VOL. 101 | NO. 4 When PG&E Turns Out APRIL 2020 the Lights on Science A Dream Spacecraft for Neptune Welcome to the Chibanian Age (770,000 Years Ago) FROM Science THE Spill Ten years after the Deepwater Horizon blowout dumped millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf, a massive investment in science has been the silver lining. FROM THE EDITOR Editor in Chief Heather Goss, AGU, Washington, D.C., USA; [email protected] Editorial Manager, News and Features Editor Caryl-Sue Micalizio Deepwater Horizon’s Legacy Science Editor Timothy Oleson Senior News Writer Randy Showstack News Writer and Production Associate Kimberly M. S. Cartier of Science News and Features Writer Jenessa Duncombe n 20 April 2010, a bubble of methane shot up an oil Production & Design and gas well in the Gulf of Mexico and ignited when it Manager, Production and Operations Faith A. Ishii Senior Production Specialist Melissa A. Tribur Oreached the surface, killing 11 crew members and Editorial and Production Coordinator Liz Castenson starting an uncontrollable fire on the Deepwater Horizon Assistant Director, Design & Branding Beth Bagley drilling rig. Given the catastrophic emergency, it wasn’t until Senior Graphic Designer Valerie Friedman Graphic Designer J. Henry Pereira the rig sank 2 days later that anyone realized oil was being released into the Gulf. Not just spilling—gushing out from the Marketing well at the seabed at an enormous rate. Director, Marketing, Branding & Advertising Jessica Latterman That’s when Jerry Miller—Eos’s science adviser representing Assistant Director, Marketing & Advertising Liz Zipse AGU’s Ocean Sciences section—was called to action. Miller was Marketing Program Manager Angelo Bouselli Senior Specialist, Digital Marketing Nathaniel Janick serving as assistant director for ocean sciences at the White Digital Marketing Coordinator Ashwini Yelamanchili House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), a leader of the team developing the first National Ocean Policy. Advertising Miller, who had previously lived on the Gulf Coast, and his coworkers were surprised by the Display Advertising Dan Nicholas [email protected] initial scale of the explosion. He was heartened, however, by the broad government response, Recruitment Advertising Heather Cain including several science agencies, and that was only the beginning. “Shortly after the event, [email protected] and especially after a couple of weeks passed and the enormity of the oil spill started to become Science Advisers apparent, we began to receive offers of assistance from colleagues throughout the scientific Geomagnetism, Paleomagnetism, Julie Bowles community,” Miller told me as he recalled the events. “Our scientific community stepped up and Electromagnetism and reshaped their own carefully designed research plans to focus on the Deepwater event.” Space Physics and Aeronomy Christina M. S. Cohen Cryosphere Miller remembered one day a few weeks after the explosion, when OSTP needed experts to Ellyn Enderlin Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior Edward J. Garnero brief the White House and agency leaders. “On less than 24 hours’ notice and at their own Geodesy Brian C. Gunter expense, several dozen scientists flew into Washington to provide their advice,” said Miller. History of Geophysics Kristine C. Harper “Person after person for hours on end, old hands and new stepped to the podium and offered Planetary Sciences Sarah M. Hörst Natural Hazards Michelle Hummel their expertise to serve the nation’s needs.” Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology Emily R. Johnson The very worst situation brought out the very best in the science community. It’s certainly Societal Impacts and Policy Sciences Christine Kirchhoff the theme of the story we tell on page 18 in “Modeling Under Pressure,” when hydrologist Paul Seismology Keith D. Koper Tectonophysics Jian Lin Hsieh was called on to work through the night, by himself, to make an expert call on whether Near-Surface Geophysics Juan Lorenzo the cap BP had placed on its well would hold. Earth and Space Science Informatics Kirk Martinez This month, on the tenth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, we dedicate this Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Figen Mekik Mineral and Rock Physics Sébastien Merkel issue of Eos to this community that not only pulled together in the moment but created mas- Ocean Sciences Jerry L. Miller sive collaborations dedicated to research in the Gulf that continue today. Education Eric M. Riggs Tens of billions of dollars came out of lawsuit settlements and other penalties against the Global Environmental Change Hansi Singh Hydrology Kerstin Stahl companies involved, and a sizable amount of that was set aside to fund research. The Deep- Tectonophysics Carol A. Stein water Horizon Project Tracker is following more than 1,200 projects using some of the $4.14 Atmospheric Sciences Mika Tosca billion allocated for science and related environmental and educational programs. Nonlinear Geophysics Adrian Tuck Hydrology One of the organizations created to run these projects is the Gulf of Mexico Research Initia- Adam S. Ward Earth and Planetary Surface Processes Andrew C. Wilcox tive, or GoMRI. In “Deepwater Horizon and the Rise of the Omics” (p. 28), read more about Atmospheric and Space Electricity Yoav Yair one of these GoMRI projects. In that article, Joel E. Kostka and his coauthors write, “The DWH GeoHealth Ben Zaitchik spill was also the first major environmental disaster for which genomics technologies had matured to such an extent that they could be deployed to quantify microbial responses over ©2020. AGU. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may be photocopied by large spatial and temporal scales.” Microbes were already part of the environment’s natural individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is also granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific books and response to oil spills. Today scientists have the gene sequencing techniques to properly study journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Office. the role microbes play and the mechanisms with which they break down oil—with the hope Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published monthly by AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D.C., that one day we might be able to deploy them deliberately to protect or restore the environ- and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member ment around a spill. Service Center, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; Visit Eos.org throughout April for more coverage of the science and community efforts that Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; [email protected]. came out of what’s now considered to be the largest oil spill in history. Our thanks go to Miller Submit your article proposal or suggest a news story to Eos at bit.ly/Eos-proposal. and the other scientists who have made this issue possible, and we hope you’re inspired by Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official positions the bravery and vision shown by everyone who rose to this challenge. of AGU unless expressly stated. Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO Heather Goss, Editor in Chief SCIENCE NEWS BY AGU // Eos.org 1 CONTENT 24 18 28 Features 18 Modeling Under Pressure 24 Making Sense of Local By Mark Betancourt Climate Projections As oil gushed from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico By Derek H. Rosendahl et al. in June 2010, a lone hydrologist was called in to Practice makes perfect. This new role-playing activity make the call if a cap would hold—or create an even gives community leaders more comfort in using bigger disaster. climate information to make decisions. On the Cover 28 Deepwater Horizon A thick layer of oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill floats atop the Gulf of Mexico on 17 June 2012. Credit: David L. and the Rise of the Omics Valentine, University of California, Santa Barbara/NSF By Joel E. Kostka et al. Multimedia Gallery Gene sequencing meets environmental disasters in this research under the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. 2 Eos // APRIL 2020 CONTENT 8 11 Columns From the Editor Research Spotlight 1 Deepwater Horizon’s Legacy of Science 47 Where Does the Carbon Go When Permafrost Coasts Erode? News 48 Fault Dips Figured in Kīlauea’s Caldera Collapse 49 Anaerobic Activity Is a Big Contributor in Marine 4 River Ice Is Disappearing Dead Zones | Atmospheric Drag Alters Satellite 5 Body-Based Jargon Can Be Harassment Orbits When It Turns Sexual 50 Ordinary Security Cameras Could Keep an Eye 6 Japan Puts Its Mark on Geologic Time on Rainfall | Previous Research Has Underestimated with the Chibanian Age Black Carbon Emissions 7 Oil-Exposed Mahi-Mahi Less Likely to Avoid Oil 51 The Tropical Atmosphere’s Balancing Act 8 The Ice Giant Spacecraft of Our Dreams 52 Oceans Vented Carbon Dioxide During 10 Helping Alaskan Communities Face Climate Risks the Last Deglaciation 11 An Ice Sheet’s Footprint on Ancient Shorelines 12 Power Outages, PG&E, and Science’s Flickering Future Editors’ Highlights 13 How to Launch a Satellite During a Blackout 53 Skywatchers Spy Rippling Waves in the Northern Lights | Slow Slip By Any Other Name | Why Does Opinion Ocean Warming Pattern Matter? 15 8 Lessons I Learned Leading a Scientific “Design Sprint” Positions Available AGU News 54 Current job openings in the Earth and space sciences 34 Award and Prize Winners Honored at AGU’s Postcards from the Field Fall Meeting 2019 56 Greetings from the jungles of Ghana, where a Curtin University team is hunting migmatite. AmericanGeophysicalUnion @AGU_Eos company/american-geophysical-union AGUvideos americangeophysicalunion americangeophysicalunion SCIENCE NEWS BY AGU // Eos.org 3 NEWS River Ice Is Disappearing s rivers snake and slice through land- scapes, the ever moving water under- Agoes seasonal changes that have impacts on ecosystems, water systems, agri- culture, and economies.