2012 Annual Report COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE for RESEARCH in ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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2012 Annual Report COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES University of Colorado Boulder UCB 216 Boulder, CO 80309-0216 Phone: 303-492-1143 Fax: 303-492-1149 email: [email protected] http://cires.colorado.edu CIRES Interim Director William M. Lewis, Jr. Annual Report Staff CIRES Associate Director for Science Kristen Averyt Kristin Bjornsen, Editor Robin L. Strelow, Design Agreement No. NA17RJ1229 Extension Award: NA10OAR4320142 To access our ePub version of the Executive Summary, please visit http://cires.colorado.edu/about/ePubs/ Cover image: Ice crystals forming on a window during a cold January morning Photo by Christopher McNeave, Associate Scientist III, CIRES/NSIDC Table of Contents From the Director 2 Executive Summary 3 Governance, Management, and Organization 6 Council of Fellows 8 CIRES Centers and Programs 9 Contributions to NOAA’s Vision 13 CIRES Communications 16 Education and Outreach 18 Events 19 Achievements and Awards 20 Finance 21 CIRES People and Projects 22 Senior Investigators 23 CIRES Centers 56 Interdisciplinary Programs 66 Visiting Fellows 70 Graduate Student Research Fellowships 74 Diversity and Undergraduate Research Programs 75 Theme Reports 76 Advanced Modeling and Observing Systems 77 Climate System Variability 93 Geodynamics 106 Integrating Activities 106 Planetary Metabolism 112 Regional Processes 114 Measures of Achievement: Calendar Year 2011 122 Publications by the Numbers 123 Journal Articles 124 Books 139 Book Chapters 139 Technical Reports 140 Reviews 141 Magazines 142 Discussions 142 Corrections 142 Honors and Awards 143 Conferences, Workshops, Events, and Presentations 145 Appendices 148 Personnel Demographics 148 Acronyms 149 Freeze, Flow, Vaporize related 2012 Annual Report 1 From the Director Over the last eight years, under the leadership of Director Konrad contributed to the conclusion that Arctic sea ice reached its lowest Steffen, CIRES has enjoyed steadily increasing research support minimum recorded extent in 2012. Long-term detailed studies of matched by rising productivity and growth in scientific staff. In July the Greenland ice sheet by CIRES scientists showed that movement 2012, Director Steffen left CIRES to meet a strong challenge from the of the ice sheet toward the Greenland coast may accelerate when in- Swiss University ETH, which incorporates a number of large research creased meltwater reaches the bottom of the ice sheet; water lubri- units comparable to CIRES. Dr. Steffen, who is Swiss, will lead the cates the movement of ice over rock. ETH Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. CIRES feels The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which holds a great loss but will have continuing research ties with Dr. Steffen. a global archive of information on ice and climate related to cold CIRES now enters a new era in which the Fellows choose a new regions, was honored during the past year with Presidential and State Director to be reviewed for approval by the University of Colorado. awards for its successful commitment to drastic diminution of en- The new Director’s appointment will be a natural ergy use in support of the massive, power-hungry time for CIRES to consider current issues, includ- computing equipment that is necessary for main- ing an increasingly difficult funding environment tenance of global records on ice and climate. A for science. A happy coincidence is that CIRES renovation plan that was surprisingly simple in de- received in August 2012 from the NOAA Coop- sign reduced power use for the NSIDC data center erative Institute Program approval for a new coop- by more than 90 percent. erative agreement with a five-year term and a scope CIRES scientists presented evidence at the na- of work matching that of CIRES in recent years. tional and state level in a controversy over nutri- Under this stimulus, the collaboration between ent (phosphorus, nitrogen) regulation to protect CIRES and NOAA scientists in Boulder will con- quality of inland waters nationwide. Some scien- tinue to thrive. tists have concluded that regulation of nitrogen is Achievements of CIRES scientists for FY2012 not necessary if phosphorus is regulated. Others (July 2011–June 2012) extended over the broad see evidence, particularly of recent derivation, that CIRES environmental research agenda, which in- nitrogen regulation is critical as well. Individual cludes physical, chemical, and biological aspects states have taken varied positions on this regulato- of environment as well as the human dimension ry issue. Colorado during 2012, partly in response of environmental analysis. Studies of atmospheric to evidence presented by CIRES scientists, ruled chemistry, a special strength of CIRES and its Dr. William M. Lewis, Jr. through its Water Quality Control Commission to NOAA partner, produced advances in understand- proceed with dual regulatory control of nitrogen ing of atmospheric soot, fossil fuel combustion, and phosphorus pollution of waters. and bacteria suspended in the air. CIRES and NOAA collaborators The active Solid Earth Sciences Division of CIRES in 2012 released continued their intensive collaboration on the study of the effects of information on measurements of Earth’s crustal movement along the the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill on air quality. Rio Grande Rift, which extends from Colorado’s Rocky Mountains to While the immediate concern of the spill was environmental damage Mexico. A specialized GPS system that measures crustal movements to the aquatic environment, these scientists showed that the strategy as small as 1 millimeter over a distance of 1,000 kilometers showed of burning oil to remove it from the water surface produced more than widespread crustal movement around the rift but no indication of 1 million pounds of black carbon in the form of soot. Data produced strong localized movement, as might be associated with large earth- by these scientists will guide oil spill management in the future as air quakes. Small earthquakes will happen, but disasters are unlikely. pollution joins other concerns that determine the response to spills. CIRES sees well-supported opportunities to advance environmental CIRES scientists participated in a landmark study of fossil fuel science in the coming year. combustion showing, contrary to expectation, that gasoline is less desirable than diesel fuel as a producer of some types of air pollu- tion that are of environmental concern. In addition, CIRES scientists documented the presence of surprisingly high abundances of bacteria derived from dog feces in the urban atmosphere, suggesting the exis- tence of unresolved air pollution problems associated with pets. Global climate with a focus on ice sheets continued to be a major William M. Lewis, Jr. interest of several working groups within CIRES. CIRES scientists Interim Director of CIRES 2 2012 Annual Report Photo by Christopher McNeave Freeze...Flow...Vaporize... And Repeat. From solid to liquid to gas, water is the only drinking water. As our numbers increase, water systems in the past and in the present; natural substance that exists in all three physi- we will need more water for drinking, as identifying and projecting future stressors; cal states at temperatures normally found on well as to grow food and provide sanitation. and evaluating the capacity of human and Earth. Its deceptively humble structure—one At the same time, warming temperatures are ecological systems to adapt, are all necessary oxygen and two hydrogen atoms—endows it altering the hydrologic cycle and changing to meet the challenge of sustaining freshwater with unique properties: It expands when fro- the amount, timing, and quality of freshwa- resources. zen, so ice floats instead of sinks; it absorbs ter resources. CIRES has emerged as an international large amounts of heat before getting hot, Understanding freshwater resources is an leader in water research. The FY2012 CI- buffering temperatures; its surface tension al- interdisciplinary problem requiring an in- RES Annual Report highlights cutting-edge lows water to move through plant roots and terdisciplinary approach. Observing and research by CIRES scientists that focuses on blood through capillaries; and as the “univer- understanding the processes affecting fresh- the 21st-century challenge of water. sal solvent,” water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Cycling continuously among its many forms—snow, ice, freshwa- ter, saline, vapor—water sculpts the land- scape, moderates the climate, and makes life s has been the practice at CIRES, each Annual Report highlights on Earth possible, while also driving our cu- how CIRES brings interdisciplinary expertise to bear on a specific riosity about life on planets beyond our own. Aenvironmental issue. This Annual Report showcases CIRES research Although water covers most of Earth, less related to sustainability of freshwater resources. Throughout the document, high-im- than 3 percent is freshwater. Worldwide, pact research is specifically called out. The work and accomplishments profiled are not changes are occurring that strain the supply comprehensive in terms of all the water-related work at the Institute, just the tip of the and demand structure of this vital resource. iceberg, so to speak, but they exemplify the breadth of expertise within CIRES. Watch The global population now exceeds 7 billion people, 1.1 billion of which lack access to safe for the above water-molecule icon, indicating a Water Box, throughout the report. 2012 Annual