successfully predict the future of the global and Ocean: Variability, Predictability and water cycle, we need to understand the salinity changes provide Change (CLIVAR), US CLIVAR, and the Global changes in transport of freshwater in the strong evidence for Energy and Water Cycle Exchanges Project ocean. Studying these changes requires inves- (GEWEX). tigating changes in salinity, the primary indi- changes in the ocean cator of regional changes of freshwater in the ocean. water cycle over recent By Detlef Stammer, Center for Earth System A workshop (see http://bit.ly/salinity decades. Research and Sustainability, Universität Hamburg, -workshop) held at the Center for Earth Sys- Hamburg, Germany; email: detlef.stammer@ tem Research and Sustainability (Universität uni- hamburg.de

10 // Eos 15 June 2016 MEETING REPORT

that scientists can learn about the processes Paleofires and Models Illuminate that control where charcoal particles actually end up. Meanwhile, young researchers will lead Future Fire Scenarios a project—one of many interdisciplinary efforts that emerged from discussions at the work- Advances in Interdisciplinary Paleofire Research: shop—to refine data collection protocols to Data and Model Comparisons for the Past Millennium allow data comparisons at global scales. Harvard Forest, Petersham, Massachusetts, 27 September to 2 October 2015 Workshop attendees agreed that future studies must emphasize data calibration, modeling, and new proxies to tackle long- ire regimes are shaped by biological, fore designed a model-data approach to test standing challenges for paleofire researchers, physical, and climatic processes that whether the use of fire by ancient North such as refining the timing and extent of F operate across decadal, centennial, and Americans—for example, for hunting and anthropogenic fire across ecosystems and millennial timescales. These regimes have been harvesting—changed across regions and biomes. The GPWG will continue to modified by human land use for millennia. during key cultural phases. Past changes in strengthen interdisciplinary approaches and Thus, setting realistic restoration goals for for- fires during cultural transitions can therefore foster cooperation between researchers, land est management and conservation requires a inform today’s managers about the impacts of managers, and stakeholders interested in the historical baseline of fire under more “natural” altered fire regimes on vegetation dynamics climatic, land use, and biodiversity impacts of conditions. and the relative roles of climate and humans fire. As the Global Charcoal Database grows Regional to global syntheses of biomass in shaping fire-affected landscapes. beyond its current 700 records, new analyses burning through the Global Charcoal Database (see http://www.paleofire.org) initiative show complex interactions between climate, vegetation, and fire. This complexity implies that the ways that fire regimes change in response to forecasted climatic changes may be difficult to predict, particularly across ecosystem and climatic boundaries. Last fall, the Global Paleofire Working Group (GPWG), an international group of researchers who study fires recorded in the sedimentary record via charcoal particles, gathered to discuss technical and conceptual challenges in reconstructing paleofires, new statistical approaches for reducing uncertain- ties in data and models, and interdisciplinary analyses of fire data from multiple archives (lake sediment, tree rings, and ice cores). FIRMS NASA/EOSDIS, These analyses rely on information from the Red and yellow dots indicate fire activity observed by NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Global Charcoal Database, GPWG’s innovative (MODIS) in fall 2010. Paleofire records can provide information about natural fire regimes before land use intensifica- database that uses multiple preserved physical tion and the extent to which humans shaped present ecosystems and modern fire regimes. records (proxies) that stand in for direct measurements of events in the distant past. Dis- cussions focused on diverse topics, such as Workshop attendees also identified data- and integrative data-model studies will fire-vegetation interactions and the mecha- model comparisons that will help researchers become possible. nisms governing extreme fire events (see assess the climatic controls over “megafires.” GPWG (see http://www.gpwg.paleofire.org) http://bit.ly/paleofiremtg). Researchers’ efforts to combine models and is supported by the U.S. National Science Foun- Fire-vegetation feedbacks (in which vege- data at different spatial and temporal scales dation (NSF) and the Swiss National Science tation fuels fires, and fires assist some types will require filling gaps in key areas where Foundation through Past Global Changes of vegetation) are important determinants of charcoal data are presently scarce, such as (PAGES). NSF grant BCS-1437074 supported biome distributions, but their role in mediat- Africa and Eurasia, which is now a top priority the workshop. ing vegetation changes, as observed in the for the GPWG. paleorecord, is poorly understood. Workshop To address the scarcity of calibration studies participants designed an interdisciplinary in many areas of the world, attendees devel- By Ann Robertson, Yale Program on Climate approach combining modeling techniques oped both empirical and process-based Change Communication, Yale University, New with paleodata (e.g., pollen and sediment approaches to relate quantitative charcoal Haven, Conn.; email: [email protected]; charcoal) that will test the role of fire feed- measurements to physical fire regime proper- Esther Githumbi, York Institute for Tropical Eco- backs in fire-prone ecosystems during past ties. For example, modern surface samples systems, Environment Department, University of biome transitions. coupled with satellite data of known areas of York, Heslington, York, U.K.; and Daniele Colom- Understanding determinants of severe fire burning (see map) will help constrain source baroli, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change events in the past is relevant for managing areas of charcoal and link them to the distribu- Research and Institute of Plant Sciences, Univer- ecosystems in the future. A subgroup there- tion of charcoal particles across landscapes so sity of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 11 OPINION

focus on acquiring grant money, performing Diversifying Skills and Promoting research, and communicating research to peers. Teaching, mentoring, engaging with the Teamwork in Science public, in-depth reviewing of manuscripts and grant proposals, and serving on panels of experts usually do not factor strongly in performance evaluation metrics [Arlinghaus, 2014]. Although these tasks play a key role in helping our scientific system to function and many institutions ask for evidence that researchers “have done their share,” scientists’ performance in these areas is rarely important for hiring and promotion decisions.

One Size Does Not Fit All Also, researchers are typically assessed by individual-level metrics, whereas their contributions as members of research teams are not explicitly considered and valued. Bright scientists with skills not represented by current metrics or whose contributions as team play- ers are overlooked might easily become frus- trated and leave science, joining public and private organizations where their skills and contributions are more highly valued. Successful sports managers and hiring managers at leading companies carefully select team members on the basis of how their

Pixabay (public domain) individual skills complement those already Hiring and promoting academic research scientists based on a wide variety of skills and how their individual skills present in a team. A possible path forward to complement the team encourage these scientists to excel in the tasks in which their talents lie. promote intellectual diversity in scientific institutions is to recognize that one size (i.e., one skill set or personality type) does not fit ncreasing diversity in science is an import- ual skills complement the team, scientists will all. ant and widely recognized goal: Significant be allowed—and even have an incentive—to We suggest that scientific institutions I effort has gone into recruiting a broad spec- excel in the tasks where their talents lie. reward teamwork, which recognizes the need trum of demographic groups to the field. to look for complementary skills in candi- However, one aspect of scientific diversity is Mainstream Metrics Lead dates. To be successful in the long term, team largely overlooked, in part because of the to Mainstream Science members must exhibit a variety of skills excessive use of a few quantitative metrics in For governments and organizations that beyond a common foundation of basic skills. assessing research performance. Here we decide on scientific priorities and funding, the examine this issue in the context of the aca- ability to assess the performance of individual Building on Individual Strengths demic science community. scientists, institutions, and entire nations is Even the most accomplished scientists have We argue that widespread assessment based vital. For example, academic scientists’ per- uneven skills, allowing them to excel in some on a few quantitative metrics has substantially formance is now commonly evaluated using tasks but not in others. For example, Charles reduced the diversity of skills and teamwork in quantitative metrics such as the h-index for Darwin had outstanding skills in performing science. A further depletion of diverse person- measuring their publications’ impact, the research and communicating research to alities and undervalued skills may seriously number of publications, or acquired grant peers. However, Darwin was independently impair innovativeness and will favor research money [Weingart, 2005; Kaushal and Jeschke, wealthy and could pursue his research inter- along established pathways rather than trans- 2013; Arlinghaus, 2014]. As a consequence, sci- ests without developing the skills to acquire formative outside-of- the- box science. entists and heads of institutions adapt their long-term grants [Loehle, 1990]. Some scientists are good at acquiring grant behaviors and strategies to optimize their per- A short list of the basic skills needed by an money, others are good at communicating formance according to such metrics. academic research scientist includes research to peers, and still others are good at It is important to realize that current met- • acquiring grant money teaching or outreach activities. Using a single, rics represent only a fraction of the key • performing research limited set of metrics (for example, grant responsibilities of scientists. The widespread • communicating research to peers: writ- money and number of scientific publications) use of these quantitative metrics can lead to ing scientific publications, presenting results to assess the suitability of candidates across the selection and promotion of a uniform type at scientific conferences, etc. these types of scientists is unreasonable. of scientist. • serving as an expert: service in the scien- If the hiring and promotion strategy of sci- Institutions differ in the way they assess tific institution (e.g., administrative service, entific institutions changes so that candidates scientists, but the quantitative metrics that serving on faculty panels) and service in the are selected on the basis of how their individ- many use for hiring and promotion decisions wider scientific community (e.g., reviewing

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manuscripts and grant proposals, editorial Assessment based on a entific progress—it can make the whole work, serving on scientific committees) greater than the sum of the parts. • engaging with the public (outreach): few quantitative metrics discussing research results with public stake- References holders, serving as a consultant, etc. [Pace has substantially reduced Arlinghaus, R. (2014), Are current research evaluation metrics causing a tragedy of the scientific commons and the extinction of university- et al., 2010] the diversity of skills and based fisheries programs?, Fisheries, 39, 212–215. • mentoring Hong, L., and S. E. Page (2004), Groups of diverse problem solvers teaching teamwork in science. can outperform groups of high-ability problem solvers, Proc. Natl. • Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 101, 16,385–16,389. Each individual scientist has a unique mix Kaushal, S. S., and J. M. Jeschke (2013), Collegiality versus competition: of strengths and weaknesses in these areas. How metrics shape scientific communities, BioScience, 63, 155–156. Fostering individual areas of strength pro- Loehle, C. (1990), A guide to increased creativity in research— Inspiration or perspiration?, BioScience, 40, 123–129. motes diversity in science, whereas selecting types of scientists that an academic institution Pace, M. L., et al. (2010), Communicating with the public: Opportunities a limited set of skills reduces scientific needs to achieve an optimal mix of staff scien- and rewards for individual ecologists, Front. Ecol. Environ., 8, 292–298. diversity. tists and to promote overall performance. A Weingart, P. (2005), Impact of bibliometrics upon the science system: Inadvertent consequences?, Scientometrics, 62, 117–131. look beyond academia might be helpful in this Building Diverse Teams regard, as successful sports clubs and leading We argue that scientific institutions should companies have much experience in hiring better recognize the value of diversity of indi- individuals that complement the team and By Jonathan M. Jeschke, Leibniz Institute of vidual characters, skills, and positions, and promote teamwork. Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), they should also better value the potential for Building teams that consist of diverse types Berlin, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freie Univer- teamwork [Weingart, 2005; Arlinghaus, 2014]. of scientists will promote intellectual diver- sität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; and Cary Institute of Although scientists often view themselves as sity. Also, research has shown that diverse Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, N.Y.; email: jonathan leaders of research teams, we are also part of teams often outperform homogeneous groups, .[email protected]; Sujay S. Kaushal, Department broader teams—departments, universities, even homogeneous groups of high- of Geology and Earth System Science Interdis- and academic communities. performing individuals [Hong and Page, 2004]. ciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College More specifically, we propose that hiring The promotion of intellectually diverse teams Park; and Klement Tockner, IGB; and Institute of committees should better value the diverse can thus create synergies and accelerate sci- Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Now Accepting Applications for Natural Hazards Editor of Earth’s Future

AGU is seeking an editor specializing in natural hazards papers for Earth’s Future. The ideal candidate should be able to combine specialized knowledge with a broad, transdisciplinary approach. The editor will handle manuscripts from all areas related to natural hazards, including hydrology, atmospheric science, oceanography, solid Earth, and disaster science. If you would like to be considered for this position, please send your curriculum vitae with a letter of interest via email to [email protected].

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 13 Teaching the Integration of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences

Atmospheric scientists spent a decade incorporating geographic information systems into their research and operations. Now it is time to incorporate GIS into atmospheric science education.

By Jennifer Boehnert, J. Greg Dobson, and Olga Wilhelmi

14 // Eos 15 June 2016 Erich Schlegel/Stringer/Getty Images Erich Schlegel/Stringer/Getty

ignificant effort has gone into making atmo- In September 2011, wildfire destroyed houses in this residential subdivi- spheric data sets, including weather and cli- sion in Bastrop, Texas. Global information systems (GIS) can help atmo- mate records, more compatible with existing spheric scientists put such incidents into a broader geophysical context. geographic information systems (GIS) software platforms over the past 10 years, and these platforms have evolved to better incorporate and climate data with socioeconomic, environmental, and atmospheric data sets. However, the atmospheric science infrastructure data can help to answer interdisciplinary Scommunity still needs to get better at training atmo- questions about population vulnerability to dangerous spheric students and scientists how to use GIS tools, and weather events like extreme heat [Uejio et al., 2011], flash we need to make weather and climate model results more flooding [Wilhelmi and Morss, 2012], and hurricanes [Tara- accessible to scientists, emergency managers, and policy melli et al., 2015]. makers who already rely on GIS for mapping and analysis tools. What Is GIS? GIS excels at integrating multiple, diverse data sets to Many definitions of GIS are floating around. Bolstad [2005, provide a picture of how atmospheric phenomena affect p. 1] states that GIS “is a tool for making and using spatial society and the environment. The integration of weather information.” More specifically, GIS is defined as a

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 15 computer-based system to collect, store, analyze, and model output, such as Fifth-Generation Penn State/ distribute spatial data. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Meso- Real-world objects, such as buildings, roads, and land scale Model (MM5) output, GIS data sets had to be con- use types, are represented as points, lines, and polygons verted to the Web Map Services (WMS) standard protocol on a map. By mapping multiple real-world objects or images. By using open geospatial standards, GIS data together on one map, we can better understand the rela- could be visualized as an overlay with atmospheric data in tionships, patterns, and trends of these features. GIS has atmospheric sciences tools, such as Cartesian Interactive been used over the past 45 years in such areas as land Data Display (CIDD). management, forestry, and city planning [Miller et al., In 2006, Esri, the GIS software company that produces 2015]. ArcGIS, developed the capability to read a common atmo- Using GIS as an analysis tool for atmospheric data sets spheric data format, called Network Common Data Form fosters research collaborations across geoscience disci- (netCDF), and integrated it into their desktop application. plines, and GIS tools can make weather and climate data This new capability, incorporated into ArcGIS 9.2, came more usable and accessible to nonatmospheric scientists. about as a result of a multiyear collaboration across indus- This cross-fertilization benefits scientists, practitioners, try, government, and academia led by the NCAR GIS Pro- and educators from both the atmospheric sciences and gram. the geography disciplinary domains [Wilhelmi and When ArcGIS 9.2 was released, a more straightforward Brunskill, 2003, p. 1411]. technological connection between atmospheric and geospatial domains was established. This new functionality History of GIS Integration with Weather and Climate opened the door for incorporating weather and climate In the past, the lack of interoperability between atmo- data with traditional GIS data sets to map, analyze, and spheric data sets and GIS tools was a barrier to interdisci- query data from different disciplines in one seamless plinary research [Wilhelmi and Betancourt, 2005]. Bridging application. For example, you could examine the ways that atmospheric sciences and GIS domains required interoper- mountains affect temperature and precipitation by creat- ability between the data sets and the analysis tools. ing a visualization that combined a terrain map with data Interoperability experiments initially focused on refor- on temperature and precipitation patterns. matting data so they could be used in the ArcGIS software The new capability for ArcGIS to read the netCDF data [Wilhelmi and Betancourt, 2005, p. 177]. To integrate GIS format enabled researchers and decision makers who are data sets, primarily base map information, with weather familiar with the GIS technology to better understand the spatial dimension of weather and climate phenomena and to conduct such interdisciplinary projects as vulnerability and impact assessments for climate change and extreme weather events [Armstrong et al., 2015]. Another recent advancement is the increasing availability of weather and climate data sets in GIS-friendly formats. The ability to read traditional atmospheric data in GIS and the availability of weather and climate information in traditional GIS formats have been essential for the interoperability of these two disciplines. National Weather Service weather warning polygons are available in shapefile format, a traditional GIS data type. The availability of these data in a GIS-friendly format enables emergency managers to see who and what may be affected by the extreme weather [Waters et al., 2005]. Reverse 9-1-1 operators can identify and contact households within the warning area through standard GIS overlay methods and tools [Cutter, 2003].

GIS Tutorial for Atmospheric Sciences Fast-forward 10 years, and a lack of educational materials still presents a barrier to integrating GIS with the atmospheric sciences. Only a small number of atmospheric or Earth sciences departments in U.S. universities and col- leges currently teach or require a GIS course. Even fewer offer any courses that integrate weather and climate applications and data with GIS tools and methods. The lack of open-access curricula that bridge these

Jeff Schmaltz, NASA GSFC Jeff Schmaltz, NASA domains is still apparent. Students seeking degrees in Satellite image of Hurricane Sandy on 29 October 2012. Exercise 3 of the atmospheric sciences need curricula on how to inte- the “GIS Tutorial for Atmospheric Sciences” lab tutorial uses Sandy as grate atmospheric sciences with GIS tools and methods, an example of creating maps that communicate the effects of major but meteorologists, climatologists, and other atmospheric weather events. science professionals can also benefit from learning how

16 // Eos 15 June 2016 to use GIS data and tools in A research and operations. Esri recently published a collection of advanced-use cases of how GIS is being used to map and model weather and climate [Armstrong et al., 2015]. However, this book is not meant as a hands-on learning resource, and it does not cover the fundamental GIS skills that beginners need to get started. To address this problem, the NCAR GIS Program has collabo- rated with the University of North Carolina at Asheville’s National Environmental Model- ing and Analysis Center to develop the first hands-on open- access GIS lab tutorial, the “GIS Tutorial for Atmospheric Sci- ences” (http://bit.ly/GIS -Atmo-Tutorial). Many free B online general GIS courses are available; learning GIS through relevant weather and climate applications is what makes this tutorial novel. All of these exercises use data that are freely available on the Web, and they teach the intro- ductory capabilities of GIS. The GIS concepts and methods included in this course use Arc- GIS Desktop, but they are trans- ferable to other GIS software platforms. Section 1 of this tutorial, which consists of five hands-on exercises, has recently been released and made available online. These first exercises cover the intro- ductory concepts and methods Fig. 1. Integration of remote sensing products in a geographic information system (GIS): (a) Landsat necessary to understand how to imagery of Bastrop County, Texas, from 9 July 2011; (b) Landsat imagery of the Bastrop County Com- work with spatial data in a GIS plex Fire burn scar as observed on 11 September 2011. Black dots indicate fire locations as detected by environment. the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) during the summer of 2011.

GIS Basics in Five Exercises In Exercise 1, “Exploring ArcMap and ArcCatalog,” we use Monitor, station-based meteorological data, Landsat observed tornado track data to map where tornado activ- remote sensing observations, Moderate Resolution Imag- ity has occurred in the past. This module combines his- ing Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire locations, and land torical tornado track information from the National Oce- use data sets to better understand how drought affects anic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm wildfires. Prediction Center with a state boundary GIS data set to Exercise 3, “Data Symbology and Classification,” ana- identify where most tornadoes have occurred over the lyzes the official track for Hurricane Sandy, along with the past 50 years. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Impacts Data- Exercise 2, “Exploring Spatial Data,” explores the 2012 base. The combination of these two data sets allows stu- drought in Texas and highlights the ability of GIS tools to dents to create a map that helps to better communicate combine several spatial data sets in one application. Fig- the impacts from Hurricane Sandy. ure 1 illustrates how satellite imagery from different Exercise 4, “Cartographic Mapping,” uses NOAA Coop- sources can be used to analyze wildfires in a GIS frame- erative Observer Network data to map the 1993 blizzard, work. This exercise integrates data from the U.S. Drought often called the Superstorm, that dumped record snow

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 17 Fig. 2. Final map product of the snowfall totals observed from the Superstorm of 1993, created in Exercise 4 of the “GIS Tutorial for Atmospheric Sciences” lab tutorial.

falls over much of the East Coast of the United States. Bolstad, P. (2005), GIS Fundamentals: A First Text on Geographic Information Systems, XanEdu, Ann Arbor, Mich. An illustration of this mapping exercise in shown in Fig- Cutter, S. L. (2003), GI science, disasters, and emergency management, Trans. GIS, ure 2. 7(4), 439–446. Finally, Exercise 5, “Coordinate Systems and Map Pro- Miller, R. W., R. J. Hauer, and L. P. Werner (2015). Urban Forestry: Planning and Manag- ing Urban Greenspaces, Waveland, Long Grove, Ill. jections,” explores map projections and datum concepts Taramelli, A., E. Valentini, and S. Sterlacchini (2015), A GIS-based approach for hur- using climate model simulation output provided by NOAA ricane hazard and vulnerability assessment in the Cayman Islands, Ocean Coastal and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Manage., 108, 116–130. Uejio, C. K., O. V. Wilhelmi, J. S. Golden, D. M. Mills, S. P. Gulino, and J. P. Samenow (2011), Intra-urban societal vulnerability to extreme heat: The role of heat exposure Future Work and the built environment, socioeconomics, and neighborhood stability, Health Place, 17(2), 498–507. This year, the “GIS Tutorial for Atmospheric Sciences” Waters, K., et al. (2005), Polygon weather warnings—A new approach for the National will be expanded to include additional exercises that focus Weather Service, paper presented at the 21st International Conference on Interactive on intermediate and advanced topics in GIS. This new Information Processing Systems (IIPS) for Meteorology, Oceanography, and Hydrol- ogy, American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, Calif. section will teach students about working with netCDF in Wilhelmi, O. V., and T. L. Betancourt (2005), Evolution of NCAR’s GIS Initiative: Demon- ArcMap, analysis and geoprocessing tools, Web mapping, stration of GIS Interoperability, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 86, 176–178. and animation of data through time. In addition, we plan Wilhelmi, O. V., and J. C. Brunskill (2003), Geographic information systems in weather, climate, and impacts, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 84, 1409–1414. to develop a version of the tutorial that will be based on Wilhelmi, O. V., and R. E. Morss (2012), Integrated analysis of societal vulnerability in the Quantum GIS (QGIS) open-source GIS platform. Feed- an extreme precipitation event: A Fort Collins case study, Environ. Sci. Policy, 26, back from students, educators, researchers, and practi- 49–62, doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2012.07.005. tioners will guide the development of new hands-on exercises that integrate atmospheric sciences with GIS Author Information tools and methods. Jennifer Boehnert, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo.; email: [email protected]; J. Greg Dobson, References National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center, Univer- Armstrong, L., K. Butler, J. Settelmaier, T. Vance, and O. Wilhelmi (Eds.) (2015), Mapping sity of North Carolina at Asheville; and Olga Wilhelmi, National and Modeling Weather and Climate with GIS, Esri Press, Redlands, Calif. Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo.

18 // Eos 15 June 2016 Voting is a member benefit that influences the direction of AGU. Plan to vote starting 29 August.

 Now Online: Full slate of leadership candidates for review; petition for additional nominations must be received by 6 June

 1 August: AGU membership and section/focus group affiliations need to be current to be eligible to vote

 29 August: Polls open

 27 September: Polls close

elections.agu.org

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 19 20 // Eos 15 June 2016 A More Powerful Reality Test for Climate Models

By Peter J. Gleckler, Charles Doutriaux, Paul J. Durack, Karl E. Taylor, Yuying Zhang, Dean N. Williams, Erik Mason, and Jérôme Servonnat

rojections of climate change are based on theory, historical data, and results from physically based climate models. Building confidence in climate models and their projections involves quantitative comparisons of simulations with a diverse suite of observations. Climate modelers often consider information from well-established tests and comparisons among existing models to help decide on a new model version among multiple candidates. PClimate model developers and those who use these models benefit from sharing information with each other. Both groups require access to the best available data and rely on open-source software tools designed to facilitate the analysis of climate data.

Computer simulation of Hurricane Sandy’s path and intensity on 29 October, 2012, a day before landfall. At this point, Sandy was a Category 2 superstorm nearly 1500 kilometers wide. William Putman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA Center for Climate Simulation Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA William Putman, NASA

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 21 Developers benefit the most from comparisons of their models with observations and other models when the results of such analysis can be made quickly available. Here we introduce a new climate model evaluation package that quantifies differences between observations and simulations contributed to the World Climate Research Programme’s Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). This package is designed to make an increasingly diverse suite of summary statistics more accessible to modelers and researchers.

The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Model intercomparison projects (MIPs) provide an effective framework for organizing numerical experimentation and enabling researchers to contribute to the analysis of model behavior. To improve our understanding of climate variability and change, CMIP

coordinates a host of scientifically Gleckler/LLNL J. Peter focused subprojects that address (top) Observed and (bottom) simulated seasonal mean (December– January– February) 2-meter surface specific processes or phenomena, air temperature data. The observational estimate is taken from surface instrument records. The model including clouds, paleoclimates, result is an ensemble average of results from more than 20 climate models that were contributed to and climate sensitivity [Taylor the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. et al., 2012; Meehl et al., 2014; Eyring et al., 2015]. The results from CMIP are vast, of petabyte scale, with simulations mance metrics computed from all models contributing to contributed by tens of modeling groups around the globe. CMIP, and usage documentation. By adopting a common set of conventions and proce- PMP [Doutriaux et al., 2015] uses the Python program- dures, CMIP provides opportunities for a broad community ming language and Ultrascale Visualization Climate Data of researchers to readily examine model results and com- Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT) [Williams, 2014; Williams et al., pare them to observations. The success of this project has 2016], a powerful software tool kit that provides cutting- been directly responsible for enhancing the pace of climate edge diagnostic and visualization capabilities. PMP is research, resulting in hundreds of publications and a designed to enable potential users unfamiliar with Python multimodel perspective of climate that has proven invalu- and UV-CDAT to test their own models by leveraging the able for national and international climate assessments. considerable CMIP infrastructure. Users with some Python experience will have access to a wide range of analysis Metrics Package Aids Accessibility capabilities. As a step toward making succinct performance summa- PMP enables users to synthesize model performance ries from CMIP more accessible, the Program for Climate characteristics from dozens of maps and zonal average Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) at Law- plots. The well-established quantitative tests of the sea- rence Livermore National Laboratory (http://www-pcmdi sonal cycle in the current release do not directly relate to .llnl.gov) has developed an analysis package that is now the reliability of model projections but do represent available. important large-scale climatological features evident in The PCMDI Metrics Package (PMP) leverages the vast observations [Flato et al., 2013]. Modelers often consider CMIP data archive and uses common statistical error information of this kind along with numerous other diag- measures to compare results from climate model simula- nostics, which they combine with expert judgment to help tions to observations. The current release includes well- decide on a new model version among multiple candidates. established large- to global-scale mean climatological performance metrics. It consists of four components: CMIP as a Model Development Tool analysis software, an observationally based collection of By the time research results are published—often many global or near-global observations, a database of perfor- months or even years after CMIP output is generated and

22 // Eos 15 June 2016 becomes available—most model developers are already provides an example of how results from PMP can be used working on newer model versions that supersede the pre- to summarize the relative merits and shortcomings of dif- vious CMIP contribution. Modelers would benefit more ferent configurations of the same atmospheric model run directly from participation in CMIP if during the model with prescribed sea surface temperatures and sea ice (the development process the merits and shortcomings of their protocol of the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Proj- model relative to other state-of-the- science models were ect (AMIP)). immediately apparent. The PMP database, when it is Users can tailor the PMP “quick-look” results like Fig- installed locally, enables modeling groups to rapidly com- ure 1 to compare various characteristics of their model pare their current model versions with CMIP models rather versions. For example, contrasting the development than await feedback from the external analysis commu- improvements or setbacks from different model versions nity. This information can help identify deficiencies in a in relation to the distribution of structural errors in the model, which can be useful in setting priorities for further CMIP multimodel ensemble can provide an objective model development work. assessment as to whether model performance changes Modeling groups have already shown interest in PMP’s are significant. Making such objective summaries routine ability to compare multiple versions of a model under will aid the development process and help modelers development as part of its evaluation procedure. Figure 1 ensure that they do not overlook any hidden degradation in model performance during development.

Routine CMIP Evaluation Made More Accessible Future phases of CMIP [Meehl et al., 2014; Eyring et al., 2015] will call for a small ongoing set of experiments that will be revisited each time a new model version is released. Included among these benchmark experiments, which are referred to as the CMIP DECK (Diagnostic, Evaluation and Characterization of Klima; Klima is German for climate), is an AMIP run and a coupled (atmosphere-ocean- land-ice) model preindustrial control run with no external forcings. (Exter- nal forcings are climate factors that are not simulated but included in some experiments as a time-varying constraining influence based on such data as volcanic eruptions, man-made aerosols, and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.) A his- torically forced coupled run is also proposed as an additional

Erik Mason/GFDL benchmark experiment, although Fig. 1. The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) facilitates the comparison of the external forcings applied to results from various climate models. Shown here are relative error measures of different developmen- these runs are likely to evolve tal tests of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Labo- across CMIP generations. ratory (GFDL) model. Results are based on the global seasonal cycle climatology (1980–2005) com- The expectation of these puted from Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) experiments. Rows and columns benchmark experiments (DECK represent individual variables and models, respectively. The error measure is a spatial root-mean- and historical) is that they will square error (RMSE) that treats each variable separately. The color scale portrays this RMSE as a rela- encourage increased emphasis on tive error by normalizing the result by the median error of all model results [Gleckler et al., 2008]. For developing diagnostic capabilities example, a value of 0.20 indicates that a model’s RMSE is 20% larger than the median error for that that can be used to systematically variable across all simulations in the figure, whereas a value of –0.20 means the error is 20% smaller evaluate model performance. than the median error. The four triangles in each grid square show the relative error with respect to the Because PCMDI’s metrics package four seasons (in clockwise order, with December–January–February (DJF) at the top; MAM = March– relies on the data conventions April–May, JJA = June–July–August, and SON = September–October– November). The reference data and standards used in CMIP, there sets are the default satellite and reanalysis data sets identified byFlato et al. [2013]. hPa=hectopascals, is some assurance that it will be TOA = top of atmosphere, SW = shortwave, LW = longwave. suitable and useful not only

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 23 during the current phase of CMIP but also indefinitely into

the future.

Current and Future Releases of PMP Version 1.1 of PCMDI’s Metrics Package (PMPv1.1) is publicly available (see http://bit.ly/ PCMDI-metrics), with functionality that is currently designed to serve modeling groups or individuals performing simulations. It provides well-established model

climatology comparisons with Goddard Space Flight Center William Putman, NASA Center for Climate Simulation and NASA observations, including the fol- A modeling run on NASA’s Discover supercomputer maps global aerosols at a 10-kilometer resolution. lowing: Dust (red) rises from land surfaces, sea salt spray (light blue) swirls inside cyclones, smoke (green) rises • area- weighted statistics: from fires, and volcanoes and fossil fuel burning emit sulfate particles (white). bias, pattern correlation, vari- ance, centered root-mean- square difference, and mean absolute error be used for systematic evaluation of the CMIP DECK and • results for global and tropical domains, the extra- other simulations. tropics of both hemispheres, departures from the zonal mean, and land- and ocean-only domains Acknowledgments • multiple observationally based estimates of each field The work from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is tested, including top-of-the- atmosphere and surface radi- a contribution to the Regional and Global Climate Modeling ative fluxes and cloud radiative effects, precipitation, pre- Program, Climate and Environmental Sciences Division, cipitable water, sea surface and 2-meter temperature, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy under contract mean sea level pressure, surface air wind (10 meters), tem- DE-AC52-07NA27344. We are grateful to our colleagues at perature (2 meters), humidity (2 meters), upper air tem- the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Institut Pierre- perature, winds, and geopotential height Simon Laplace, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial In addition, metrics for the El Niño–Southern Oscillation Research Organisation, and National Energy Research Sci- recommended by the Climate and Ocean: Variability, Pre- entific Computing Center who have tested PMP and pro- dictability, and Change (CLIVAR) Pacific Basin Panel are vided invaluable feedback for its improvement. available in the PMP development repository. Community users of PMP can develop and include addi- References tional tests of model behavior and work with the PCMDI Doutriaux, C., P. J. Durack, and P. J. Gleckler (2015), PCMDI Metrics initial release, Zenodo, Geneva, Switzerland, doi:10.5281/zenodo.13952. team to integrate these into the package. Future releases Eyring, V., S. Bony, G. A. Meehl, C. Senior, B. Stevens, R. J. Stouffer, and K. E. Taylor (2015), Overview of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) experimental design and organisation, Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., 8, 10,539–10,583, doi:10.5194/gmdd-8- 10539- 2015. The results from CMIP are on the Flato, G., et al. (2013), Evaluation of climate models, in Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis—Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by T. F. petabyte scale, with simulations Stocker et al., pp. 741–866, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, U. K., doi:10.1017/ CBO9781107415324.020. contributed by tens of modeling Gleckler, P. J., K. E. Taylor, and C. Doutriaux (2008), Performance metrics for climate models, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D06104, doi:10.1029/2007JD008972. groups around the globe. Meehl, G. A., R. Moss, K. E. Taylor, V. Eyring, R. J. Stouffer, S. Bony, and B. Stevens (2014), Climate model intercomparison: Preparing for the next phase, Eos Trans. AGU, 95(9), 77–78, doi:10.1002/2014EO090001. Taylor, K. E., R. J. Stouffer, and G. A. Meehl, (2012), An overview of CMIP5 and the will include summary statistics for sea ice distribution, experiment design, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 93, 485–498, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D -11 land surface vegetation characteristics (in collaboration -00094.1. with the International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMB) Williams, D. N. (2014), Visualization and analysis tools for ultrascale climate data, Eos Trans. AGU, 95(42), 377–378, doi:10.1002/2014EO420002. project), three-dimensional structure of ocean tempera- Williams, D. N., et al. (2016), UV-CDAT v2.4.0, Zenodo, Geneva, Switzerland, doi:10.5281/ ture and salinity, monsoon onset and withdrawal, the diur- zenodo.45136. nal cycle of precipitation, major modes of climate variability, and selected “emergent constraints” [Flato et al., 2013]. Author Information Anyone interested in using PMP should contact the Peter J. Gleckler, Charles Doutriaux, Paul J. Durack, Karl E. development team (pcmdi-[email protected]) for informa- Taylor, Yuying Zhang, and Dean N. Williams, Lawrence tion on the latest functionality and installation procedures, Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.; email: which are advancing rapidly. As we embark on developing [email protected]; Erik Mason, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics PMP as a community-based capability, we would like to Laboratory, Princeton, N.J.; and Jérôme Servonnat, Institut hear from anyone interested in working with us to include Pierre Simon Laplace des Sciences de l’Environnement Global, an increasingly diverse set of performance metrics that can Université Paris–Saclay, Paris, France

24 // Eos 15 June 2016 AGU NEWS

ning with the toenail, then moving upward to Villages Must Recalibrate Time the shin, the thigh, the intestines, the heart, and so on, until reaching the head. Arrival at to Survive in the Pamir Mountains the head coincides with the end of spring and a pause in counting. When the first cue of summer is observed, the counting sequence restarts, but this time from the head downward. Timekeepers rely on natural events— the nascence of a flower, arrival of a migratory bird, movement of fish, breakup of lake ice— as the indicators of seasonal change, not simply the number of days since significant positions of the Sun, Moon, and stars. For centuries, this indigenous timekeeping strategy has offered local villagers an intuitive context for scheduling day-today life, from when to plow and seed to the timing of festi- vals and other events at the heart of Pamiri society. In recent years, however, climate change coupled with political instability has begun to disrupt the Pamir landscape, throw- ing these traditional ecological calendars out of sequence—and in need of recalibration. “In climate change, there are two primary approaches: mitigate or adapt,” said Karim- Aly Kassam, a professor of environmental and indigenous studies at Cornell University who has long worked in the Pamir region (see http://bit.ly/K-AK). For the people of the Pamir, “given that they are not the primary contributors to the causes of anthropogenic climate change, there’s nothing significant they can do to mitigate. So they have to adapt.” To help them do so, Kassam has partnered with the Thriving Earth Exchange (TEX) program of AGU and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Climate CoLab to find ways to reconcile the traditional timekeeping of the Pamiri with the modern reality of a changing world (see http://bit.ly/TEX-Kassam-Pamir). TEX brings together scientists and communities facing environmental challenges related to natural hazards, natural resources, or climate change to work to find solutions. The recalibration initiative came from the Pamiri people themselves, who reached out to Kas- sam for help to reconnect with their heritage of traditional ecological calendars and to adapt to the shifting baselines of climate change. Aly Karim- Kassam Snow-covered peaks of the Pamir Mountains, known as “the Roof of the World,” which tower as high as 7495 meters. A Nexus of Change The collaboration organized by Kassam expects to launch several projects this year to he calendar has stopped working for the the Gregorian calendar marks a year by 365 tackle the recalibration. In the meantime, the people of the Pamir—the stunning, stark days spread across 12 months, Pamiri calen- Pamiri live with a growing sense of unease. T mountain range straddling the modern- dars are driven by observed cues in the envi- Aloft at 2000 to 3500 meters in elevation, day borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. ronment spread across a calendar of the the villages of the Pamir are at the front lines A shifting climate is disrupting not only human body (see http://bit.ly/Body-Calendar). of climate change. As glaciers and snowpack their subsistence farming and herding but also Local timekeepers name each new seasonal melt more quickly and spring rains become their unique way of tracking time. Whereas development after a part of the body, begin- more intense, locals have reported increasing

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 25 AGU NEWS

water levels in rivers and lakes. Changes in The projects are expected to begin in mid- water and temperature patterns have left vil- 2016. Working with local academic and village lages scrambling to meet earlier starts to partners, one team will recalibrate Pamiri plowing seasons and to find alternative crops body calendars with updated environmental to grow in low-elevation areas where certain data (see http://bit.ly/recalibration). Another fruits no longer thrive or to take advantage of will try to apply the Pamiri calendar to water a newfound ability to grow wheat at higher and drought forecasts (see http://bit.ly/ elevations. drought_Pamir). The third team will conduct a Until recent years, villagers could count on a biodiversity and phenology survey to help local leader, a hisobdon, to track seasonal cues reconnect Pamiri calendars with seasonal and such as leaf budding as the first sign of spring. local shifts in flora and fauna (see http://bit.ly/ By counting the number of days until the next Biodiversity-Pamir). cue, the hisobdon would track the progression “Each [contest] winner had one aspect to of time and season. With those reliable pat- it,” Kassam said. “In a true ‘wicked problem’ terns breaking down, the effects differ among approach, we said to them, ‘We’d all win if you villages and valleys, but the shared psychologi- work with someone else!’” However, any cal impact is one of anxiety: the inability to effective plan must ground its strategy in the anticipate change and plan for each season, local ecological and cultural context in which Kassam said. This breakdown is particularly the Pamiri people live, he added: “It has to be debilitating for the people of the Pamir because cognizant of their reality.” of their reliance on environmental cues for In March 2016, Kassam’s research team planning agricultural and social routines. received an additional 1.2 million euros from Kassam is outspoken about the ethical the Belmont Forum, a collaboration of funders imperative to work with communities like of global environmental change research, to those in the Pamir. Although rural communi- conduct further studies on ecological calen- ties in alpine and polar regions contribute lit- dars in the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan, tle to climate change, they are among the China, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, in collabo- first to feel its effects, he noted—a conse- ration with Chinese, German, and Italian quence, in part, of living under already scholars. extreme conditions. Integrating Cultural Context Three-Pronged Approach into Climate Conversations Seeking additional resources and collaborators Kassam is keen to point out that this cultur- for recalibrating the Pamiri calendar, Kassam ally grounded approach is just as relevant for and his partner organizations held a research climate change adaptation in the United proposal contest. Originally expecting to select States as it is for the Pamir Mountains. Work- just one project, they decided instead to unite ing with people and communities—together three winning proposals into one collective in conversation and using their place-based effort. knowledge—offers the best chance for successful climate adaptation solutions. On another traditional ecological calendar project with Art by Hakim Zavkibekov. From Kassam et al., 2011, doi:10.1163/187471611X600369. et al., 2011, doi:10.1163/187471611X600369. From Kassam Art by Hakim Zavkibekov. colleagues at Cor- nell, Kassam is In this figure depicting a Pamiri calendar of the human working in collabo- body, each body part provides a mnemonic that cor- ration with Native relates with environmental cues. The cues also regulate American communi- timing for villagers regarding their health and social life. ties on the Standing Rock Reservation in North and South audience is central to this conversation. They Dakota. are important, and they are essential. But “With wicked they are not the only ones. We still need problems, scientific place-based knowledge. We need to do it expertise is not together.” enough; a diversity of experiences matters and is highly By Ben Young Landis, Freelance Science Com- relevant when seek- municator/Contributing Writer for Creative Science ing solutions,” Kas- Writing and the Thriving Earth Exchange; email: sam said. “The AGU [email protected]

26 // Eos 15 June 2016 AGU NEWS

Share Your Science with Teachers and the Public at Fall Meeting

GU members advance and disseminate Earth and A space science knowledge. They affiliate themselves with an AGU section or focus group that shares their interests and fosters scientific discussion and collaboration with other scientists. Wonder- ful opportunities to share knowledge more broadly—with children, parents, and teachers—await members of these sections and focus groups at the upcoming 2016 Fall Meeting. Exploration Station offers a range of family-friendly science exhibits and hands-on activities that give families the opportunity to interact with science and education professionals (see http://bit.ly/Exp-Station). The Geophysical Information for Teachers (GIFT) Workshop enables educators to learn about the latest Earth and space science research

directly from scientists as well as Kurata Karna from classroom resources designed Visitors to Exploration Station try out virtual reality headsets during the 2015 Fall Meeting. to inspire a passion for science in students (see http://bit.ly/Geo-Info -4-Tchrs). GIFT Workshop Get Involved Members of AGU’s sections and focus groups Exploration Station and the GIFT Work- Exploration Station also actively contribute to the GIFT Work- shop grow larger each year. AGU welcomes Exploration Station draws Fall Meeting shop at Fall Meeting. Scientists can pair up members who would like to get involved attendees and a public audience, too. Mem- with an expert educator and share their sci- and share their love for Earth and space bers of AGU’s sections and focus groups vol- ence with K–12 teachers and informal educa- science. Members who share their time and unteer to create and manage exhibits for tors. In 2015, 14 members from eight differ- knowledge at these programs empower our families. Past Exploration Station exhibits ent sections and focus groups presented on a educators and inspire a love for learning in have presented a variety of fun activities for variety of topics, ranging from NASA’s our future scientists. As one 2015 GIFT Art by Hakim Zavkibekov. From Kassam et al., 2011, doi:10.1163/187471611X600369. et al., 2011, doi:10.1163/187471611X600369. From Kassam Art by Hakim Zavkibekov. children, including a planetarium, virtual Kepler Mission to the science of fracking. In teacher said, “It is so wonderful to be able reality headsets, and stomp rockets. Mem- previous years, the GIFT Workshop featured to attend a [professional development bers of the Space Physics and Aeronomy sec- presenters from 6–10 different sections and workshop] with talented presenters, a sup- tion have driven AGU’s member engage- focus groups. portive community, and also be able to go ment, having offered the majority of exhibits across the street for high level scientific in Exploration Station’s early years and con- The number of sections presentations.” Exploration Station and tinuing to participate today. The number of the GIFT Workshop offer opportunities for sections and focus groups involved in Explo- and focus groups involved science professionals, educators, and fam- ration Station exhibits has steadily increased ilies to share in the joy of science learning. in the past 6 years, from six in 2010 to 15 last in Exploration Station If you would like to share your love of sci- year. In 2015, members of AGU’s various exhibits has steadily ence with others or see your science taught sections and focus groups teamed up to cre- in classrooms, please contact exploration ate an unforgettable experience for children increased in the past -[email protected] or Pranoti Asher and their families, drawing more than 700 ([email protected]). people to the event. If you are interested in 6 years, from six in 2010 becoming an exhibitor and sharing your love to 15 last year. of science with children, please read our FAQ By Tess Reardon, AGU Education Intern; email: (http://bit.ly/Exp-Station-FAQ). [email protected]

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 27 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

A Hole in Earth’s Surface NASA The deep seismic activity on the island of Hawaii can be explained by the weight of the volcanoes atop the Earth below.

awaii is one of the most seismically accumulated strain is released in the form of stress fields and focal mechanisms, which hazardous locations in the United earthquakes. describe the slip that causes earthquakes and HStates; the island has been rocked by In a new study, Klein proposes that the the orientation of the fault on which those strong earthquakes with magnitudes of up flexed lithosphere beneath Hawaii, coupled quakes occur. The seismic data give valuable to 7.9. These earthquakes occur when strain with the fact that the lithospheric plate information about the orientation of the stress is released in the lithosphere—the outer beneath the island appears to be broken—it field and the pressure and tension axes for each portion of Earth’s crust—beneath and next curves downward with a central depression— earthquake. to the island. This strain is caused by the explains the region’s heightened seismicity. By analyzing the seismic data, the author bending of the lithosphere under the enor- The resulting plate flexure forms a doughnut saw that the pressure axes of several earth- mous load of Hawaii’s volcanoes. As the vol- hole shape right underneath the island. The quakes scattered through the island radiated canoes grow and add more weight onto the focal hole in the center lies approximately from the center of the hole in the lithosphere. lithosphere, the crust flexes downward, between Mauna Loa, Earth’s largest active These radial patterns, according to the author, away from the volcanoes. The downward volcano, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano suggest that the downward-flexing lithosphere flexion, in turn, causes the lithosphere close whose peak is at the highest point of Hawaii. surrounds a weak region at its center. (Journal to the volcanoes to flex upward. Ultimately, The author used data taken from seismic of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, doi:10.1002/ when the lithosphere stops flexing, the stations around the island to understand the 2015JB012746, 2016) —Wudan Yan, Freelance Writer

28 // Eos 15 June 2016 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Ionospheric Waves Linked to Polar Atmospheric Dynamics

he ionosphere is one of the most fasci- In the fall and winter, scientists frequently these multiweek time scales. However, the nating parts of Earth’s atmosphere. observe wavelike disturbances in the iono- polar vortex, a huge cyclone of cold air situ- T Formed when solar radiation hits sphere traveling from higher latitudes toward ated above the North Pole, does. This discov- atoms and molecules in the upper atmo- the equator. These waves are characterized by ery led the authors to focus research efforts sphere, stripping their electrons off to pro- enhancements and depletions in the density on polar atmospheric dynamics. duce a plasma, the ionosphere extends from of electrons in the ionosphere. Here Frissell After careful analysis, the researchers con- about 64 to 966 kilometers above the surface et al. investigate what causes these wavelike firmed that no significant correlation of Earth. disturbances. Some previous studies have between the ionospheric disturbances and As a result of the Sun’s influence, the suggested that they are caused by space space weather activity could be observed. strength or weakness of the ionosphere weather activity (such as the aurora), whereas However, the team found evidence for a sta- depends heavily on time of day as well as others suggest that the source of the waves is tistically significant correlation between the time of year. The ionosphere on the dayside internal to Earth’s atmosphere. ionospheric disturbances and polar vortex of Earth, for example, is much more heavily Using newly available Super Dual Auroral dynamics. This indicates that the dynamics ionized than the nightside ionosphere. Simi- Radar Network observations, the authors dis- internal to Earth’s atmosphere, rather than larly, in the wintertime, when solar radiation covered that the entire North American con- influences external to Earth’s atmosphere, is significantly weaker due to the tilt of tinent concurrently experiences enhance- are likely to be responsible for these distur- Earth’s axis, there are fewer charged particles ments and depletions of ionospheric wave bances. (Journal of Geophysics Research: Space in the ionosphere than during the summer- activity lasting 2 to 4 weeks. No known space Physics, doi:10.1002/2015JA022168, 2016) time. weather phenomenon routinely exhibits —Kalman J. Knizhnik, Freelance Writer

Becoming Habitable in the Habitable Zone

ay to day, plate tectonics may seem to mantle-core have little to do with Earth’s habit- dynamics unfold. D ability. However, over time, interac- This means that two tions between our planet’s climate, mantle, similar planets and core have created a suitable home for might follow wildly complex life. In a new review paper, Foley different paths, even and Driscoll suggest that similar processes if they both reside in could set other rocky planets on very differ- a solar system’s ent trajectories, ultimately determining habitable zone Caltech whether they could support life as we know (where liquid water it. can exist on the sur- Cooler climates promote plate tectonics by face). keeping plate boundaries from fusing and by The authors also weakening the crust and outer mantle. In suggest that inter- turn, plate tectonics help keep the climate actions between the temperate through carbon cycling. On Earth, climate, mantle, and NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL- NASA cold slabs of rock subduct and sink deep into core might explain the mantle, drawing heat from the core. why Earth and Venus An artist’s rendition of Kepler-186f, an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a dis- Long-term core cooling helps maintain are so different, tant solar system. Little is known about its composition, but if it turns out to be rocky like Earth’s magnetic field, which keeps the solar despite their similar Earth, it may be subject to climate-mantle- core interactions that determine whether it wind from stripping away the atmosphere. sizes and composi- can actually sustain life. The authors hypothesize that the climate- tion: Venus’s hot mantle-core connection determines whether climate prevents a young, rocky planet will develop plate tec- plate tectonics, stifling a sustained magnetic core for rocky planets in general, but a better tonics, a temperate climate, and a magnetic field. understanding of these dynamics could help field—all of which are thought to be neces- Scientists don’t yet know enough Venusian predict the likelihood of finding an Earth-like sary for life. Initial atmospheric composi- history to confirm the authors’ hypothesis. exoplanet. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosys- tion, timing of the onset of plate tectonics, Much more research is also needed to clarify tems, doi:10.1002/2015GC006210, 2016). and other factors can affect how climate- connections between climate, mantle, and —Sarah Stanley, Freelance Writer

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

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE Architecture. The department has an the early Earth, cosmochemistry, geo- AGU’s Career Center is active research program with approxi- physics and geodynamics, volcanology the main resource for Tenure Track Position mately $7 million in external annual and igneous petrology. We are particu- Washington State University, recruitment advertising. funding. The department maintains larly interested in candidates whose Department of Civil and Environmen- teaching loads in undergraduate and research has synergies with our recent tal Engineering and the Laboratory for hires with expertise in sedimentary, All Positions Available and graduate instruction at attractive levels Atmospheric Research (LAR) invite in order to allow time for research devel- metamorphic and tectonic processes, additional job postings applications for a permanent 9-month opment and scholarly activities. Addi- planetary geology, and planetary can be viewed at tenure-track faculty position open at tional information about the department atmospheres. https://eos.org/jobs-support. the assistant to associate professor is available at http://www.ce.wsu.edu. Environmental Sciences including: level on the WSU Pullman campus with The Laboratory for Atmospheric natural resources (including water, AGU offers printed recruitment an effective start date in the window Research is an air quality and climate metals, soils, and energy), ecology, crit- advertising in Eos to reinforce from January 1, 2017 to August 16, 2017. change research group with a strong ical zone science, marine sciences, your online job visibility and This position is part of WSU’s priority reputation for both measurement and cryospheric sciences, geomorphology, your brand. to build a diverse faculty; thus, female modeling studies of air quality, atmo- landscape hydrology, environmental and minority candidates are strongly spheric chemistry, and climate change change, air pollution, and, biogeochem- Visit employers.agu.org to view encouraged to apply. (http://www.lar.wsu.edu). There are nine istry. We are particularly interested in all of the packages available for POSITION DESCRIPTION-Candi- faculty members in LAR, and the group candidates whose research has syner- recruitment advertising. dates are sought with expertise in the collaborates with WSU faculty and out- gies with our program in Global Envi- development, evaluation, and applica- side scientists across a broad range of ronmental Change and Sustainability. tion of numerical air quality models topics. The LAR is a focal point for mea- Opportunities exist for the success- SIMPLE TO RECRUIT related to air quality, atmospheric surement and modeling studies sup- ful candidate to forge research and chemistry, and climate change at ported through the Northwest Air Qual- teaching ties with other parts of the online packages to access • urban to regional scales. The success- ity Environmental Science & Technology Johns Hopkins community that are our Career Center audience ful applicant will be expected to help (NW-AIRQUEST) consortium, which active in the earth and environmental • 30 day and 60 day options lead and grow the WSU AIRPACT air includes active participation by federal, sciences, and sustainability. They available quality forecast system operations. The state, and local air quality agencies include multiple engineering depart- • prices range $475–$1,215 selected applicant will be expected to throughout the Northwest (http://lar. ments, Environmental Health Sciences teach graduate and undergraduate air wsu.edu/nw-airquest/). In this role, LAR at the School of Public Health, the CHALLENGING TO RECRUIT quality and environmental engineering is responsible for the daily operation, Applied Physics Laboratory, and the • online and print packages courses, direct graduate student maintenance and development of the cross-departmental Environment, to access the wider AGU research, and develop a strong extra- AIRPACT regional air quality forecast Energy, Sustainability, and Health community murally funded research program. The system (http://lar.wsu.edu/airpact/). Institute. There are excellent opportu- • 30 day and 60 day options position requirements include: 1) APPLICATION PROCESS - Applicants nities for additional collaborations available expertise within the range of available should apply online at https://www. within the Baltimore-Washington urban to regional scale atmospheric • prices range $795–$2,691 wsujobs.com/postings/24616 by sub- region, including with the Carnegie chemistry models with applications to mitting the following: a cover letter, a Institution, the Smithsonian Institu-

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Screening of candidates Applications must be submitted and/or extramural grants, 3) demon- will begin September 1, 2016, but electronically using Interfolio http:// 30 day and 60 day options • strated ability to work with diverse, applications will be accepted until the apply.interfolio.com/34960, should available interdisciplinary teams in a collegial position is filled. indicate the relevant focus area and • prices range $2,245–$5,841 and collaborative manner, 4) a record WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY must include a cover letter, a curricu- of outreach, mentoring, or teaching to IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIR- lum vitae, statements of research and FREE TO RECRUIT diverse student populations, and 5) an MATIVE ACTION EDUCATOR AND teaching interests, and the names and • these packages apply only to earned Ph.D. or equivalent degree in a EMPLOYER. complete contact information of at student and graduate student relevant engineering or science field. least three references. Questions con- roles and all bookings are In addition, experience using remote ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE cerning submission of application subject to AGU approval sensing and in situ observations to materials should be directed to Kristen evaluate and improve models and par- Faculty Positions in Geosciences and Heisey ([email protected]). Other • eligible roles include: student in Environmental Sciences fellowships, internships, ticipation in the design and implemen- requests for information may be tation of field campaigns is desirable. The Department of Earth and Plane- assistantships, and scholarships directed to Professor Sverjensky, Geo- UNIVERSITY - Founded in 1890, tary Sciences at Johns Hopkins Univer- sciences, Search Committee Chair Washington State University is a com- sity invites applications for multiple ([email protected]) and/or Professor is published semi-monthly • Eos prehensive research, land-grant insti- tenure-track or tenured faculty posi- Waugh, Environmental Sciences Search on the 1st and 15th of every tution with a total student enrollment tions. The positions can be filled at the Committee Chair ([email protected]). month. Deadlines for ads in of approximately 27,000. WSU has Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor Review of the applications will begin each issue are published at excellent faculty-friendly policies, level, starting as early as Fall 2016. The immediately and will continue until the http://sites.agu.org/media- including a partner accommodation successful candidates are expected to positions are filled. Applications kits/eos-advertising-deadlines/. program, and is the recipient of a 2008 develop internationally recognized and received by 30 June, 2016 will receive National Science Foundation ADVANCE externally funded research programs, to full consideration. • Eos accepts employment and help develop and participate in under- open position advertisements Institutional Transformation award to Johns Hopkins University is com- increase the recruitment, retention, graduate and graduate teaching, and to from governments, individuals, mitted to active recruitment of a and advancement of women faculty in supervise graduate student research. In diverse faculty and student body. 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Consistent with the Uni- * Print-only recruitment ads will only be DEPARTMENT - The Department of desirable. Applicants are sought for two versity’s goals of achieving excellence allowed for those whose requirements focus areas: in all areas, we will assess the com- include that positions must be advertised Civil and Environmental Engineering is in a printed/paper medium. one of five departments within the Geosciences including low-tem- prehensive qualifications of each Voiland College of Engineering and perature geochemistry and studies of applicant.

30 // Eos 15 June 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

HYDROLOGY southern California. Bringing faculty INTERDISCIPLINARY Modelling of planetary internal pro- and students together around the cesses Faculty Cluster Hire in WATER theme of WATER offers a unique Planetary Interior Structure and Candidates should also be familiar The University of California Irvine opportunity to create exceptional Dynamics Scientist with one or several of the following announces an interdisciplinary cluster research capacity at UCI for addressing The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), themes: hire of four faculty members to increase challenges at the water-food-energy a Federally-Funded Research and Modeling of interior structures its capacity and world leadership in nexus under increasing climate and Development Center operated by the (petrology, thermal structure) for ter- tackling the grand challenges related to human pressures. Applicants are California Institute of Technology for restrial bodies and/or icy satellites. water in urbanized environments, encouraged to visit Departmental web- NASA, invites applications for a full- Physics of multi-phase media (e.g., including water-related environmental sites (shown above) to learn more time position in interior structure and granular, partially molten material) and food security issues. Southern Cali- about research strengths and pro- dynamics of planets and satellites. Atmospheric physics, e.g., atmo- fornia is a mosaic of cities and open grams. With this cluster hiring initia- The applicant will join a broad-based spheric-surface coupling. spaces whose history and future are tive, UCI aspires to identify exception- team of scientists and engineers to The selected applicant is expected to inextricably tied to water, and whose ally talented candidates who share our advance JPL’s Planetary Science participate in or lead science definition experiences with water are paralleled by vision and will increase our capacity for research that excels in applying and advancement of new science, tech- coastal metropolitan areas around the world leadership. remote sensing data, in-situ measure- nology, and mission proposals. world facing population growth, devel- Applicants are expected to have ments and state of the art models to The applicant must have a PhD in opment pressure, demands for ecosys- advanced degrees and publication planetary geophysics. Determining Geology, Geophysics, Physics, or a tem protection, and water scarcity. The records commensurate with appoint- the interior structure and dynamics of related technical discipline. The appli- cluster hire will build on UC Irvine’s ment levels in the department of inter- planets, moons, and small objects is cant shall have an established reputa- existing strengths in urban planning, est. Successful candidates will be key to better understanding of the for- tion along with a broad knowledge of public policy, hydrology, water expected to develop externally funded mation and differentiation of Solar planetary measurement approaches resources, ecosystems, earth system research programs, engage in both System objects. and expertise in modeling and inter- science, and climate change and will be undergraduate and graduate education, The scientific scope of interest for pretation of the data for planetary sci- uniquely positioned and supported to and contribute their leadership and this position is broad, but candidates ence applications. grow new multidisciplinary collabora- innovative thinking towards global should have demonstrated expertise in JPL/Caltech offers a competitive sal- tions across campus emphasizing new prominence in water, cities, and the one of the following areas: ary and impressive benefits, and pro- paradigms of sustainability and ecosys- environment. Teaching opportunities Modeling of signal propagation in vides research opportunities at the tem resilience for metropolitan areas. will vary by Department and teaching solid bodies and atmospheres, with leading edge of Planetary Science. To We are seeking candidates whose qualifications will be a consideration for applications, for example, to icy satel- view the full job description and apply, research involves field studies, model- fit with the respective unit. Successful lites, Mars, Venus, and giant planets. visit: http://Careerlaunch.jpl.nasa.gov/ ing and theory and, based on academic candidates will also be expected to con- Processing of geophysical data, in (Job ID #2016-6584). Applications will preparation and research interests, tribute towards a campus-wide initiative particular seismic signals, over a broad be reviewed as they are received, and would fit into one of the following four to create more field-based (off-campus) range of frequencies. should include a curriculum vitae, a career Departmental positions: student learning opportunities with the Material mechanical properties and statement with research objectives, and Water resources: Tenured Associate goal of increasing the number of stu- their dependence on several parame- contact information for three profes- or Full Professor in the Department of dents (especially underrepresented ters including pressure, temperature sional references. JPL/Caltech is an equal Civil and Environmental Engineering minority students) pursuing graduate and forcing frequency opportunity/affirmative action employer. (http://engineering.uci.edu/dept/cee) degrees in water-related programs. with particular interest in candidates Applications should include a cover who integrate field studies, modeling letter, a description of research interests and theory to advance understanding illuminating potential to support the of water cycle dynamics in coupled goals of the cluster hire, a description of human-natural systems. teaching interests including ability to Water and ecosystems: Tenured contribute to Departmental and inter- Associate Professor in the Department disciplinary programs, a curriculum of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology vitae, a statement describing commit- (http://ecoevo.bio.uci.edu/) with partic- ment to diversity, and the names of at ular interest in candidates who pursue least four references. (References would predictive understanding of ecosystem not be contacted until the later stages of processes and their response to climate consideration, after consultation.) and human pressures via theoretical, To be considered for one of the four field work, and modeling approaches. available positions, apply electronically Water and food security: Ten- at: ure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environ- Department of Earth System Science mental Engineering: https://recruit. (http://www.ess.uci.edu) with particular ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF03389 interest in candidates with expertise Department of Ecology and Evolu- and interest in understanding water at tionary Biology: https://recruit.ap.uci. the intersection of optimizing food pro- edu/apply/JPF03408 duction and environmental sustainabil- Department of Earth System Sci- ity in water-scarce environments. ence: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/ Water and resource economics: Ten- JPF03396 ured Associate or Full Professor in the Department of Planning, Policy and Department of Planning, Policy and Design: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/ Design (http://ppd.soceco.uci.edu/) apply/JPF03377 with particular interest in candidates The University of California, Irvine with expertise and interest in the area is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative of environmental economics, natural Action Employer advancing inclusive capital, valuation of ecosystem services, excellence. All qualified applicants will urban planning, and public policy. receive consideration for employment UCI has an exceptional array of field without regard to race, color, religion, sites, open-space preserves, partner sex, sexual orientation, gender iden- relationships, and research facilities tity, national origin, disability, age, that are strategically aligned in the protected veteran status, or other pro- context of geography, climatology, tected categories covered by the UC economic and social structures of nondiscrimination policy.

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

32 // Eos 15 June 2016 Postcards from the Field

Dear Everyone,

Greetings from the upper stretches of the Oman ophiolite. The pillow basalts in Wadi Jizzi, here, took my breath away. A wonder of the GeoWorld. Wish you were here!

Simon Redfern, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge.

View more postcards at http://americangeophysicalunion.tumblr .com/tagged/postcards-from-the-ﬁ eld.