1 September 2016 Project Update Volume 97, Issue 17

VOL. 97  NO. 17  1 SEP 2016

Earth & Space Science News

• MULTICOLOR TERRAIN MAPPING

Enhancing Safety in a Volcano’s Shadow

Great Lakes Water Level Rise

AGU Medals, Awards, Prizes, and Fellows NEW in Fall 2016

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

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

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

geohealth.agu.org Earth & Space Science News Contents

1 SEPTEMBER 2016 PROJECT UPDATE VOLUME 97, ISSUE 17

Enhancing Safety in a Volcano’s Shadow A new project gives civil authorities and scientists a common set of tools for assessing volcanic hazards and managing associated risks.

NEWS

USGS Seeks to Contain 4 Damage from Scientific Misconduct at Lab Although damage from the specific incident “is relatively well contained,” the issue threatens the agency’s reputation for high-quality science and goes counter to its standards, according to a USGS official.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

COVER 26 Multicolor Terrain Mapping A New Tool to Better Forecast Volcanic Unrest Documents Critical Environments In a retrospective study of volcanic unrest at Indonesia’s Kawah Ijen, a new model The Titan airborne topographic laser system takes spatial and spectral was able to pick up on the rising probability data at three wavelengths at once, mapping threats from climate of eruption 2 months before authorities change and ecological disasters in regions with complex terrain. were aware of the risk.

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 Steve Frolking, Biogeosciences Thomas H. Painter, Cryosphere Sciences Edward J. Garnero, Study of the Philip J. Rasch, Global Environmental Earth’s Deep Interior Change 25 Michael N. Gooseff, Hydrology Eric M. Riggs, Education Brian C. Gunter, Geodesy Adrian Tuck, Nonlinear Geophysics Kristine C. Harper, History Sergio Vinciguerra, Mineral of Geophysics and Rock Physics 21–24 AGU News Susan E. Hough, Natural Hazards Andrew C. Wilcox, Earth and Planetary 2016 AGU Union Medal, Award, and Emily R. Johnson, Volcanology, Surface Processes Geochemistry, and Petrology Earle Williams, Atmospheric Prize Recipients Announced; 2016 Keith D. Koper, Seismology and Space Electricity Class of AGU Fellows Announced; Robert E. Kopp, Geomagnetism Mary Lou Zoback, Societal Impacts and Paleomagnetism and Policy Sciences New Geophysical Research Letters Editorial and Revisions Policies. Staff Production and Design: Faith A. Ishii, Production Manager; Melissa A. Tribur, Senior Production Specialist; Liz Castenson, Editorial and Production Coordinator; Elizabeth Jacobsen, Production Intern; Yael Fitzpatrick, Manager, Design and Branding; Travis 25–26 Research Spotlight Frazier and Valerie Friedman, Electronic Graphics Specialists What Caused Record Water Level Editorial: Peter L. Weiss, Manager/Senior News Editor; Mohi Kumar, Scientific Rise in the Great Lakes?; A New Tool Content Editor; Randy Showstack, Senior News Writer; JoAnna Wendel, News Writer; to Better Forecast Volcanic Unrest; Amy Coombs, Editorial Intern Jamie R. Liu, Manager, Marketing; Angelo Bouselli and Tyjen Conley, Venus’s Unexpected, Electrifying Marketing: Marketing Program Managers Water Loss. Advertising: Christy Hanson, Manager; Tel: +1-202-777-7536; Email: advertising@ agu.org 6 27–32 Positions Available ©2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may be photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is also Current job openings in the Earth granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific books and and space sciences. journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Office. 3–7 News Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published semi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th of the month by Newly Found Dwarf Planet Points to the American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, Solar System’s Chaotic Past; USGS Inside Back Cover: USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D. C., and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Seeks to Contain Damage from Postcards from the Field Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Scientific Misconduct at Lab; Earth Sunrise at the foothills of Absarokas Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; Fissures May No Longer Get Mapped range in Wyoming. Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; Email: [email protected]. in Arizona; Precision Landing Will Use AGU’s Geophysical Electronic Manuscript Submissions system Be Key to NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover. to submit a manuscript: http://eos-submit.agu.org. On the Cover Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official Lidar-derived digital surface model positions of the American Geophysical Union unless expressly stated. 8 Meeting Report of the area surrounding NASA’s Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO Groundwater Contamination in Johnson Space Center in Houston, Karst Regions Affects Human Texas. Credit: National Center for Health. Airborne Laser Mapping.

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Newly Found Dwarf Planet Points to Solar System’s Chaotic Past

orbital characteristics online and announced its discovery on 11 July (see http://bit .ly/ DwarfRR245). Currently located nearly 10 billion kilometers away toward the constellation Pisces, 2015 RR245 is swooping inward for a close-up in 2096. Extrapolating from its estimated distance and likely composition, 2015 RR245 is roughly 700 kilometers in diameter. At just one third the size of Pluto and one fifth the size of the Moon, the newfound object is on the low end of the dwarf planet spectrum. The International Astronomical Union coined the term dwarf planet in 2006 to describe objects, like Pluto, that aren’t proper planets. A dwarf planet must circle the Sun and be massive enough to pull its own weight into a rough sphere. Although the research team hasn’t observed 2015 RR245’s shape, its diameter suggests that it’s likely heavy enough to be roughly spherical. But unlike the proper planets, it hasn’t necessarily cleared the orbital neighborhood of debris.

Alex Parker/OSSOS Synchrony with Neptune? The likely orbit of the newly discovered dwarf planet 2015 RR245, depicted by the yellow ellipse. The orbits of the Perhaps what is most exciting about the dis- planets are depicted in turquoise, and every object brighter than RR245 that’s not a planet is labeled. covery is the fact that the dwarf planet could be in resonance with Neptune, Bannister said. Pluto, too, is in resonance with the ice giant, ur orderly solar system hints at a vio- was relatively bright, suggesting that it was meaning that for every three times Neptune lent past, if you know where to look. surprisingly massive. orbits the Sun, Pluto orbits twice. Such syn- O Telltale signs—from the battle wounds The combination could mean only one chrony suggests that the two interacted in the that scar Mercury’s surface to the icy objects thing: “Looking at it, I immediately knew that past. beyond Neptune that orbit the Sun in wacky it was a dwarf planet,” said J. J. Kavelaars, an In fact, it was this exact resonance between paths—point toward a period of mayhem. astronomer on the team at the University of Neptune and Pluto that led researchers to dis- Hundreds of millions of years after the giant Victoria in Canada who made the discovery. planets formed, they swept into new orbits, Kavelaars, who was scanning the sky as part of flinging smaller objects every which way. the Outer Solar System Origins Survey The dwarf planet could be For decades, scientists have been trying to (OSSOS), quickly called his postdoc Michele pin down the details of the solar system’s hec- Bannister. She rushed downstairs to his office in resonance with Neptune. tic evolution. Now a newly discovered dwarf to look at the data and agreed: Only a dwarf planet with a diameter about the length of planet could fit the bill. “It stood out like a Florida could do just that. searchlight,” she said. cover our solar system’s violent history. To A Slow but Bright Speck A Highly Elliptical Orbit create the orbits of the icy outer solar system Astronomers first noticed the new world, Within a day the team searched through bodies that exist beyond Neptune today, the dubbed 2015 RR245, in February 2016 when it other images of the object and teased out general consensus holds that Neptune likely appeared as a bright speck of light slowly 2015 RR245’s highly elliptical orbit. Over the formed closer to the Sun, then migrated to its moving across a sequence of images shot the course of 700 years it swings to as close as current position. previous year by the Canada- France- Hawaii 5 billion kilometers from the Sun—a mere As Neptune swept outward, “poof—[it] Telescope on Mauna Kea. Its lethargic move- 500,000 kilometers beyond Neptune’s aver- snowplowed everything out of the way,” ment compared to that of bodies relatively age distance from the Sun. Then it heads out explained Bannister. But every action triggers close by meant that it must lurk in the fringes to nearly 20 billion kilometers—more than a reaction: Every small object thrown around of the solar system. Any small object located twice as far as Pluto’s farthest point from the would have slightly tweaked Neptune’s orbit so far away is going to be faint, but this object Sun. The team published the dwarf planet’s until they were in resonance with one another.

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Still, scientists don’t understand the specif- ics of Neptune’s early migration. “Did it hap- USGS Seeks to Contain Damage pen fast?” asks Bannister. “In less than a few tens of millions of years? Or did it take as much from Scientific Misconduct at Lab as several hundreds of millions of years?” To answer these questions, scientists have to build models of the early solar system, run each through 4.5 billion years of history, and see if it creates the thousands of orbits—of planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, and com- ets—pinpointed today. If one of these models lands on today’s snapshot, researchers may have their solution. But until then, every extra orbit helps.

A Cold Start These icy objects can shed light on not only the solar system’s chaotic evolution but also its frigid formation. Unlike the inner planets, which have been warmed by the Sun or their own internal heat, the distant and small objects are cold enough to have preserved some of the chemical ingredients that were present when the solar system formed. “It’s like archeology,” said Scott Sheppard, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D. C., who has discov-

ered many outer solar system objects but was Associated Press/David Zalubowski not a part of this discovery. Outer solar system The main entrance to the Federal Center in Lakewood, Colo., where the inorganic section of the Energy Geochemistry bodies “have a fossilized imprint of what hap- Laboratory was located until the lab closed this spring. The U.S. Geological Survey found evidence of scientific mis- pened in the past.” conduct in the lab section. But these objects are rare. Even Pluto is so large that it has some internal heat. However, 2015 RR245 is what Bannister calls “Pluto’s wo separate but related “scientific report focused on the newer, 2008–2014 epi- little sister,” meaning that it’s small enough integrity incidents” at a U.S. Geological sode. and distant enough that it’s the perfect labo- T Survey (USGS) laboratory have rattled The lab’s inorganic section, which provided ratory to preserve the makeup of the solar the agency, which, officials told Eos, is striving scientific support for the USGS Energy system’s ingredients. to contain and repair the damage, fix manage- Resources Program (ERP), used its mass spec- Typically, such a small and distant object ment flaws, and protect the Survey’s science trometer to conduct chemical inorganic analy- would be faint, but the latest discovery is reputation. A 15 June report by the Depart- ses of water samples and solid samples, bright enough that astronomers will be able to ment of the Interior’s Office of the Inspector including coal and rock, according to the take follow- up images and peel away what General (OIG) found that “the full extent of agency. ices might still exist on its frozen surface, said the impacts are not yet known but, neverthe- Bannister. But Sheppard warns that this likely less, that they will be serious and far ranging,” Two Dozen Projects Potentially Affected won’t be possible until the James Webb Space according to Deputy Inspector General Mary “Since ERP data is used to support both scien- Telescope launches in 2018 or the next gener- Kendall. tific decision- making and understanding, ation of giant, ground-based telescopes comes According to the OIG report (http://bit.ly/ inaccurate data has significant scientific con- online within the next decade. DOI - OIG - report), during the period 2008– sequences,” the OIG report stated. With Kavelaars, however, is most excited about 2014, employees at the inorganic section of regard to the 2008–2014 period, 24 research similar discoveries to come. “I had previously the Survey’s Energy Geochemistry Laboratory and assessment projects with national and thought that all the things this bright and this in Lakewood, Colo., improperly manipulated global interest “were potentially affected by large must have already been detected,” he mass spectrometer data. After learning of the erroneous information,” according to OIG. The said. The fact that the team looked in such a improper activity in October 2014, USGS con- projects represent about $108 million in fund- small patch of sky—only 10%—and easily vened a Scientific Integrity Review Panel that ing from fiscal years 2008 through 2014, with found one means that there could be perhaps concluded that the lab had a “chronic pattern the inorganic section of the laboratory receiv- nine more discoveries waiting to be found. of scientific misconduct.” The agency self- ing $4.1 million in funding since fiscal year “So let’s get on it,” Kavelaars said. “Let’s reported the matter to OIG and shuttered the 2008. find some more!” inorganic section of the lab this spring, Potentially affected projects listed by OIG according to USGS. In 2008, USGS had discov- include a toxic trace metals analysis of water ered an earlier spell of scientific misconduct at in the greater Everglades ecosystem in Florida, By Shannon Hall, Freelance Writer; email: the same lab, from 1996 through 2008, but an analysis of metals released into waters hallshannonw@ gmail.com involving different staff. The 15 June OIG associated with coal bed natural gas produc-

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tion activities in Alaska, and an assessment of to influence any particular decision or out- “This issue threatens uranium in the environment in and around come,” said Kolak, who has helped compile Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. information about the episode. [USGS’s] reputation. So One scientific report, on air quality studies Werkheiser said that after USGS uncovered relating to feed coals in South African boilers, the first incident, which lasted from 1998 to we take it very, very was retracted, and at least seven other reports 2008, the agency replaced some personnel seriously,” Werkheiser have been delayed, according to OIG. and attempted to implement quality assurance standards. “We’ll admit that we had said. Concern About the Broader Impact some managerial issues there and we weren’t USGS deputy director Bill Werkheiser told Eos paying as close oversight as we should have. that the damage from the 2008–2014 mis- That since has changed,” he said. conduct “is relatively well contained,” with for whether to withdraw lands regarding ura- the agency knowing how the information is Congressional Interest nium mining in the Grand Canyon area. In being used and contacting affected parties. The most recent incident has caught the other words, there is no connection between However, he stressed that the bigger concern attention of Congress. Rep. Bruce Westerman data in the lab and that particular policy deci- is the impact of this issue on the agency’s (R-Ark.) raised the topic during a 23 June sion.” reputation for high- quality, defensible sci- oversight hearing by the House Committee on A spokesman for Sen. Flake told Eos that ence, which he said is the Survey’s deepest Natural Resources. the Survey “has provided Sen. Flake and his core value. In mid-July, USGS briefed the offices of staff additional information on how the lab “This issue threatens that reputation. So we Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake and Rep. that is a subject of the [OIG] report may have take it very, very seriously,” Werkheiser said, Paul Gosar, all of whom are Republicans rep- been involved in Arizona studies, including adding that the incident “goes counter to resenting Arizona. The agency told them studies on uranium. That information is cur- [USGS] standards.” there is no connection between the 2008– rently being evaluated.” 2014 data quality incident at the lab and USGS Agency Response to OIG Report research related to uranium in the environ- In response to the incident, Werkheiser said ment in and around the Grand Canyon. That By Randy Showstack, Staff Writer USGS is implementing a quality management research fed into a system for its minerals and energy programs to Bureau of Land conduct quality assurance and quality control Management study “in a very systematic and proactive way.” In and then Secretary addition, he said, the agency has established a of the Interior Ken quality assurance management position. Salazar’s 2012 deci- In a written response to the OIG this sum- sion to place a mer, dated 13 July, USGS concurred with the 20-year exploration OIG report’s sole recommendation, that the and mining morato- agency notify all stakeholders of the scientific rium on about 1 mil- integrity incident. The agency stated that it has lion acres of federal completed notifications to USGS-based and lands in northern external customers and “will continue to assess Arizona. At the the full impacts of this data quality issue on time, Flake and research and publications.” The agency also McCain voiced stated that the majority of the 24 identified opposition to the projects “are still viable and of value, and moratorium. research is continuing. Consequently, we Legislation (H.R. believe that the actual impacts were a subset of 3882) introduced in the total costs of the 24 projects.” 2015 by Rep. Raúl Werkheiser told Eos that one person who Grijalva (D-Ariz.) worked at the lab is no longer with USGS and would permanently that “some disciplinary actions are still ongo- withdraw these ing.” According to a 25 May USGS notice lands and establish a (http://bit . ly/ USGS - notice - 5 - 25), some data Greater Grand Can- were manipulated “to correct for calibration yon Heritage failures and to improve results of standard National Monument. reference materials and unknowns.” Also, Kolak, one of the some raw data from the mass spectrometer briefers, told Eos, “are unavailable, thus the measured concen- “No data from this trations cannot be re- checked for accuracy.” laboratory made its Jon Kolak, associate coordinator within the way into the USGS USGS Energy Resources Program, told Eos, “As report [http://on.doi far as we can ascertain, there was no personal .gov/2aybb00] that gain or [other self-serving] motive. Certainly, ultimately factored there does not appear to have been any intent into considerations

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

crack opened once again, swallowing a resi- Earth Fissures May No Longer dent’s horse). Cook and other AZGS scientists have mapped nearly 300 kilometers of Earth Get Mapped in Arizona fissures using GPS and said there may be another 300 kilometers of unconfirmed fissures based on old reports and satellite images. “Occasionally, you can see [fissures] in Google Earth if the timing is just right,” Cook way, chief of the Geological said. “But usually, the field is tilled annually, Extension Service at AZGS, which and any trace is erased.” The fissures might means the agency will have to not affect a farmer now, but if the agricultural secure funds through research land is converted into residential develop- grants. ments in the future, “they could be a hazard to If the Survey can’t secure those those homes,” he continued. funds, it, along with the Earth fissure mapping program, “could Threat to Houses potentially go away entirely after a Once Cook visits and measures the fissures, he year or two,” Conway said. Some processes and uploads all his data to create Arizona state legislators have said maps, including an interactive map accessible that they will try to restore fund- to the public (see http://bit . ly/ AZ - haz - map). ing to the agency (see http://bit.ly/ The maps are of particular interest to realtors AZGS-advocates). concerned with selling homes and city developers building roads or neighborhoods. When the Ground Splits “When we were in the middle of the map- In Arizona, water and natural gas ping program, we [were] receiving 75–100 pumping erode the ground from requests per year” for information from real- below; as the land slowly sinks, tors and developers who wanted to find out hairline fractures form at the sur- more about fissures, Conway said. face. If a storm suddenly hits, the When a fissure opens near residential or weight of the water can turn the private property, it can damage utility lines subtle fracture into a chasm. Fis- and walls and change the drainage of the sur- sures sometimes extend more rounding landscape, which alters the flooding than a kilometer and can yawn hazard, Cook said. That’s why realtors repre- several meters wide and tens of senting home buyers and developers looking

Joe Cook meters deep. to build often need detailed information about Rodgers fissure in Maricopa County, Arizona. The fissure opened in 1997 Rapidly developing areas, such existing fissures. following heavy rains from Hurricane Nora. Initially, the crack stretched as Maricopa and Pinal counties in The legislation requiring AZGS to map Earth 1200 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 10 meters deep in some places. the southern portion of the state, fissures also requires home sellers to disclose Since 1997, the crack has grown in length another 400 meters. run an especially high risk of fis- whether there is a fissure on their property, but sures, Conway said. When the if the mapping program ends because of a land was mainly used for agricul- choked funding stream, existing maps won’t be ecently melded with the University of ture, farmers pumped out groundwater faster Arizona at a reduced level of funding, than it was replenished, leaving behind unsta- “Who would step up and R the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) ble ground. When fissures appeared, farmers might need to shut down a program more than tilling the fields filled them in, obscuring sustain that data?” a decade old under which it has mapped fis- them from view. Dirt moved from construc- sures in the Earth that plague the state, offi- tion projects has also filled the cracks. cials at the geology agency say. Currently, Such hidden cracks can remain hazards, AZGS maps the locations of and monitors the said Joe Cook, a research geologist at AZGS and updated, Cook said. What’s more, if new fis- huge cracks, which can threaten lives and manager of the Earth fissure mapping pro- sures form, home sellers may not “have to dis- property when they suddenly form in Arizo- gram. For example, at some time since the close anything because there won’t be an addi- na’s cities and deserts. 1960s in Chandler Heights, an unincorporated tional map that shows anything,” he added. In June, in response to legislation signed the community spanning both Maricopa and Pinal Conway worried about “all the [fissure maps] previous month by Arizona governor Doug counties, developers filled in a previously we have posted online and made available to Ducey, AZGS moved its offices into smaller known fissure. In 2005, a storm dumped about everyone.” When AZGS becomes a soft money quarters at the university, which has agreed to 5 centimeters (2 inches) of rain on the resi- organization, “I don’t know what happens to provide the $941,000 the agency would have dential area in just an hour, reopening the fis- these things,” he said. “Who would step up and otherwise received from the state for fiscal sure, which measured 12 meters (39 feet) deep sustain that data? It certainly doesn’t look like year (FY) 2017. in some places. it would be the state of Arizona.” In Arizona, FY 2017 began 1 July 2016. After Arizona lawmakers subsequently passed leg- the current fiscal year ends, AZGS becomes a islation requiring the Survey to map and moni- “soft money” organization, said Michael Con- tor any existing fissures (the following year, the By JoAnna Wendel, Staff Writer

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ing system that will allow us to get into this Precision Landing Will Be Key tricky terrain.”

to NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover Collecting Martian Rocks The Mars 2020 rover will land in one of eight potential locations thought capable of once hosting microbes. Curiosity photographed the craft opened its areas that might have once been habitable, chute after passing and using these data as well as information below the ideal alti- collected by other craft, researchers have now tude. The Mars 2020 confirmed rock formations that appear to have rover aims to avoid been riverbeds, tsunami zones, and deltas. this nail- biting In addition to taking photos, the Mars 2020 entry, said Allen rover will collect 35 samples of rock for 7 months Chen of the descent after arriving on the Red Planet. The rover will and landing team. leave samples in designated locations for a sec- “By adding what’s ond craft to retrieve at a later date. In contrast, known as range trig- Curiosity was equipped with gas analysis instru- ger, we can specify ments and transmitted data about organic mol- where we want the ecules, but no samples were returned to Earth. parachute to open, NASA is currently testing the new rover’s not just at what drilling tools on a variety of Earth’s rock types. velocity we want it to In addition, scientists are conducting drilling open,” said Chen. In tests in a chamber that emulates Martian

NASA/JPL-Caltech other words, certain atmospheric pressure, which is only about 1% A computer- generated rendition of NASA’s Mars 2020 rover. altitudes could be of that found on Earth, according to Matt Rob- programed to trigger inson of the Mars 2020 sampling and catching the chute. “That team. Robinson gave a live tour of the testing o scientists and engineers working on shrinks our [required] landing area by nearly chamber and drilling facility during the Q&A. Mars rovers, a rover’s entry into the half.” The Mars 2020 rover will have a five-jointed T Martian atmosphere and descent to its What’s more, the Mars 2020 rover will be robotic arm that can retrieve core samples for surface are known as the 7 minutes of terror. equipped with terrain relative navigation, storage and transport, Robinson noted. Hurtling at speeds exceeding 17,700 kilome- which uses pictures of the ground for orienta- ters per hour, a rover has to put on some seri- tion during entry and descent. The technique Searching for Water, Creating Oxygen, ous brakes if it is to land nimbly and delicately will help the rover avoid hazardous terrain by and More at the surface. automatically comparing photos the rover In a press release sent after the conference, The process may be less terrifying during takes of the landing zone with an onboard NASA announced that it will now proceed with the next mission, thanks to the new Mars map generated from images previously taken final construction designs. Several intriguing 2020 rover design that gives the craft more by orbiting craft. instruments made the cut. control as it lands. The NASA rover team Curiosity took pictures of the surface during The Mars 2020 rover will be equipped with a announced plans for the craft on 1 July during landing, but they were not matched to a map ground-penetrating radar called the Radar a live Facebook question and answer (Q&A) to facilitate better navigation. Instead, Curios- Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment session streamed from the Jet Propulsion Lab- ity and other previous rovers were sent to (RIMFAX), which will be used to search for ice oratory in Pasadena, Calif. At the Q&A, man- spans of flat, rock-free terrain at least 20 by and brine beneath the rover. In addition, sev- agers highlighted how new robotic features 25 kilometers across to ensure that the land- eral microphones will record Martian sound distinguish the Mars 2020 rover (named for its ing location was safe. The craft then drove for the first time. scheduled launch year) from past models sent long distances to gather information and pho- A device that ingests carbon dioxide from to explore the Martian surface. tograph rocky terrain. the atmosphere and produces oxygen using The new craft will look much like Curiosity, In contrast, the range trigger and navigation solid oxide electrolysis will also be included on its six-wheeled, 1-ton predecessor that system will allow the craft to maneuver into a the rover. If the device, the Mars Oxygen In launched in November 2011. However, the tighter landing zone—a flat space a mere 18 by Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), Mars 2020 rover will have, among other fea- 14 kilometers across, half the prior area— is successful, it could pave the way for instru- tures, a smarter parachute deployment system surrounded by rock. Thus, after landing, the ments that allow people to breathe on Mars. that will help it maneuver into an even tighter the Mars 2020 rover won’t have to drive far to The technology could also help overcome the landing zone, a navigation system that uses begin collecting samples, Chen explained. need to transport oxygen for fuel. pictures to guide landing, and even equipment “One of the key things for us is to land in an Because of these and other new designs to record ambient sound on Mars. environment that has a lot of rocks, and rocks such as thicker wheels that avoid punctures are challenging for landing,” said project sci- and damage, the Mars 2020 rover will weigh Equipped for a Rocky Landing entist Kenneth Farley from the NASA Mars about 150 kilograms more than Curiosity. Because Curiosity relied upon velocity to acti- Yard, a parking lot full of bedrock and red slab vate parachute deployment and because it used to test-drive rover models. “Fortunately, could not make decisions based on position, we have some new capabilities with the land- By Amy Coombs, Editorial Intern

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 7 MEETING REPORT

tamination that may undermine human health, Groundwater Contamination in Karst with several studies documenting higher concentrations of bacteria and protozoa in karst Regions Affects Human Health than in porous media aquifers. In addition, molecular tools for tracing and identifying Karst, Groundwater Contamination, and Public Health: potential pathogens in groundwater revealed Moving Beyond Case Studies large numbers of viruses derived from humans San Juan, Puerto Rico, 27 January to 1 February 2016 as well as from wildlife and livestock. Most conclusions about human health outcomes are based on interpretation of public health data that are collected independent of information on the factors that exacerbate groundwater contamination. Only one study presented at the meeting had sufficient data to link the timing of disease outbreak to the occurrence of storm flow that mobilized contaminant migration into groundwater supplies used for drinking. More commonly, scientists rely on simplistic geographic associations between groundwater contamination and disease outbreak. Given the place-based nature of hydrogeological studies, we recommend that spatially distributed health data be reported to help reveal the intersection of water quality and human health. Participants discussed ways that general regulations for water quality protection may not be appropriate in karst regions, where contaminants are transmitted rapidly from the land surface to the water table, and they debated creative non- regulatory approaches to managing land use as another means of protecting water supplies. Chuck Sutherland The significant time lag between the occur- Karst landscapes are characterized by caves and underground drainage networks. Flowing groundwater dissolves rence of water supply contamination, particu- limestone, opening up multiple levels of large cave passages like this one in Parque Cavernas del Río Camuy, Puerto larly by chemical agents, and the subsequent Rico, which meeting attendees visited during a field trip. Participants gained a vivid understanding of how moving health outcomes in the population represents a water could transport contaminants released on the surface rapidly without attenuation through the extreme porosity fundamental misalignment of environmental of the limestone bedrock. Here the water table is 120 meters below land surface, but the large conduits can transmit and human data. Meeting participants dis- tremendous volumes of water (340 cubic meters per second during Hurricane Georges in 1998, for example). cussed how newly applied methods in time series analysis hold promise for resolving the mismatch. ome characteristics of limestone aqui- Sponsorship was provided by the National Because the perspective of each investigator fers, in contrast to porous media, make Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, determines what is measured in a given study, S them particularly susceptible to contam- the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Con- it is critically important to develop comprehen- ination. Sinking streams and sinkholes provide tamination Threats (PROTECT), the National sive observations by conducting interdisciplin- a rapid route for unfiltered contaminants from Science Foundation, and the Edwards Aquifer ary studies and by sharing data. Participants at the land surface to the underlying aquifer. This Authority of central Texas. this conference developed an expanded appre- characteristic, along with swift groundwater Seventy experts from seven countries ciation for the need to collect diverse types of flow in conduits that have been widened by attended. They specialized in karst hydrogeol- data during their investigations. The consensus mineral dissolution (karst aquifers) and diffi- ogy, contaminant geochemistry, microbiology, was that new insights and connections would culty characterizing and monitoring the highly public health sciences, and environmental law emerge from increased communication. An heterogeneous karst subsurface, contributes to and regulation. Attendees grappled with iden- edited volume of research papers from the an elevated risk for degradation of water qual- tifying conceptual and practical obstacles meeting is under contract for publication. ity. The reliance on groundwater for drinking while they learned of new tools, findings, and supplies in karst regions creates the potential promising perspectives for protecting human for public health effects. health. Sessions highlighted emerging tools By Janet S. Herman, Department of Environmen- The nonprofit Karst Waters Institute held an for investigating contaminant transport, for tal Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville; interdisciplinary conference (http://bit . ly/ quantifying exposure concentrations, and for email: jherman@ virginia.edu; Dorothy J. Vesper, Karst- Conf) to explore knowledge gaps demonstrating linkages to human health out- Department of Geology and Geography, West Vir- between the science of contaminant transport comes. ginia University, Morgantown; and Ellen K. Her- in karst aquifers and our understanding of Numerous presenters demonstrated that man, Department of Geology, Bucknell University, exposure pathways and health outcomes. karst is particularly prone to groundwater con- Lewisburg, Pa.

8 // Eos 1 September 2016 Apply for the New AGU Data Visualization and Storytelling Competition!

Win a chance to go to Fall Meeting and present your story on the NASA Hyperwall.

Deadline for submission: 15 September

Learn more: http://bit.ly/agu-dataviz-story-contest

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 9 Multicolor Terrain Mapping Documents Critical Environments By Juan Carlos Fernandez-Diaz, William E. Carter, Ramesh Shrestha, and Craig L. Glennie

10 // Eos 1 September 2016 The Titan airborne topographic laser system takes spatial and spectral data at three wavelengths at once, mapping threats from climate change and ecological disasters in Multicolor Terrain Mapping regions with complex terrain. Documents Critical Environments

he global nature of climate change means that all environments show evidence of abnormal change: continually rising average tempera- tures and increases in sea level that inundate coastal areas, along with an increase in the frequency and intensity of severe weather such as hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical storms. TNew technologies provide ever clearer images and more detailed data on these effects and how they evolve from year to year. One such technology, lidar, is the laser equivalent of radar. The instrument sits aboard an aircraft that flies back and forth over an area, collecting data that are processed to produce a three- dimensional image of the surfaces below. The latest version of lidar collects data from three lasers at once, producing multispectral images that catch details a single- laser scan would miss. Geoscientists are putting this new capability to work, monitoring landscape features crafted by melting ice in frigid regions, providing data for storm surge and sea level rise models for the Gulf of Mexico, and monitoring an ecosystem’s recovery from a massive oil spill.

Lidar Goes from Black-and-White to “Color” Lidar originated in the mid- 1930s in the atmospheric research community. Evolutions and refinements in this

Three-dimensional surface model overlaid with a false-color laser intensity image of the ancient city of Teotihuacán, northeast of modern-day Mexico City. Colors represent reﬂ ectance properties of various types of

National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping National Center for Airborne Laser land cover.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 11 technology have enabled breakthroughs in various fields of the geosciences [Fernandez- Diaz et al., 2013]. The first airborne mapping lidar instruments were developed in 1966 to map Arctic pack ice [Ketchum, 1971] and hunt for subma- rines [Sorenson et al., 1966]. However, it was not until the end of the 1990s that the enabling technologies— including satellite systems, navigation sensors, lasers, and detectors—were mature enough to produce the high resolution and accuracy in the topographic data that geophysical research requires [Slatton et al., 2007]. During an airborne lidar survey, an aircraft outfitted with a laser emitter and a sensor scans a swath of surface below the flight path. Laser pulses, emitted at rates of hundreds of thousands of pulses per second, bounce back from the surface below, and these “returns” are picked up by the lidar sensor. By analyzing how long it takes the laser’s pulse to return to the sensor, a computer can determine the distance to the reflecting surface. Simultane- ously, GPS receivers and inertial measuring units collect position and orientation data that enable determination of the aircraft’s trajectory to within 10 centimeters. Later, the range data are combined with aircraft trajectory and other data to produce a highly accurate “point cloud,” a set of data points containing information on the three- dimensional coordinates of the reflecting surface and the intensity, or relative strength, of each recorded return. Algorithms classify the likely sources of the returns as vegetation, artificial structures, ground surfaces, or other sources. Further processing of the point cloud generates digital elevation models. Depending on the science requirements, flight plans and sensor config- urations can provide digital elevation models of the topography at resolutions of a few tens of centimeters horizontally and a few centimeters vertically [Glennie et al., 2013]. Traditional mapping lidars provide rich and accurate three-dimensional data (Figure 1a) as point clouds and digital elevation models. They also produce “intensity” images that are the equivalent of aerial black- and- white pho- National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping National Center for Airborne Laser tographs (Figure 1b). The spectral data from Fig. 1. (a) Lidar-derived digital surface model of the area surrounding NASA’s these intensity images are monochromatic, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This is one of the basic data products limited to a measure of the laser backscatter at obtained from airborne laser scanner (ALS) three- dimensional spatial data. the specific laser wavelength. Various laser NAVD88 = North American Vertical Datum of 1988. (b) A single laser wave- wavelengths provide additional information length lidar intensity image, a monochromatic representation of the backscat- on the terrain below, but before now, gather- tered laser energy reflected by the different target surfaces. (c) A false-color ing this information required compiling data normalized laser intensity image generated by using the intensity data of the collected from several lidar sensors operating three different Titan laser wavelengths. Different colors represent different at different wavelengths. reflectance properties of materials and land covers. Comparing Figures 1b The Optech Titan multispectral airborne and 1c shows that reflectance data obtained at three different wavelengths laser scanner (ALS; http://bit . ly/ Titan - ALS) is enable an improved land cover and target classification using lidar data alone. the first operational system designed to per-

12 // Eos 1 September 2016 Juan Carlos Fernandez-Diaz The Titan multispectral airborne laser scanner unit aboard a Twin Otter aircraft.

form mapping at three different wavelengths simultane- high resolutions, complement ongoing efforts to study ously through the same scanning mechanism. The Titan similar changes at global scales and lower resolutions collects data at near-infrared wavelengths (1550 and 1064 [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2013]. nanometers (nm)) and near the center of the visible light spectrum (532 nm; Figure 2). This three- wavelength capa- Melting Ice in the McMurdo Dry Valleys bility enables users to map elevations above sea level Even though scientists were aware as early as the mid- (topography) and depths below sea level (bathymetry) 1970s of the negative climate effects from increased levels simultaneously at high resolution. of atmospheric carbon dioxide [Mercer, 1978], it has taken This three-channel spectral information can be com- decades for them to gather and analyze data quantifying bined into false-color laser backscatter images, which improve researchers’ ability to distinguish between varied types of land cover (Figure 1c). Combining the three- dimensional spatial and three-channel spectral information yields a new kind of data set (Figure 3) that previously was available only by combining lidar data (which actively illuminate the target) with passive imagery (which gathers ambient light reflected by the target and can vary with sunlight conditions). The U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM; http://ncalm . cive . uh . edu) had the opportunity to explore the capabilities of this novel sensor in regions as different as the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica and the rain forests of Central America during the first year of its deployment. NCALM collected data for investigators studying the consequences and effects of climate change and other eco- Fig. 2. Reflectance spectra from various types of land cover, showing the operating logical disasters. These efforts, aimed at wavelengths of the Titan multispectral ALS, illustrating the advantages of having multi- understanding how our planet and its climate ple wavelengths for mapping areas with different land covers. OLI = Operational Land are changing at relatively small scales and Imager.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 13 during the austral summer of 2014–2015. NCALM and the science team are in the process of developing change detection maps that will enable the identification of the thermokarsts by comparing this recent data set to a previous one collected by NASA with the Airborne Topographic Mapper in the austral summer of 2001–2002 [Csatho et al., 2005]. Titan has an advantage over traditional ALS systems for mapping areas like the McMurdo Dry Valleys, where areas of soil and snow overlap. A traditional ALS operating at 1550 nm would obtain strong returns from the soil surfaces but would have dif- ficulties obtaining returns from the ice and snow, which reflect little light at that wavelength. The Titan can use the 1064- and 532-nm channels, which have better response to snow, at the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping National Center for Airborne Laser same time it is collecting the Fig. 3. (a) A synthetic view of Antarctica’s McMurdo Station, generated by overlaying a lidar three- 1550-nm data. Scientists work- dimensional (3- D) surface model with a false-color image derived from the lidar’s return intensity. Inten- ing in the Dry Valleys and on sities from the laser’s 1550- nanometer wavelength were used to generate the red channel in the false- monitoring the polar regions can color image; the laser’s 1064- and 532- nanometer wavelengths were used to generate the green and use the resulting open-access blue channels, respectively. This type of data set obtained from the new Titan sensor combines 3- D data set to calibrate satellite data spatial and three- band spectral data from single imaging geometry. Because these data do not as they generate maps of other depend on solar illumination, they are free of shadows and enable an enhanced classification of the Antarctic regions. targets that reflect the lidar beams. (b) An oblique aerial image of McMurdo Station, taken at the time of the lidar data collection for reference and comparison. Various types of land cover and different materi- Threat of Rising Seas als produce different colors in the syntheticfalse- color representation. near the Gulf of Mexico In 2015, NCALM was commis- sioned to carry out an airborne these effects across the globe [IPCC, 2013]. Many of the topographic and bathymetric lidar survey of the area sur- most visible effects are related to melting ice at high lati- rounding NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, tudes. Texas. This center’s campus is 6 meters above sea level at The frozen water that constitutes the cryosphere is criti- its highest and surrounded by a network of streams, bay- cally important, and it is mainly concentrated in the Arctic, ous, and lakes that connect to Galveston Bay (Figure 1a). Greenland, and Antarctica [Vaughan et al., 2013]. Andrew The campus is less than 50 kilometers from the Gulf of Fountain of Portland State Mexico, which is known as University leads a group an incubator of major storm of scientists who are Titan has an advantage over systems. In 2008, one such studying the causes and storm, Hurricane Ike, devas- effects of melting subsur- traditional airborne laser scanner tated the Houston metropol- face ice in the Dry Valleys itan area, causing billions of near McMurdo Station in systems for mapping areas like the dollars in property damage Antarctica (Figure 3). McMurdo Dry Valleys, where areas in Texas alone. They are particularly The effects of climate interested in detecting of soil and snow overlap. change might compound the small changes in the similar events. In prepara- valley’s topography tion, this survey was caused by melting permafrost (thermokarsts) as well as designed to gather highly detailed spatial data to assist mapping their extent throughout the valley system NASA in developing storm surge and sea level rise models. [Fountain et al., 2014]. The Titan ALS is ideal for this project because it was specif- To map the current surface, NCALM flew the Titan multi- ically designed to carry out high-resolution seamless sur- spectral ALS on a Twin Otter aircraft over a surface area of veys in a single pass over areas where land meets water. more than 3500 square kilometers for a 6-week period William Stefanov of the Astromaterials Research and

14 // Eos 1 September 2016 Exploration Science Division at the Johnson Space Center and his colleagues will use the information coming from this project to assess strategies and mechanisms to miti- gate negative weather and climate effects on these NASA facilities.

Disasters of Human Origin Titan’s multispectral data are being used to study other environmental issues, including monitoring the evolution of ecosystems affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Five years after this environmental disaster, NCALM was called upon to assist in mapping wetlands in the Barataria Bay system along Louisi- ana’s Gulf Coast. In this project, researchers from the Coastal Waters Consortium (http://cwc . lumcon . edu) plan to supplement lidar data with hyperspectral imaging data, which produce not only images but also the light spectrum of each pixel in the image. The hyperspectral data will be used to evaluate the presence or absence of pollutants, as well as the general health of the vegetation. Titan’s spatial data will be used primarily to estimate the biomass of the vegetation, and researchers will also assess how its active three-band multispectral data can complement the passive hyperspectral data. Information gathered in the survey will be used to study how the ecosystem responds to and evolves from exposure to the oil spill. Data processing and analysis for this first-year deployment are still under way, and we will publish our results in science and engineering journals. We are hopeful that this new sensor and the enhanced spatial and spectral information it provides will lead to new applications and discoveries in the geosciences.

References Csatho, B., T. Schenk, W. Krabill, T. Wilson, W. Lyons, G. McKenzie, C. Hallam, S. Man- izade, and T. Paulsen (2005), Airborne laser scanning for high-resolution mapping of Antarctica, Eos Trans. AGU, 86, 237–238, doi:10.1029/2005EO250002. Fernandez-Diaz, J. C., W. E. Carter, R. L. Shrestha, and C. L. Glennie (2013), Lidar remote sensing, in Handbook of Satellite Applications, pp. 757–808, Springer, New York. Fountain, A. G., J. S. Levy, M. N. Gooseff, and D. Van Horn (2014), The McMurdo Dry Valleys: A landscape on the threshold of change, Geomorphology, 225, 25–35. Glennie, C. L., W. E. Carter, R. L. Shrestha, and W. E. Dietrich (2013), Geodetic imaging with airborne LiDAR: The Earth’s surface revealed, Rep. Prog. Phys., 76, 086801. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2013), 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. Stocker et al., Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, U.K. Ketchum, R. D. (1971), Airborne laser profiling of the Arctic pack ice, Remote Sens. Environ., 2, 41–52. Mercer, J. H. (1978), West Antarctic ice sheet and CO2 greenhouse effect: A threat of disaster, Nature, 271, 321–325. Slatton, K. C., W. E. Carter, R. L. Shrestha, and W. Dietrich (2007), Airborne laser swath mapping: Achieving the resolution and accuracy required for geosurficial research, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L23S10, doi:10.1029/2007GL031939. Sorenson, G., R. Honey, and J. Payne (1966), Analysis of the use of airborne laser radar for submarine detection and ranging, Rep. NADC-AE-6613. Vaughan, D. G., et al. (2013), Observations: Cryosphere, 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. Stocker et al., chap. 4, pp. 317–382, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, U.K.

Author Information Juan Carlos Fernandez-Diaz, William E. Carter, Ramesh Shrestha, and Craig L. Glennie, National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas; email: [email protected]

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 15 Ash spews from Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano, some 55 kilometers from Mexico City, as seen from the municipality of San Damian Texoloc on 9 July 2013. J. Guadalupe Perez/AFP/Getty Images Guadalupe Perez/AFP/Getty J.

16 // Eos 1 September 2016 Enhancing Safety in a Volcano’s Shadow

By Joan Martí, Stefania Bartolini, and Laura Becerril

n engineer in Iceland checks the pressure levels of geothermally heated water running through a power plant’s turbines. A cowherd in the Azores leads livestock to a pasture perched on a rolling hillslope. A tourist slathers on sunscreen on the crowded shores of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. A farmer harvests maize in Garrotxa, a county in Spain’s autonomous community of Catalonia. The engineer, cowherd, tourist, and farmer all have an important aspect in common: High above the landscapes that supply them with work and entertainment loom slumbering volcanoes. Around the world, more than 500 million people live in areas that expose them to volcanic hazards. To help protect them, hazards experts contemplate scenarios. Could a debris flow triggered by the volcano inundate nearby towns? What if it blocked water supplies? Could we anticipate where such a

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 17 USGS Lahar from the 13 November 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz smothered the town of Armero, Colombia, killing more than 20,000 of its 29,000 resi- dents. The town was never rebuilt.

flow would go? How much lead time could we get to evacu- A Disconnect Between Scientists and First Responders ate inhabitants? Modern assessments of volcanic hazards rely on probabi- People in the shadow of an active volcano depend on listic approaches, where volcanologists develop models early warnings of volcanic unrest from their civil authori- that combine eruptive scenarios and their expected recur- ties. These authorities, in turn, rely on scientists to supply rence with information on population distribution, infra- them with critical information. Ideally, officials have close structure vulnerability, and other factors that help calcu- and efficient collaboration as well as effective communica- late risks to the general public. With these models, tion with scientists, who provide them with accurate decision makers can conduct a holistic analysis of a volca- assessments of innate hazards and who recommend prac- nic crisis, including assessments of costs versus benefits. tical strategies to reduce risk. Scientists and civil authorities do not always work suffi- The real world, however, is far from ideal. Past eruptive ciently closely to enable the authorities to always under- events offer several examples of failed communications stand the science behind hazard assessments. Also, the between scientists and first responders or decision makers. scientific community has not always clearly understood the A tragic example is the 1985 eruption of Colombia’s Nevado needs and exact requirements of officials. del Ruiz, in which more than 23,000 people lost their lives, As a result, collaboration between scientists and com- partly because local governments did not consider the munity planners is not always as successful as it could be. warnings of scientists who knew the volcano was awaken- Scientific literature offers a considerable number of meth- ing. odologies and tools addressing hazard assessment (e.g., An important goal for improving the management of http://bit . ly/ seis - hazard - models - opn). However, commu- volcanic crises is to develop objective, real-time method- nity planners sometimes prefer to ignore these methodol- ologies for evaluating how an emergency will develop and ogies and tools and use their own approaches, so the how scientists communicate with decision makers. Scien- methodologies end up being only a good academic exercise. tists need to know what first responders expect from them Because probabilistic methodologies play such a promi- and should build a system to transmit scientific results. At nent role in volcanic hazard assessment, scientists seek to the same time, first responders need to know the limits of develop methodologies and protocols to bridge this dis- science. connect. These methods aim to provide better scientific To facilitate collaboration, physical and social scientists support to the civil authorities who must base their deci- developed VeTOOLS, a project that integrates in a system- sions on them. In this vein, VeTOOLS was born. atic and sequential way a series of well-tested tools addressing various aspects of the volcanic hazard assess- The VeTOOLS Project ment process. Using VeTOOLS, experts provide community In volcanology, e-tools (computer or Web-based applica- planners with long- term hazard assessments and vulnera- tions intended to make a task easier) can help users bility analysis during quiescent times and supply first employ probabilistic methods to assess and forecast volca- responders with short- term hazard assessments and cost- nic eruptions and their likelihood of occurrence. For exam- benefit analysis as unrest unfolds. ple, the VHub collaboration site (https://vhub.org/) offers a

18 // Eos 1 September 2016 good choice of freely available models and methodologies. Model (BADEMO) [Sobradelo and Martí, 2015], which enables However, VHub’s resources are not integrated into a single a previous analysis of the distribution of local susceptibil- platform that can homogenize programing languages and ity and vulnerability to eruptions to be combined with spe- facilitate their systematic use and guidance in hazard cific costs and potential losses. assessment. We are working to integrate other tools or models that The VeTOOLS project, which seeks to develop and have been developed by other authors. Also, we intend to implement e- tools for volcanic hazard assessment and risk offer experts different options based on the available input management, goes a step forward in creating and integrat- data they may have and the accuracy they require. ing software packages (see http://www . vetools . eu/). This integration can facilitate collaboration between commu- Applying the Tools nity officials and scientists in conducting effective hazard VOLCANBOX is a resource to build the strategies required assessments and in helping decision makers develop to successfully confront and minimize the impact of future emergency programs and manage volcanic crises. volcanic eruptions in a homogeneous and systematic way (Figure 2). A Simple, Multiplatform Method Experts select the tools in each module that they want to Scientists involved with VeTOOLS created a simple multi- apply in a sequential workflow. The nature of this workflow platform method (VOLCANBOX), capable of running on can be adapted to a long- or short- term hazard assess- Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, for assessing hazards and ment, and it takes the different tasks assumed in the vol- risks. It includes a series of e- tools that allow experts to canic management cycle as a reference. evaluate the possible hazards that could affect a volcanic For a long-term hazard assessment, for example, the area and develop appropriate hazard and risk maps. In user could obtain a susceptibility map (spatial analysis, short, VOLCANBOX allows experts to assess information e.g., QVAST) showing the probability of where a new vent and package it into a form that community planners need. will form on a volcano, a temporal analysis of the occur- Currently, the VOLCANBOX platform includes a database rence of possible eruptive scenarios (e.g., HASSET), a sim- design (using Volcanic Management Risk Database Design ulation of possible volcanic and associated hazards and (VERDI), an open platform for debugging computer code elaboration of qualitative and quantitative hazard maps [Bartolini et al., 2014a]) created to structure and store all (e.g., VORIS), vulnerability analysis (e.g., VOLCANDAM), data necessary to conduct hazard assessment. The data- and cost-benefit analysis to determine the most appropri- base is contained in five modules: spatial analysis, tempo- ate mitigation measures (e.g., BADEMO). ral analysis, simulation models, risk analysis, and commu- In the case of a short-term analysis (covering a single nication protocols (Figure 1). unrest episode), we would use the previous results and add Each of these modules includes different e-tools already monitoring information through the use of a specific tool developed by Spain’s research council (Consejo Superior de (e.g., ST- HASSET) [Bartolini et al., 2016] to refine the spatial Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)). These tools include and temporal constraints of the most probable scenarios. Quantum Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Volca- nic Susceptibility (QVAST) [Bartolini et al., 2013], which pro- Connecting to Civil Protection vides quantitative assessments of a new eruptive vent; VeTOOLS also looks at how to make scientific informa- Hazard Assessment Event Tree (HASSET) [Sobradelo et al., tion understandable for decision makers and commu- 2014], an event tree structure that uses Bayesian inference to estimate the probability of occurrence of a future volcanic sce- nario; Volcanic Risk Information System (VORIS) [Felpeto et al., 2007], a GIS- based tool that allows users to simulate lava flows, fallout, and pyroclastic density current scenarios; Volcanic Damage (VOLCANDAM) [Scaini et al., 2014], which generates maps that estimate the expected damage caused by volcanic eruptions; and Bayesian Decision Fig. 1. Simplified structure of the new platform (VOLCANBOX) of the VeTOOLS project.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 19 nity planners who manage risk in volcanic areas. Fig. 2. Example of the methodology used and results obtained using Through step- by- step instructions, scientists using VOLCANBOX for long-term volcanic hazard assessment on Deception VOLCANBOX show community planners how to identify Island, between Antarctica and Argentina [Bartolini et al., 2014b]. The the most probable eruptive scenarios and their potential Quantum Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Volcanic Suscepti- effects, which helps officials triage emergency bility (QVAST) map shows the probability of a new vent forming, with responses in the event of an eruption. These instruc- warm colors representing high values. The Hazard Assessment Event tions were developed after testing VOLCANBOX with Tree (HASSET) plot shows probabilities for the occurrence of different civil protection agencies in Spain, the Azores, and Ice- volcanic hazards for projectiles (ballistic), ash (fallout), pyroclastic den- land. sity currents (PDC), and lava. The Volcanic Risk Information System As of now, however, scientists must use VOLCANBOX (VORIS) maps give simulations for (top) lava flows, (middle) PDC, and and then deliver assessments to community officials, and (bottom) lahar. Combining all these products yields an aggregated vol- it is incumbent on scientists to use VOLCANBOX to canic hazards map. gather the information that community officials seek. Thus, before using VOLCANBOX, experts must engage community planners to discover what they need. In this Acknowledgments way, experts who effectively use VOLCANBOX will This research is funded by the European Commission’s actively work with civil protection agencies to share, Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Unit (EC ECHO unify, and exchange procedures, methodologies, and grant SI2.695524: VeTOOLS). technologies, thereby reducing the effects of volcanic disasters by improving assessment and management of References volcanic risk. Bartolini, S., A. Cappello, J. Martí, and C. Del Negro (2013), QVAST: A new Quantum GIS plugin for estimating volcanic susceptibility, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 13(11), 3031–3042, doi:10.5194/nhess - 13 - 3031 - 2013. A Versatile Toolbox Bartolini, S., L. Becerril, and J. Martí (2014a), A new Volcanic management Risk Database VeTOOLS provides an option to improve volcanic risk design (VERDI): Application to El Hierro Island (Canary Islands), J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 288, 132–143, doi:10.1016/j. jvolgeores . 2014.10.009. assessment and management capacities in active volcanic Bartolini, S., A. Geyer, J. Martí, D. Pedrazzi, and G. Aguirre-Díaz (2014b), Volcanic hazard regions by providing an integrated set of e-tools and on Deception Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica), J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 285, 150–168, doi:10.1016/j. jvolgeores . 2014 . 08 . 009. methodologies to conduct long- and short- term hazard Bartolini, S., R. Sobradelo, and J. Martí (2016), ST- HASSET for volcanic hazard assess- assessment. ment: A Python tool for evaluating the evolution of unrest indicators, Comput. Geosci., It is even possible that the application of VOLCANBOX 93, 77–87, doi:10.1016/j. cageo . 2016 . 05 . 002. Felpeto, A., J. Martí, and R. Ortiz (2007), Automatic GIS- based system for volcanic hazard will help identify differences between the levels of hazard assessment, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 166, 106–116, doi:10.1016/j. jvolgeores . 2007 assessment in various volcanic areas and possible existing .07 . 008. gaps in the basic information (e.g., census data, maps of Scaini, C., A. Felpeto, J. Martí, and R. Carniel (2014), A GIS- based methodology for the estimation of potential volcanic damage and its application to Tenerife Island, Spain, key infrastructure) required to conduct volcanic risk man- J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 278–279, 40–58, doi:10.1016/j. jvolgeores . 2014 . 04 . 005. agement, regardless of local specific features. VOLCANBOX, Sobradelo, R., and J. Martí (2015), Short- term volcanic hazard assessment through if used at volcanoes across the globe, may help reveal such Bayesian inference: Retrospective application to the Pinatubo 1991 volcanic crisis, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 290, 1–11, doi:10.1016/j. jvolgeores . 2014 . 11 . 011. gaps. Sobradelo, R., S. Bartolini, and J. Martí (2014), HASSET: A probability event tree tool to Although volcanic eruptions are infrequent, they pres- evaluate future volcanic scenarios using Bayesian inference presented as a plugin for QGIS, Bull. Volcanol., 76, 770, doi:10.1007/s00445 - 013 - 0770-x. ent multiple hazards and thus create problems similar to or even greater than those of more frequent natural events. For that reason, the VeTOOLS project is currently Author Information working to incorporate into the platform existing tools for Joan Martí, Stefania Bartolini, and Laura Becerril, Volcanol- assessing potentially related hazards, including earth- ogy Group, Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, Consejo quakes, landslides, and tsunamis. Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona, Spain; For more on VeTOOLS, see http://bit . ly/ vetools. email: [email protected]

20 // Eos 1 September 2016 AGU NEWS

2016 AGU Union Medal, Award, and Prize Recipients Announced

ince its founding, AGU has paid special tribute to outstanding contributors to the advance- ment of Earth and space sciences. We also recognize individuals who have given excep- S tional service to our scientific community or have enhanced public understanding and awareness of our disciplines and their impacts on human knowledge and society. On behalf of AGU’s Honors and Recognition Committee, our Union selection committees, and our organization’s leadership and staff, we are very pleased to present the recipients of AGU’s 2016 Union medals, awards, and prizes.

Realizing Our Vision AGU offers a vision of collaboratively advancing and communicating science and its power to ensure a sustainable future. Our honorees’ achievements help build the foundations on which we will realize that vision. We thank all who have given their support and commitment to AGU’s honors program, including the volunteers who serve on the medals, awards, and prizes selection committees that have chosen this year’s Union honors recipients. We also thank the nominators and supporters who made this all possible with dedicated efforts to recognize their colleagues.

Celebrate at Fall Meeting Charles S. Falkenberg Award We look forward to celebrating our honorees’ profound contributions and breakthrough Kevin J. Murphy, NASA Headquarters achievements at this year’s Honors Tribute, to be held on Wednesday, 14 December 2016, at the William Kaula Award Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Louis J. Lanzerotti, New Jersey Institute of Please join us in congratulating our esteemed class of 2016 Union honorees listed below. Technology Waldo E. Smith Award Mark Moldwin, University of Michigan Medals Inge Lehmann Medal Shun-ichiro Karato, Yale University Athelstan Spilhaus Award William Bowie Medal Roberta Johnson, University of Illinois Stanley R. Hart, Woods Hole Oceanographic Charles A. Whitten Medal Institution Veronique M. A. Dehant, Observatoire Royal International Award de Belgique Tom Beer, Safe System Solutions James B. Macelwane Medal Andy Hooper, University of Leeds Science for Solutions Award Awards Maureen D. Long, Yale University David Seekell, Umeå University Toshi Nishimura, University of California, Africa Awards for Research Excellence in Earth Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Los Angeles and Ocean Science Journalism–Features Appy Sluijs, Utrecht University Musa Siphiwe Doctor Manzi, University of Lizzie Wade, Science Gabriele Villarini, University of Iowa the Witwatersrand David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science John Adam Fleming Medal Africa Awards for Research Excellence in Space Journalism–News Rob Coe, University of California, Santa Cruz Science Alexandra Witze, Correspondent, Nature John Bosco Habarulema, South African Walter H. Bucher Medal National Space Agency and Rhodes Samuel A. Bowring, Massachusetts Institute Prizes University of Technology The Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Ambassador Awards Maurice Ewing Medal Drilling Research Prize Ashanti Johnson, Mercer University-Cirrus Peter G. Brewer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Heiko Pälike, MARUM Center for Marine Academy Research Institute Environmental Sciences, University of M. Susan Lozier, Duke University Bremen Robert E. Horton Medal Anne Meltzer, Lehigh University Climate Communications Prize Thomas Dunne, University of California, Naomi Oreskes, Harvard University Santa Barbara Richard B. Alley, Pennsylvania State Uni- Edward A. Flinn III Award versity Harry H. Hess Medal Pavel Ya Groisman, University Corporation Alex Halliday, University of Oxford for Atmospheric Research Roger Revelle Medal Excellence in Geophysical Education Award By Margaret Leinen, AGU President; and Sam Ellen R. M. Druffel, University of California, Ashanti Johnson, Mercer University-Cirrus Mukasa, Chair, Honors and Recognition Com- Irvine Academy mittee; email: agu_unionhonors@agu.org

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 21 AGU NEWS

2016 Class of AGU Fellows Announced

ince AGU established its Fellows Program in 1962, the organization has elected outstanding members as Union Fellows. This special honor recognizes scientific eminence in the Earth S and space sciences. It acknowledges Fellows for their remarkable contributions to their research fields, exceptional knowledge, and visionary leadership. Only 0.1% of AGU membership receives this recognition in any given year. On behalf of AGU’s Honors and Recognition Committee, our Union Fellows Committee, our section and focus group Fellows committees, and AGU leaders and staff, we are very pleased to present the 2016 AGU Class of Fellows. We thank all who provided support and commitment to AGU’s honors program to help select these Fellows, including all members of section and focus group Fellows selection committees and of the Union Fellows Committee. These generous and devoted volunteers gave valuable time and energy to evaluating and selecting this year’s Fellows. We also thank all the nominators and supporters who made all this possible through their dedicated efforts to nominate and recognize their colleagues.

Celebrate These Eminent Colleagues at Fall Meeting We look forward to applauding the exceptional achievements, talents, and inspirations of these new Fellows at the annual Honors Tribute, to be held on 14 December at the 2016 AGU Fall André Revil, Institut des Sciences de la Terre, Meeting in San Francisco. Centre National de la Recherche Scien- Please join us in congratulating our 2016 AGU Class of Fellows! tifique This year’s class of 60 elected Fellows is listed in alphabetical order below: Dar A. Roberts, University of California, Santa Barbara Susan Y. Schwartz, University of California, Hajime Akimoto, National Institute for Envi- Gordon E. Grant, Pacific Northwest Research Santa Cruz ronmental Studies Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Thomas W. Sisson, Volcano Science Center, Marc F. P. Bierkens, Utrecht University Agriculture California Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geo- Julie Brigham-Grette, University of Massa- Peter K. Haff, Duke University logical Survey chusetts Amherst Judson W. Harvey, U.S. Geological Survey Peter K. Swart, University of Miami Thure E. Cerling, University of Utah Gabriele C. Hegerl, University of Edinburgh Eiichi Takahashi, Tokyo Institute of Technol- John T. Clarke, Boston University Harry Hendon, Collaboration for Australian ogy Martyn P. Clark, National Center for Atmo- Weather and Climate Research Uri S. Ten Brink, Woods Hole Coastal and spheric Research Mary C. Hill, University of Kansas Marine Science Center, U.S. Geological Sur- Robert W. Clayton, California Institute of Brent N. Holben, NASA Goddard Space Flight vey Technology Center Andréa Tommasi, Université de Montpellier James E. Cloern, U.S. Geological Survey Masahiro Hoshino, University of Tokyo Paul J. Treguer, Université de Bretagne Occi- Steven Constable, University of California, San Satoshi Ide, University of Tokyo dentale Diego Trevor R. Ireland, Australian National Univer- Jeffrey D. Vervoort, Washington State Univer- Steven A. Cummer, Duke University sity sity Jon Davidson, Durham University Anthony John Jakeman, Australian National Thomas H. Vonder Haar, Colorado State Uni- Paolo D’Odorico, University of Virginia University versity Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Arizona State Univer- Timothy D. Jickells, University of East Anglia Kelin Wang, Geological Survey of Canada sity Fei-Fei Jin, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Stephen G. Warren, University of Washington Robert W. Embley, Pacific Marine Environ- Robert W. Kay, Cornell University Robert S. White, Bullard Laboratories mental Laboratory, National Oceanic and Deborah S. Kelley, University of Washington Sean Willett, ETH Zurich Atmospheric Administration Lynn M. Kistler, University of New Hampshire Shang-Ping Xie, Scripps Institution of Ocean- Matthew H. England, University of New South Shaun Lovejoy, McGill University ography Wales Yiqi Luo, University of Oklahoma Howard A. Zebker, Stanford University Charles C. Eriksen, University of Washington Paul R. Mahaffy, NASA Goddard Space Flight Weijian Zhou, Institute of Earth Environment, Mary K. Firestone, University of California, Center Chinese Academy of Sciences Berkeley David Mohrig, University of Texas at Austin Nat Gopalswamy, NASA Goddard Space Flight Mark Pagani, Yale University Center Claire L. Parkinson, NASA Goddard Space By Margaret Leinen, AGU President; and Sam Michael Goulden, University of California, Flight Center Mukasa, Chair, Honors and Recognition Commit- Irvine Tai Phan, University of California, Berkeley tee; email: [email protected]

22 // Eos 1 September 2016 AGU NEWS

New Geophysical Research Letters Editorial and Revisions Policies

“major revisions” editorial decision. For these decisions, the manuscript number is maintained, and authors are required to submit their revisions within 30 days of the decision. Once the revision is received, the editor may make a decision based on the revisions or may send the revised manuscript for re-review. For any manuscript sent for re- review, the editor may choose to use the previous reviewers and/ or one or more new reviewers. This delibera- tion depends on reviewer availability and on the nature of the previous reviews, the authors’ responses, and the authors’ revisions. This new major revisions decision type does not replace other decision types used at GRL but merely adds to them.

Retention of Original Submission Date When appropriate, an article’s original submission date can now be preserved, even if a manuscript has received a new manuscript number through previous rounds of review and resubmission. This enhancement, which has been implemented across all AGU jour-

AGU nals, was made possible by an update imple- Covers of some recent issues of the journal Geophysical Research Letters. mented in the GEMS online manuscript submission system. The intention behind this change is to use it ecause significant advances in the geo- Throughout this time, GRL has maintained a for manuscripts in which the primary body of sciences can have an immediate impact record of returning first decisions to authors in scientific results has remained intact through- Bon members of the AGU community, less than 30 days (on average) for papers that out the resubmission and revision process and rapid publication is an essential service of AGU have gone to review and in less than 7 days (on for which the resubmission occurs promptly. Publications. The mission of Geophysical average) for papers that are returned without This new policy recognizes that in some cases Research Letters (GRL) is to publish “high- review. authors may provide convincing evidence that impact, innovative, and timely research on Over the past several months a number of substantial additions to a paper are not neces- major scientific advances in all the major geo- changes have been implemented that help GRL sary. science disciplines.” to continue to fulfill its mandate within the Papers accepted for GRL are communications- context of the rapid growth in submissions. Mobility Between Journals length articles with broad and immediate Another update implemented in GEMS allows implications in their discipline or across the A Return to Major Revisions manuscripts to be transferred between AGU geosciences. GRL maintains the fastest turn- After a decade of using a “no major revisions” journals. In some cases, a recommendation around of all high- impact publications in the policy, GRL has recently resumed the use of a for a transfer may be based on a communica- geosciences and works closely with authors to ensure broad visibility of top papers. The GRL Editorial Board continues to work hard to fulfill this mandate while serving the broad and growing community through a fair Get Eos highlights in your inbox every Friday and transparent editorial and peer-review process. Submissions to GRL show just how To sign up for the Eos Buzz newsletter, much this community is growing and diversi- simply go to publications.agu.org, scroll down, and enter your information fying: Submissions grew 16% in 2015 (to a total of 4057), and year-to- date submissions are up in the “SIGN-UP FOR EOS BUZZ NEWSLETTER” section. an additional 15% in 2016 (to a total of 2783 through 31 July 2016).

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

tion between the editors of the respective ble, with information for how to access the Editors of Geophysical journals. data included either in the main text or in the Because this enhancement allows the acknowledgments. The policy applies to all Research Letters take transfer of reviews and revisions between data used in the analysis, including data from journals, it can substantially speed up the numerical models. very seriously our review and decision process at the receiving Further, the policy includes not only the responsibility to fulfill journal by allowing the authors to transfer a underlying source data but also “derived data revised version that responds to the original products reported or described in a paper.” As both the GRL mandate reviews. Manuscripts may be transferred is stated in the data policy, “AGU reserves the from GRL without being sent for peer review, right to refuse publication when authors are and the high standards or they may be transferred after the peer- unwilling to make the underlying data avail- of AGU Publications. review stage. able or otherwise refuse to comply with this After the GRL decision has been made, the Data Policy.” For further discussion of the authors decide whether to finalize the trans- policy, please see the AGU Publications Data fer of the manuscript. Should the authors Policy web page (http://bit.ly/agu-data choose to finalize the transfer, any decision to -policy). reviewers to receive credit for a review accept the paper or to consider further review through their Open Researcher and Contribu- and revisions is up to the editors of the new Ensuring Originality tor Identifier (ORCID) records. In addition, journal. For several years, AGU has used the Cross- GEMS now sends notification emails to Check text comparison service to detect over- reviewers once a final decision on a manu- Accessing All of the Data lap between submitted manuscripts and pre- script is made. This notification acknowledges In December 2013, the AGU Council adopted a viously published works. GRL continues to each individual reviewer for his or her input new comprehensive data policy. This policy return without review manuscripts that and describes the outcome of the editor’s final states that all data necessary to understand, exhibit excessive overlap between the main decision. evaluate, and replicate the reported research manuscript text and previously published must be accessibly archived whenever possi- works, including works written by the authors Increased Visibility of the submitted Finally, to ensure broad visibility of top manuscript. papers, GRL and AGU staff have implemented This decision is a suite of journal content enrichments: made on the basis of GRL editors’ highlights the overlap in the • GRL commentary pieces main text and cap- • Eos research spotlights tions and not on • Eos Editors’ Vox blog posts overlap in the author • AGU press releases affiliations, acknowl- • AGU social media promotion edgments, reference • list, or common data This enriched content makes GRL-published set names. Authors research more accessible to broader audiences are asked to revise and is centrally collected on the GRL website’s the manuscript to Highlights tab. Articles selected for enriched address the instances content also feature that content on the article of overlapping text web page. and submit the We are honored by the trust that the AGU revised version. community places in us as editors of GRL, and Additional informa- we take very seriously our responsibility to tion is available on fulfill both the GRL mandate and the high AGU’s Scientific Eth- standards of AGU Publications. We hope that ics for Authors and these enhancements will help GRL to continue Reviewers web page to serve the AGU community through rapid, (http://bit . ly/ ethics transparent, and fair review and publication of -page) and Dual Pub- cutting-edge Earth and space science research. lication Policy web page (http://bit . ly/ dual - pub - page). By Noah Diffenbaugh, Editor in Chief, Geo- physical Research Letters; email: diffenbaugh@ Recognition stanford.edu; and Lisa Beal, M. Bayani Carde- for Reviewers nas, Kim Cobb, Meghan Cronin, Andrew As an acknowledg- Dombard, Tatiana Ilyina, Benoit Lavraud, ment of the signifi- Andrew V. Newman, W. K. “Bill” Peterson, cant contributions of Jeroen Ritsema, Julienne Stroeve, Joel A. our reviewer commu- Thornton, and Paul D. Williams, Editors, Geo- nity, AGU allows physical Research Letters

24 // Eos 1 September 2016 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

What Caused Record Water Level Rise in the Great Lakes? NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team ASTER and U.S./Japan NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS In 2013 and 2014, outflow from Lake Superior to LakeMichigan- Huron through the St. Marys River, pictured here, was very high in response to abundant regional water supplies. The rate of water level rise on the Great Lakes during this period was the highest ever recorded.

ollowing a 15-year period of consistently below-average levels of hydrological drivers. In contrast to earlier studies, this approach can water in Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron—the planet’s two combine data from multiple sources and incorporate multiple esti- F largest lakes by surface area—their shorelines rose dramatically mates of each component while also quantifying the uncertainty asso- during 2013–2014. In 24 months, the water level in Superior rose ciated with each source of information. almost two thirds of a meter, and the Michigan-Huron level rose Their analysis indicates that the rapid rise in water levels in both 1 meter, the fastest rates ever recorded there during a period of 2 cal- lakes in 2013 was largely driven by increased spring runoff and precip- endar years. itation over the lakes. By contrast, in 2014 the rise in Superior was Despite speculation that these changes occurred in response to predominantly due to reduced evaporation above it, whereas the anomalous weather patterns, including below- average air tempera- increase in the Michigan-Huron system was due to a combination of tures across the region, no studies to date have confirmed this link, and all three of these factors, plus high inflow from Lake Superior via the previous attempts to understand the basins’ water budgets have been St. Marys River, which links the two water bodies. stymied by the lack of consistent historical data. Now Gronewold et al. In the future, the authors hope to apply this new modeling frame- have developed a new water balance model to overcome this deficiency. work to other large, freshwater lakes around the globe to better Using a statistical modeling framework, the researchers pooled all understand how their water levels may respond to both short- and available data to generate estimates of the major monthly inputs and long-term climate trends, information that will be crucial to guiding outputs to Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron from 2005 to 2014. future water resource management decisions. (Water Resources The estimates were then used to determine each system’s main Research, doi:10.1002/2015WR018209, 2016) —Terri Cook, Freelance Writer

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

A New Tool to Better Forecast Volcanic Unrest

Here Tonini et al. present a new model that includes indicators of nonmagmatic unrest that might help forecast when a phreatic eruption is soon to occur. The model is the Bayesian Event Tree, a probabilistic tool that synthesizes information from multiple sources—historical records, geological data, and analytical modeling—into one complete analysis that helps scientists forecast that an eruption may happen soon. The researchers built the new model using data from Indonesia’s Kawah Ijen, an active crater lake underlain by a degassing volcano and the perfect example of a system likely to experience phreatic eruptions. Local sulfur miners are often killed by fumes of hydrogen sul- fide and sulfur dioxide that vent without warning from fissures in rock. Even in less dramatic events, these poisonous gases are still concentrated enough to burn the miners’ eyes and throats and even- tually dissolve their teeth. The team used data from 2000 to 2010 to establish a historical base- line of activity at Kawah Ijen and then analyzed the unrest events that occurred throughout the following 2 years. The model captured a swarm of earthquakes in May 2011 that suggested that Kawah Ijen was about to enter a long period of unrest. Indeed, further earthquakes in October

Dmitri Rouwet 2011 indicated that both magmatic and hydrothermal unrest was on the The sulfuric lake of Kawah Ijen, where researchers studied volcanic activity over a rise. The model retrospectively picked up on the rising probability of an 12-year period to create a new statistical tool to predict volcanic eruptions. eruption roughly 2 months before local authorities increased the alert level, suggesting that the model could improve the management of vol- n 27 September 2014, Japan’s Mount Ontake erupted and killed canic unrest. 57 people. Unlike other deadly volcanoes, magma didn’t roll With this in mind, the team has also created a software program O down its slopes, but the eruption spewed huge plumes of ash that allows anyone to explore the event tree and visualize the results. and stones into the sky. Although these so- called phreatic eruptions The authors hope the program will reduce the gap between the scien- can be just as dangerous as their magmatic counterparts, they often tific community and decision makers. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geo- give fewer warnings and are therefore much harder to predict. systems, doi:10.1002/2016GC006327, 2016) —Shannon Hall, Freelance Writer

Venus’s Unexpected, Electrifying Water Loss

illions of years ago, when the solar system was young, you might ran out of propellant and sank into the atmosphere in 2014. The team have mistaken Venus for Earth at a glance—both planets were chose orbits where the satellite flew over Venus’s north pole on every B home to life-sustaining water. orbit. This allowed the probe to measure the strength of the electric field Venus lost that water long ago, and scientists generally place the associated with the planet’s magnetic field lines. blame on the solar wind. The electric field carried by the solar wind The authors were surprised to find just how much potential the elec- penetrated Venus’s ionosphere, stripping away its ions, including water tric field had: roughly 10 volts, strong enough to fling not only hydro- group species like oxygen and hydrogen. gen ions but also oxygen atoms into space. For context, that’s at least However, this isn’t the only way that Venus might have dried out. A 5 times stronger than the equivalent field in Earth’s ionosphere. The different mechanism involves how an electric field could be generated team suspects this could be because Venus is closer to the Sun and from the movement of electrons, even while gravity pulls the ions receives more ionizing radiation, and some preliminary modeling sup- downward. The field could make it easier for water’s constituent atoms ports that conclusion. to be lost to space: It could fling hydrogen ions away from the planet at If true, the discovery could be bad news for the dozens of potentially escape velocity, and it might give a considerable boost to the heavier habitable exoplanets that NASA’s Kepler satellite has discovered. oxygen ions as well. Although these planets are in the “Goldilocks zone”—situated at the Now Collinson et al. have made the first definitive measurement of this right distance from their star to support water—in Kepler’s sample of electric field, and their results show it may indeed have played a larger systems, that zone tends to be closer to their stars because those planets role than previously thought. The results may even force scientists to are easier to detect. If they too have strong electric winds like Venus, downgrade prospects for water on exoplanets thought to be habitable. they may be more likely to share its bone-dry, lifeless fate. (Geophysical The researchers used data from the European Space Agency’s Venus Research Letters, doi:10.1002/2016GL068327, 2016) —Mark Zastrow, Free- Express probe, which arrived at the planet in 2006 and operated until it lance Writer

26 // Eos 1 September 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES Applications will be processed until present their research at conferences AGU’s Career Center is position is filled but those received by and in journal articles, develop propos- the main resource for POST DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP IN 1 September 2016 will receive full con- als for NASA ROSES solicitations and recruitment advertising. AEROSOL FORCING OF CLIMATE sideration. Cornell University is an other funding opportunities, and par- Applications are sought for a Post Equal Employment Opportunity/Affir- ticipate in establishing the science mative Action Employer and we foundation and requirements for future All Positions Available and Doc to participate in a NASA-funded project designed to (i) quantify the strongly encourage applications from science missions. additional job postings scales of coherence of different aerosol women and minorities. Requires a Ph.D in Geography, Cryo- can be viewed at properties over the contiguous US, spheric Science, or related scientific https://eos.org/jobs-support. (ii) quantify the scales, intensity and CRYOSPHERE SCIENCES field. An additional two years of post- causes of extreme aerosol events over doctoral experience is highly desired. AGU offers printed recruitment the contiguous US and (iii) document Snow Lidar and Spectrometer We are particularly looking for some- advertising in Eos to reinforce changes in event frequency and/or Remote Sensing Scientist one with a strong understanding of your online job visibility and characteristics over time. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), snow distribution, snow densification your brand. The selected applicant will lead the located in Pasadena, CA is a Federal- processes, and physical process con- numerical modeling using WRF-Chem ly-Funded Research and Development trols on snowmelt. Applicant must Visit employers.agu.org to view and participate in statistical analyses Center operated by the California Insti- have an established reputation as a all of the packages available for of reanalysis and remote sensing data. tute of Technology for NASA. We invite researcher in the water cycle science as recruitment advertising. The successful applicant will hold a applications for a full-time scientist evidenced by a strong record of Ph.D. in atmospheric science, engi- position to conduct research on the peer-reviewed publications and pre- neering or related subject. Experience snow component of the water cycle. sentations at major international sci- SIMPLE TO RECRUIT with aerosol research and WRF-Chem The successful applicant will use dis- entific meetings and conferences. is highly desirable, familiarity with tributed snow modeling and snow den- JPL/Caltech offers a competitive sal- online packages to access • geospatial analysis of large data sets, sity modeling with airborne and space- ary and impressive benefits. To view our Career Center audience and programming in Fortran and Mat- borne snow remote sensing data to the full job description and apply, visit: 30-day and 60-day options • lab is desirable. quantify snow/water cycling. The suc- http://Careerlaunch.jpl.nasa.gov/ (Job available The preferred start date is 1 October cessful candidate will also support sci- ID #2016-6948). Applications will be • prices range $475–$1,215 2016 and the initial appointment will entific and operational analysis of data reviewed as they are received, and from the Airborne Snow Observatory, should include a curriculum vitae, a be for 1 year with the possibility of CHALLENGING TO RECRUIT renewal for 2 additional years. MODIS, VIIRS, GLISTIN-A, UAVSAR, career statement with research objec- • online and print packages Salary will be commensurate with and NISAR. The selected individual will tives, and contact information for three to access the wider AGU experience. be expected to work with other scien- professional references. JPL/Caltech is community For full consideration, please send a tists within the Surface Hydrology an equal opportunity/affirmative • 30-day and 60-day options letter of application, a current curricu- group and elsewhere on lab in a highly action employer. available lum vitae, and the names and contact collaborative flight project and • prices range $795–$2,691 information of three references to: research environment. The selected EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE candidate will analyze and interpret INFORMATICS Professor S.C. Pryor (sp2279@cornell. DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT edu). data from an array of instruments, • our most powerful packages Assistant Professor of Earth and for maximum multimedia Planetary Sciences exposure to the AGU community The Department of Earth and Plane- tary Sciences at Washington University • 30-day and 60-day options in St. Louis invites applications for a available tenure-track Assistant Professor posi- • prices range $2,245–$5,841 tion in the fields of climate, carbon cycling, or paleoclimatology. The ideal FREE TO RECRUIT candidate will study climate or the • these packages apply only to effects of climate change in modern student and graduate student systems and/or over Cenozoic Earth roles and all bookings are history. Areas of interest include but subject to AGU approval are not limited to: paleoclimatology and records of consequent environ- • eligible roles include: student fellowships, internships, mental change; elemental cycling and associated climate feedbacks; the assistantships, and scholarships response of terrestrial, marine, and/or freshwater systems to climate change. • Eos is published semi-monthly The candidate is expected to employ on the 1st and 15th of every quantitative tools and ideally will inte- month. Deadlines for ads in grate field observations with laboratory each issue are published at measurements. http://sites.agu.org/media- The successful candidate is also kits/eos-advertising-deadlines/. expected to develop a vigorous, externally funded research program, main- • Eos accepts employment and open position advertisements tain a strong publication record, teach a range of undergraduate and graduate from governments, individuals, courses, advise students, and be active organizations, and academic in university service. We are seeking institutions. We reserve the candidates who will complement our right to accept or reject ads at research programs in biogeochemistry our discretion. and environmental geology as well as • Eos is not responsible for foster collaboration with environmen- typographical errors. tal scientists across the Washington University community. * Print-only recruitment ads will only be Candidates must have a Ph.D. with a allowed for those whose requirements focus in environmental Earth science, include that positions must be advertised in a printed/paper medium. or a related field, at the time of appointment, and should send a letter

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

of application, curriculum vitae, state- appointment. Courses taught by the didates at the fall GSA meeting in Landsat program. Primary objectives ments of teaching and research inter- successful candidate will include Denver. Review will continue until the will include: ests, and names and contact informa- hydrology, geochemistry, and envi- position is filled. The University is an 1. Support the activities of the tion of at least four references as a ronmental field methods at the Equal Opportunity Employer. Landsat Science Team, including coor- single PDF to Alex Bradley, Climate majors level, and physical geology at dination, planning, and communica- Search Committee Chair, Department the introductory level. We seek a GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL tions. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Wash- dynamic, creative teacher/scholar, CHANGE 2. Provide general science support to ington University, Campus Box 1169, dedicated to diverse teaching Landsat users by evaluating technical 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, approaches, enthusiastic about Landsat and Land Change Scientist issues associated with Landsat charac- or via e-mail: ClimateFacSearch@eps. teaching intensive field-based geol- ASRC Federal–InuTeq, LLC invites teristics and products. wustl.edu. The Department seeks an ogy courses, and able to develop a applications for three Earth Research 3. Contribute to research on Landsat exceptionally qualified and diverse fac- strong research program including Scientist positions. The successful can- topics affecting science and applications. ulty; women, minorities, protected collaboration with undergraduates. didates will work among hundreds of 4. Contribute to the development of veterans and candidates with disabili- W&L and the Geology Department scientists and engineers at the USGS a focused EROS land change science ties are strongly encouraged to apply. value excellence in scholarship, Earth Resources Observation and Sci- capability. Washington University in St. Louis is meaningful engagement in profes- ence (EROS) Center (http://eros.usgs. Land Change Scientist I (Req committed to the principles and prac- sional activities, sustainability, and gov/) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota par- #16001353). The Land Change Scientist tices of equal employment opportunity the development of a campus climate ticipating on teams conducting dozens I will focus on land cover classification and affirmative action. It is the Univer- that supports equality and diversity of projects and studies addressing sig- and the geography of change, as part of sity’s policy to recruit, hire, train, and among its faculty, staff, and students. nificant remote sensing and earth sci- an InuTeq and USGS interdisciplinary promote persons in all job titles with- W&L is a nationally ranked, highly ence challenges. EROS is a national cen- team of scientists and engineers work- out regard to race, color, age, religion, selective liberal arts college. The ter of Earth science remote sensing and ing to meet EROS LCMAP goals. Pri- gender, sexual orientation, gender Department (geology.wlu.edu) has geospatial research, Landsat program mary objectives will include: identity or expression, national origin, excellent facilities and resources, management and data reception, geo- 1. Provide a systematic evaluation of veteran status, disability, or genetic makes great use of the Appalachians spatial data management, and systems how well continuous monitoring out- information. Applications should be in field courses and labs, and belongs development that coordinates with puts are performing. received by November 1, 2016 to ensure to the Keck Geology Consortium. multiple Federal and International 2. Determine whether change full consideration. Applications should include: curricu- agencies on a broad scope of global, agents are being correctly identified. lum vitae; teaching statement includ- national, and regional scaled Earth sci- 3. Define circumstances under GEOCHEMISTRY ing teaching interests/experience; ence projects. which outputs do or do not characterize research statement; and contact Landsat Science Team Scientist (Req change. Tenure-Track Faculty Position information for 3 referees. Apply via #16001359). The Landsat Science Team 4. Suggest improvements for classi- The Geology Department at Wash- email to [email protected]. Please Scientist will extensively network and fication and change attribution results. ington and Lee University, Lexington, address to Lisa Greer, Chair, Geology communicate with members of the 5. Evaluate accuracy of timing and VA seeks applications for a tenure- Department, Washington and Lee Landsat Science Team and the USGS types of change and change agents. track assistant professor in environ- University. Initial review of applica- EROS land change science community Land Change Scientist II (Req mental geochemistry starting in fall tions will begin Sept. 1; we will be to originate, gather, and share infor- #16001351). As a participant in an 2017. PhD required at the time of available to meet with potential can- mation and knowledge concerning the InuTeq and USGS interdisciplinary

28 // Eos 1 September 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

team of scientists and engineers work- develop an externally-funded research research interests, statement of teach- tality mechanisms in southern conifers ing to meet EROS LCMAP goals, the program that involves students, and ing philosophy, and the names and con- using field and glasshouse studies. Land Change Scientist II will: actively contribute to service initiatives tact information for 3 referees through There will be opportunity to work with 1. Provide a near-term systematic that advance the department, college, an online process at http://www.jobs. a mechanistic model of the soil-plant- evaluation of products such as change and university. cmich.edu. Requests for further infor- atmosphere pathway subject to student magnitude, EVI slope, and other cur- The Department of Earth and Atmo- mation may be addressed to Dr. Law- interest. The full scope of each project rent and/or future derivatives from the spheric Sciences, housed in the College rence Lemke at [email protected]. is negotiable for the right candidates, continuous-monitoring algorithm. of Science and Engineering, offers B.S. Classified by the Carnegie Founda- subject to fitting into the theme of 2. Describe geographic and technical degrees in Geology, Environmental tion as a research high (R2) doctoral drought in native forest. circumstances under which indepen- Science, and Meteorology, and partici- university, CMU is recognized for strong dent variables perform well or poorly pates in an interdisciplinary Ph.D. pro- undergraduate education and a range of Associate or Full Professor of Geology for continuous monitoring and assem- gram in Earth and Ecosystems Science. focused graduate and research pro- The West Virginia University (WVU) ble examples as evidence. The expertise of faculty members grams. CMU is a student-focused uni- Department of Geology and Geography 3. Provided recommendations on spans research areas across the geosci- versity with opportunities for leader- invites applications for a tenured fac- variables to include as part of a set of ences, including hydrogeology, envi- ship, internships, and off-campus ulty position in the area of hydrogeo- operational products from continuous ronmental modeling, Earth surface volunteer programs. CMU, an AA/EO science at either the Associate Profes- land cover monitoring. processes, climatology, and geochem- institution, strongly and actively strives sor or Full Professor level. Applicants 4. Provide recommendations for istry. Further information about the to increase diversity within its commu- with exceptional qualifications will be continued LCMAP product improvement. department can be found at http:// nity (see www.cmich.edu/aaeo/). nominated for the Eberly Family Dis- www.eas.cmich.edu. tinguished Professorship in Geology. Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in HYDROLOGY The successful candidate is expected to Applied Geophysics geophysics, geological sciences, or a bring a vigorous program of innova- The Department of Earth and Atmo- related field. In addition, candidates 2 PhD scholarships studying impacts tive, externally-funded research; build spheric Sciences at Central Michigan must demonstrate (1) the potential for of drought in New Zealand native effective collaborations; and teach at University invites applications for a outstanding teaching, (2) the potential forest the graduate and undergraduate levels. tenure-track position in applied geo- to develop a vigorous research program The project involves exploring the Research on fresh water resources is physics at the Assistant Professor level, that involves students and attracts threat of seasonal drought to kauri and currently an area of strategic growth at beginning Fall 2017. We seek candi- external funding, and (3) strong oral associated southern conifers using a WVU (http://research.wvu.edu/about) dates who use a combination of field- and written communication skills. field-based drought experiment. There including a new interdisciplinary water based geophysical methods and quan- Preference will be given to candidates are two scholarships on offer. The first research institute. We invite applica- titative methods to examine crustal or who have postdoctoral experience involves measurement of sap flow and tions from individuals with interests in lithosphere dynamics; earthquake pro- (academic or industry), a demonstrated other plant water relations parameters. basic and applied aspects of groundwa- cesses; petroleum or metal exploration record of receiving external funding, This PhD project will concentrate on ter flow. Relevant specialties might geophysics; subsurface fracturing and and teaching experience. native tree species including kauri at include physical hydrogeology; fluid fluid flow; or environmental geophys- Review of applications will begin the University of Auckland Huapai sci- flow modeling; hyporheic or vadose ics. The selected candidate will support October 15th, and continue until the entific reserve where the drought zone processes; groundwater-surface the departmentís programs through position is filled. Applicants should experiment will be established. The water interaction; flow in fractured engaging, student-centered teaching, submit a CV, cover letter, statement of other project will explore drought mor- media; hydrogeology of energy-related

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

activities; groundwater supply and sus- will carry with it additional resources N.H. Winchell School of Earth Sciences ratory and the Institute on the Envi- tainability; contaminant transport; from the Gibson Endowed Fund for (http://www.esci.umn.edu/), which ronment. The appointee will have ecohydrology; multiscale hydrologic research activities over the first five also includes the Institute for Rock access to large-scale computing facili- modeling; critical zone processes; and/ years of the appointment. Magnetism, the Limnological Research ties (Minnesota Supercomputer Insti- or karst hydrogeology. Areas of research for this position Center/National Lacustrine Core Facil- tute, Digital Technology Center) and To apply, please visit http://jobs. could include physical, chemical, and/ ity/Continental Scientific Drilling the interdisciplinary Water Resources wvu.edu and navigate to the position or biological aspects of hydrology or Coordination Office, the Minnesota graduate program. title listed above as Job Number 03733. hydrogeology. Frontier topics of Geological Survey, the National Center Materials Required: A one-page let- Upload (1) a single PDF file including a interest in this field include, among for Earth-surface Dynamics, and the ter of intent. A CV with a list of publi- statement of research interests, a others, research at non-traditional Polar Geospatial Center. Other affili- cations. A statement of research and statement of teaching philosophy, and spatial scales, grand challenges in ated research units at the University teaching interests. Names and contact a curriculum vitae; and (2) pdf files of water resource sustainability and include the Saint Anthony Falls Labo- information of three referees who can up to 4 publications. Please also security, novel measurement tech- arrange for three letters of reference to niques and datasets, and links be sent to search chair Joseph J. Dono- between the study of hydrological van at [email protected]. systems and subsurface geology, Review of applications will commence other portions of the earth system, on October 15, 2016 and continue until and/or other disciplines, as well as a successful candidate is identified. For other topics. The successful candidate additional information, please see is expected to develop a vigorous http://geology.wvu.edu. research program, attract external WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action funding, and contribute to the Employer and welcomes applications instruction, research, and service from all qualified individuals, including efforts of the department. A Ph.D. in minorities, females, individuals with earth sciences or a related field is disabilities, and veterans. required at the time of appointment. The Department of Earth Sciences is University of Minnesota - Depart- a vibrant interdisciplinary department ment of Earth Sciences whose research ranges from geobiology The Department of Earth Sciences in to deep earth dynamics. Alongside our the College of Science and Engineering commitment to excellence in scholar- at the University of Minnesota - Twin ship, we seek to further the University Cities is soliciting applications for a of Minnesota’s land-grant mission tenure-track faculty position in through developing ties with industry hydrology/hydrogeology at the assis- and/or governmental agencies that tant professor level. Exceptional candi- benefit the needs of our students, the dates at the associate professor level state of Minnesota, and the broader will also be considered. This position community. The Department is in the

30 // Eos 1 September 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

address the candidate’s research and the science of astrobiology with its result from both natural events and conversation with policymakers and teaching potential. humanistic and societal implications. human-directed activities; or other the public. Learn more at: http://www. Applications must be completed The applicant will also convene related subjects that involve astrobiology and loc.gov/kluge. online at: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ public programs that ensure the subject its effects on humanity and society. employment/ - search for Job Opening of astrobiology’s role in culture and Proposals should be submitted via Tenure-Track Faculty Position ID: 311335 society receives considered treatment the Kluge Center’s online application The Department of Earth and Envi- The review of applications will begin each year in Washington, D.C., and be system by close of business on Decem- ronmental Sciences at Boston College October 14, 2016. Applications will expected to participate in the intellec- ber 1, 2016. Applicants must include a invites applications for a tenure-track continue to be accepted until the posi- tual community at the Kluge Center. completed application form, a C.V., a Assistant Professor with an expertise in tion is filled. Questions may be directed The Chair is open to scholars and complete project proposal, and three quantitative/computational modeling of to Prof. Jake Bailey ([email protected]). leading thinkers in the fields of astrobi- references. Applicants should also integrated earth systems: a geodynamic The University of Minnesota pro- ology, astronomy, planetary science, include as part of their proposal detailed and/or hydrologic modeler who explores vides equal access to and opportunity history of science, philosophy, religion, plans and a budget (no more than three the physical, chemical, and/or biological in its programs, facilities, and employ- sociology, anthropology, ethics, litera- pages) for such auxiliary activities as interrelationships among diverse envi- ment without regard to race, color, ture, the arts, paleontology, Earth and workshops, symposia, or small confer- ronmental and earth systems at the creed, religion, national origin, gender, atmospheric sciences, geological sciences, explaining how these activities regional to global scale. The candidate age, marital status, disability, public ences or other fields. The Chair may would support the research and/or con- should have broad research interests assistance status, veteran status, sex- undertake research on a wide range of tribute to any public presentation of the compatible with those of the current ual orientation, gender identity, or issues related to how life begins and human implications of astrobiology. faculty in our Department of Earth and gender expression. The University sup- evolves, or examine the social, religious, The Chair holder will be appointed by Environmental Sciences and potentially ports the work-life balance of its faculty. ethical, legal, and cultural concerns that the Librarian of Congress on the recom- with faculty in the Biology, Chemistry, arise from researching the origins, evo- mendation of a selection committee Physics, Computer Science and/or INTERDISCIPLINARY/OTHER lution, and nature of life in the universe. consisting of representatives from the Mathematics departments. Areas of The possibilities for research sub- academic community jointly selected by research expertise could include (but are NASA/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CHAIR jects are many. The following are meant NASA and the Library of Congress. not limited to): modeling of the interac- IN ASTROBIOLOGY to inspire, not to limit creativity: legal For more information, please visit tions of ice-sheet dynamics, sea-level The John W. Kluge Center at the issues related to governance of planets http://www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/ rise and climate change; modeling the Library of Congress invites applications and space; ethical implications of fellowships/NASA-astrobiology.html. exchange of water, carbon, energy, or from all disciplines for the Baruch S. cross-contamination; scientific and The John W. Kluge Center was pollutants between the terrestrial Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress philosophical definitions of life; con- established at the Library of Congress hydrosphere, cryosphere, ocean, atmo- Chair in Astrobiology, a senior research ceptions of the origins of life in theistic in 2000 to foster a mutually enriching sphere, and lithosphere; and modeling position in astrobiology and its impli- and non-theistic religions; comparison relationship between the world of ideas crustal deformation and mantle flow as cations for humanity and society. of the discussion of these issues in and the world of action, between it influences surface topography and The applicant will be in residence at multiple nations and cultures; life’s scholars and political leaders. The Cen- climate. The successful candidate will the Library of Congress for up to collective future—for humans and ter attracts outstanding scholarly fig- be expected to develop a vigorous exter- 12 months and will conduct indepen- other life, on Earth and beyond, exam- ures to Washington, D.C., facilitates nally funded research program inte- dent research using the Library’s collec- ining the impacts on life and future their access to the Library’s remarkable grated with excellence in teaching tions that explores the intersection of evolutionary trajectories that may collections, and helps them engage in within the Earth and Environmental

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Science curriculum at both the under- quake experts at more than 70 univer- equal opportunity for outstanding per- connect research on lithospheric prob- graduate and graduate levels. sities and research institutions. The sons of every race, gender, creed and lems to other areas of departmental Information on the department, its successful candidate will have a strong background. The University particu- interest, which include global environ- faculty and research strengths can be record of federally funded earthquake larly encourages women, members of mental change, geobiology, and earth- viewed at http://www.bc.edu/ research, innovative ideas about the underrepresented groups, veterans and quake system science (http://dornsife. eesciences. future of earthquake science, and the individuals with disabilities to apply. usc.edu/earth/). Applicants must have Applicants should send a curriculum ability to articulate scientific results to USC will make reasonable accommoda- a PhD in a related field. vita, statements of teaching and end-users and the general public. She tions for qualified individuals with Applications should include a cur- research interests, and the names and or he will be knowledgeable about the known disabilities unless doing so riculum vitae, publication list, state- contact information of at least three application of advanced computa- would result in an undue hardship. ment of teaching and research inter- references to https://apply.interfolio. tional methods to solve system-level Further information is available by ests, and three or more names of com/36250. Review of applications will problems, including the use of contacting [email protected]. individuals familiar with the appli- begin on November 1, 2016. Inquiries physics-based methods for earth- cant’s work who could be contacted may be directed to Prof. Noah Snyder, quake forecasting. Doctoral degree Tenure Track Faculty Position in for letters of reference. In order to be Search Committee Chair (noah. and teaching experience is required. Global Geophysics, University of considered for this position, appli- [email protected]). Applications should include a curric- Southern California cants are required to submit an elec- ulum vitae, publication list, statement The Department of Earth Sciences in tronic USC application through the SEISMOLOGY of teaching and research interests, and the Dana and David Dornsife College of following link: http://jobs.usc.edu/ three names of individuals familiar with Letters, Arts and Sciences of the Uni- postings/67388. Inquiries can be Director of the Southern California the applicant’s work who could be con- versity of Southern California in Los directed to: Chair, Search Committee, Earthquake Center and Professor of tacted for letters of reference. It should Angeles, California, invites applica- c/o Karen Young ([email protected]). Earth Sciences, University of South- also include a vision statement on how, tions for a faculty position in global Review of complete applications will ern California as SCEC director, the applicant would geophysics at the tenure-track Assis- begin November 1, 2016. The Dana and David Dornsife College move forward the Center’s research tant Professor or tenured Associate USC is an equal-opportunity educa- of Letters, Arts and Sciences of the Uni- program. In order to be considered for Professor level. We seek candidates tor and employer, proudly pluralistic versity of Southern California in Los this position, applicants are required to who will develop a program of funda- and firmly committed to providing Angeles, California, seeks a senior submit an electronic USC application mental research on the structure, equal opportunity for outstanding earthquake scientist to lead the South- through the following link: http://jobs. deformation, and/or evolution of the persons of every race, gender, creed ern California Earthquake Center usc.edu/postings/68664. lithosphere and its interactions with and background. The University par- (SCEC) as its director and principal Inquiries may be directed to: Chair, the Earth’s deep mantle and fluid ticularly encourages women, members investigator. The appointment will be Search Committee, c/o Karen Young envelopes. The successful candidate of underrepresented groups, veterans made at the tenured faculty level (Asso- ([email protected]). Review of com- will bring new approaches—observa- and individuals with disabilities to ciate Professor or Professor) in the plete applications will begin Novem- tional, experimental, computational, apply. USC will make reasonable Department of Earth Sciences (http:// ber 1, 2016, and will continue until the and/or theoretical—to lithospheric accommodations for qualified individ- dornsife.usc.edu/earth/). The SCEC position is filled. studies and will demonstrate a strong uals with known disabilities unless director will oversee a world-leading USC is an equal-opportunity educa- commitment to both graduate and doing so would result in an undue program in earthquake system science tor and employer, proudly pluralistic undergraduate teaching. We are partic- hardship. Further information is that currently involves over 1000 earth- and firmly committed to providing ularly interested in candidates who can available by contacting [email protected].

32 // Eos 1 September 2016 Postcards from the Field

Hi, Everyone.

Waking up in the foothills of the Absaro- kas in Wyoming at 5:00 a.m. to quantify the effect of flood irrigation gets a lot easier with a beautiful sunrise.

—Niels Claes, graduate student, Depart- ment of Ecosystem Science and Manage- ment, University of Wyoming

View more postcards at http://americangeophysicalunion.tumblr .com/tagged/postcards-from-the-fi eld. Election is Open Time to Vote

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