April 2018 Project Update Volume 99, Issue 4
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VOL. 99 NO. 4 APR 2018 Belgian Gravimeter Sets Record Art’s Window to the Anthropocene Earth & Space Science News China’s R&D Funding Growing INNOVATIVE WAYS TO USE DRONES Reach Your Full Potential Mentoring365 is a program developed in partnership with Earth and space science organizations to facilitate sharing professional knowledge, expertise, skills, insights, and experiences through dialogue and collaborative learning. The program provides mentors and mentees with structured, relationship- building tools to develop and attain focused career goals. To learn more and receive information on how to become a mentor or mentee, visit: Mentoring365.org Earth & Space Science News Contents APRIL 2018 PROJECT UPDATE VOLUME 99, ISSUE 4 18 A New Massive Open Online Course on Natural Disasters Two professors put their college course online. Enrollment jumped more than twentyfold, and a forum for exchanging ideas with a multigenerational international community was born. PROJECT UPDATE 24 Recording Belgium’s Gravitational History Instruments at Belgium’s Membach geophysical station set a new record for monitoring gravitational fluctuations caused by storm surges, groundwater levels, and the Moon’s tidal pull. 30 OPINION Maintaining Momentum COVER 13 in Climate Model Development 13 Innovative Ways Funding for climate process teams has ended, but scientists emphasize the Earth Scientists Use Drones continuing need for teams that translate From the bottom of acid lakes to high up in the sky, autonomous vehicles are changing basic research into improved climate the way scientists view and study Earth. models. 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 cohen@srl .caltech.edu .com Chicago, Chicago, Ill., José D. Fuentes David Halpern USA; [email protected] Department of Meteorology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pennsylvania State Pasadena, Calif., USA; University, University davidhalpern29@gmail Park, Pa., USA; .com [email protected] Editorial Advisory Board Mark G. Flanner, Atmospheric Sciences John W. Lane, Near-Surface Geophysics Nicola J. Fox, Space Physics Jian Lin, Tectonophysics and Aeronomy Figen Mekik, Paleoceanography Peter Fox, Earth and Space Science and Paleoclimatology Informatics Jerry L. Miller, Ocean Sciences Steve Frolking, Biogeosciences Thomas H. Painter, Cryosphere Sciences Edward J. Garnero, Study of the Philip J. Rasch, Global Environmental 8 Earth’s Deep Interior Change Michael N. Gooseff, Hydrology Eric M. Riggs, Education Brian C. Gunter, Geodesy Adrian Tuck, Nonlinear Geophysics 35–36 AGU News Kristine C. Harper, History of Geophysics Sergio Vinciguerra, Mineral Sarah M. Hörst, Planetary Sciences and Rock Physics Revised AGU Position Statement Susan E. Hough, Natural Hazards Andrew C. Wilcox, Earth and Planetary Emily R. Johnson, Volcanology, Surface Processes Addresses Climate Intervention. Geochemistry, and Petrology Earle Williams, Atmospheric Keith D. Koper, Seismology and Space Electricity Robert E. Kopp, Geomagnetism Mary Lou Zoback, Societal Impacts 37–44 Research Spotlight and Paleomagnetism and Policy Sciences 5 Scientists Create Catalog of Alto Staff Tiberina Fault in Italy; Tracing Production and Design: Faith A. Ishii, Production Manager; Melissa A. Tribur, Senior Production Specialist; Beth Bagley, Manager, Design and Branding; Travis Frazier and Electric Currents That Flow Along Valerie Friedman, Senior Graphic Designers 3–11 News Earth’s Magnetic Field; Reckoning Editorial: Peter L. Weiss, Manager/Senior News Editor; Mohi Kumar, Scientific with Climate’s Most Challenging Content Editor; Randy Showstack, Senior News Writer; JoAnna Wendel, News Writer; China May Soon Surpass the Questions; The Curious Case of Liz Castenson, Editorial and Production Coordinator; Kimberly M. S. Cartier, News Writing and Production Intern United States in R&D Funding; the Ultradeep 2015 Ogasawara Marketing: Jamie R. Liu, Manager, Marketing; Angelo Bouselli and Taryn Hudson, New Postage Stamps Focus on Earthquake; Fracking May Cause Marketing Program Managers; Ashwini Yelamanchili, Digital Marketing Coordinator Bioluminescent Marine Life; Gulf More Earthquakes Than We Advertising: Dan Nicholas, Display Advertising, Email: [email protected]; Stream Slowed as Hurricanes Struck; Thought; Sounding Rockets Probe Heather Cain, Recruitment Advertising, Email: [email protected] Assessing Damage by Laser Could the Northern Lights Above Norway; ©2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may Focus Postearthquake Response; Medieval Temperature Trends in be photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is Report Recommends Priorities for Africa and Arabia; First Near-Global also granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific books and journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Office. Earth Observations from Space; Measurements of Isotopic Nitrous Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published monthly by the American Geophysical Union, Honoring Earth and Space Scientists; Oxide; Humans to Blame for Higher 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Periodical Class postage paid Douglas D. Davis ( 1940– 2016). Drought Risk in Some Regions. at Washington, D. C., and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. 12 Meeting Report 46–47 Positions Available Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; Email: [email protected]. Computational Seismology Workshop Current job openings in the Earth Use AGU’s Geophysical Electronic Manuscript Submissions system to submit a Trains Early-Career Scientists. and space sciences. manuscript: http://eos-submit.agu.org. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official positions of the 13–14 Opinion 48 Postcards from the Field American Geophysical Union unless expressly stated. Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO Maintaining Momentum in Climate Scientists capture a sediment Model Development. core in a Texas flood delta after Hurricane Harvey. 15–17 GeoFIZZ A Window into the Emerging On the Cover Athropocene...Through Art. Credit: andresr/E+/Getty Images AmericanGeophysicalUnion @AGU_Eos company/american-geophysical-union AGUvideos americangeophysicalunion americangeophysicalunion 2 // Eos April 2018 NEWS China May Soon Surpass the United States in R&D Funding increased its own research budget and added that China’s research expenditures likely will slow down as economic growth slows. Differences in Measuring Growth The congressionally mandated Indicators report shows that the United States still leads the world in gross domestic expenditures on R&D, spending $496.6 billion—2.7% of its gross domestic product (GDP)—in 2015, the most recent year available for many indica- tors. However, the same report shows that China’s $408.8 billion (2.1% of its GDP) had then surpassed the European Union’s $386 billion and that Chinese R&D soared by about 18% annually between 2000 and 2015, whereas U.S. expenditures rose about 4% annually. Chen, who previously served as inspector in the Department of Basic Research with the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, said that he agrees with the overall conclusions of the report. However, he said that China’s growth in R&D expenditures is much smaller than stated in the report, which converted foreign currencies Scientists at a satellite launch center in China’s Gansu province monitor the docking of the Tiangong-1 space lab mod- into U.S. dollars via purchasing power parity ule and the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft in late 2011. If current trends continue, experts note that China will soon overtake (PPP) exchange rates. the United States in funding levels allocated to research and development. Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images The NSB report outlines pros and cons of using PPP, noting that PPPs are the preferred international standard for calculating R&D he U.S. National Science Board (NSB), China’s Reaction to the Report comparisons between countries. However, which in January stated that China was China’s rapid advance in R&D, as highlighted “PPPs for large developing countries such as T catching up to the United States in in the Indicators report, is only natural given research and development (R&D) expenditures, the country’s economic growth and the size of said in a 7 February statement that if current its population, according to Futao Chen, a trends continue, it “expects China to pass the senior science and technology official with the Chen said that China’s United States in R&D investments by the end of Chinese Embassy in Washington, D. C. How- growth in research and this year.” ever, although he welcomed China’s growth, The 18 January report, Science and Engineer- he said that its R&D expenditures are far less development expenditures ing Indicators 2018, had been presented earlier than the report states, and he downplayed to Congress by NSB, which develops the indi- China’s leadership in R&D. is much smaller than cators, advises the president