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VOL. 97  NO. 2  15 JAN 2016

Earth & Space Science News

Sounding the Northern Seas

What Is the Anthropocene?

AGU Awardees and Prize Winners The Enigma of Ophiolites Housing and Registration Now Open

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osm.agu.org/2016/ Earth & Space Science News Contents

15 JANUARY 2016 PROJECT UPDATE VOLUME 97, ISSUE 2

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Sounding the Northern Seas A compilation of underwater terrain provides the most up-to-date mapping of portions of the western Arctic and North Pacific.

NEWS

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Space Dust Delivered Water During Earth’s Formation A new analysis of lava from the deep man- tle indicates that water-soaked dust par- ticles, rather than a barrage of icy comets, asteroids, or other bodies, delivered water to the newly forming Earth.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT 8

COVER UAE- Mountains Give Clues 26 to and Mantle Rocks Slow-Moving Glide Avalanches When oceanic plates meet continental plates, the continental plates Still Pack a Punch usually come out on top. Cases where this is reversed provide valuable The forces exerted by glide avalances can access to oceanic crust and mantle materials. be calculated fairly well.

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 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 2836 Edward J. Garnero, Study of the Philip J. Rasch, Global Environmental Earth’s Deep Interior Change Michael N. Gooseff, Hydrology Eric M. Riggs, Education 26–28 Research Spotlight Brian C. Gunter, Geodesy Adrian Tuck, Nonlinear Geophysics Kristine C. Harper, History Sergio Vinciguerra, Mineral Slow-Moving Glide Avalanches Still of Geophysics and Rock Physics Pack a Punch; Improving Indian Susan E. Hough, Natural Hazards Andrew C. Wilcox, Earth and Planetary Summer Monsoon Prediction; Forecast Emily R. Johnson, Volcanology, Surface Processes Geochemistry, and Petrology Earle Williams, Atmospheric Versus Reality: High-Resolution Keith D. Koper, Seismology and Space Electricity Weather Prediction; Convection Robert E. Kopp, Geomagnetism Mary Lou Zoback, Societal Impacts Cycles, Atmosphere, and Ocean Work and Paleomagnetism and Policy Sciences Symbiotically; Aerosols May Play a Staff Big Part in Atmospheric Absorption. Production: Faith A. Ishii, Production Manager; Melissa A. Tribur, Senior Production Specialist; Liz Castenson, Editor’s Assistant; Yael Fitzpatrick, Manager, Design and Branding; Valerie Bassett and Travis Frazier, Electronic Graphics Specialists Editorial: Peter L. Weiss, Manager/Senior News Editor; Mohi Kumar, Scientific 29–32 Positions Available Content Editor; Randy Showstack, Senior News Writer; JoAnna Wendel, Writer; Current job openings in the Earth Shannon Kelleher and Cody Sullivan, Interns and space sciences. Marketing: Angelo Bouselli, Marketing Program Manager; Jamie R. Liu, Manager, Marketing Advertising: Christy Hanson, Manager; Tel: +1-202-777-7536; Email: advertising@ 27 Inside Back Cover: agu.org Postcards from the Field ©2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may be photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission Seismologists install seismometers in is also granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific 3–5 News Todtenweis, Germany, to extend the books and journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications coverage of AlpArray. Office. Earth’s Water Came from Space Dust Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published semi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th of the month by During Planetary Formation; Laser the American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, Beams Brighten Prospects for Cave USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D. C., and at additional mailing On the Cover offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Science; New Study Reveals How Close-up view of ophiolite rocks from Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Much Groundwater Remains. Wadi Fins, 88 kilometers southwest of Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; Email: [email protected]. Muscat, Oman. The , Use AGU’s Geophysical Electronic Manuscript Submissions system to submit a 6–7 Opinion which overlies parts of Oman and the manuscript: http://eos-submit.agu.org. , is formed from What Is the Anthropocene? Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official positions of the oceanic crust and rocks American Geophysical Union unless expressly stated. thrust over less dense continental Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO 18–25 AGU News material. The field of view is about Awardees and Prize Winners Honored 15 centimeters across. Credit: Katie at 2015 AGU Fall Meeting. Pratt/Deep Carbon Observatory.

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tem with as low a D/H ratio as the lava flows. Space Dust Delivered Water However, when they compared their lava sam- ples to meteorites, which are shards of comets During Earth’s Formation or asteroids that landed and were found on Earth, all the meteorites had higher D/H ratios. The mismatch indicates that, most likely, neither the parent comets or asteroids lthough existing theories of where for where that water came from in the solar nor the shards from such bodies are the source Earth’s water comes from assume that system,” said Hallis. Earth’s water resides not of Earth’s water, Hallis told Eos. A ice-­rich comets or asteroids hit the just in such familiar locations as oceans, aqui- A study (http://bit.ly/chondrites) published planet after it formed, new research leaves fers, and clouds but also in rock or a little more than a year ago in Science also those ideas in the dust. A team of researchers permeated with water molecules and located argued that Earth received its water as it was has found evidence that “Earth has had water deep within the planet. forming, but from really old meteors called since the beginning of its formation,” accord- Easily accessible reservoirs of water near carbonaceous chondrites. However, the ing to planetary scientist Lydia Hallis, who led Earth’s surface, such as the oceans, contain D/H ratio that Hallis and her colleagues the team. deuterium but not at the same concentrations determined for the deep mantle is lower than A recent paper (http://bit.ly/water-­origins​ as when the planet first formed. The concen- that of the chondrites, Hallis said, suggesting -paper)­ about this evidence, published on trations have changed due to contact with the that something that preceded those 13 November 2015 in the journal Science, points atmosphere, crust, and upper mantle and meteors—i.e.,­ the nebula’s dust—delivered to Earth’s water coming from motes of space exchanges of molecules and atoms between the water. dust with water molecules attached getting those different layers. Although portions of Still, MIT’s Weiss said we know too little incorporated into the planet during its forma- Earth’s mantle do mix, Hallis thinks that the about the D/H ratios of all asteroids and com- tion. area of the deep mantle where the Baffin ets to rule them out as a source of Earth’s Hallis and her colleagues tracked the water Island lava flows came from was an isolated water. “The trouble is, we don’t know the full back to its dusty source by looking at region of the heterogeneous mantle. There- range of meteorites,” he explained. “Our 60-million-­ year-­ old­ lava flows from Baffin fore, those flows didn’t mix with magma from meteorites are just a tiny sample of the enor- Island, Canada, that originated deep within the upper mantle or the crust before erupting, mous diversity of asteroids that are out Earth’s mantle. Within these lava flow sam- which allowed them to preserve their original there.” ples, which cooled into rock after erupting, the D/H ratio, she and her team reported in their In the future, meteorite specialists might team found a low ratio of two isotopes of paper. discover some of the space rocks with hydrogen—specifically, deuterium to ordinary “I think the most important thing is that D/H ratios closer to what Hallis and her col- hydrogen (D/H). The low value strongly indi- they’ve made a good attempt to measure leagues found in the lava flows. In the mean- cates that Earth’s water came from the solar Earth’s original D/H ratio,” said planetary sci- time, their findings “definitely make it less nebula—a swirling disk of dust around the entist Benjamin Weiss of the Massachusetts probable that [asteroids] are the source,” early Sun from which the planets and other Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Weiss said. bodies in our solar system formed. who was not involved in this research. He said that measurement marks the first step toward Other Planets Formed Similarly Heavy Water Holds the Answer really understanding where our water came Some scientists challenge the idea that water Deuterium is a neutron-containing­ hydrogen from. always existed on Earth because the extreme isotope; water containing deuterium is some- heat of the early solar system would evapo- times referred to as heavy water. Planetary Comets and Meteorites Don’t Match Up rate any water. Hallis said that although the scientists can use the ratio of deuterium to Using the Sun as a proxy for the solar system–­ Earth probably did and still does lose hydro- hydrogen within a planet’s water reservoirs to forming nebula, Hallis and her colleagues gen and therefore water, she believes the determine the water’s origin. “It’s a signature found that it is the only body in the solar sys- Earth kept most of its water. Earth’s thick atmosphere and its magnetic field, which slows down atmospheric erosion by fending off the wind of charged particles from the Sun, help to reduce water losses. Other rocky planets probably formed with water in the

0) Image cropped same way as Earth but then lost their water— Mars lost its protective magnetic field and atmosphere, whereas conditions on Venus caused water molecules to break up and release hydrogen into space. “There’s no reason why, if Earth accreted in this way, that Venus, Mars, and Mercury, and maybe the other rocky bodies in the solar system, wouldn’t have accreted in this way as well,” said Hallis. Graham Cook, CC BY 2.0 (http://bit.ly/ccby2- ­ 2.0 Graham Cook, CC BY from original. Recent research points to all of Earth’s water originating from water-laden­ dust particles present in the nebula from which the solar system formed. By Cody Sullivan, Writer Intern

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 3 NEWS

Mapping caves with the precision of lidar Laser Beams Brighten Prospects could also open up investigations to a wide range of scientists outside of hydrology, Veni for Cave Science said, from biologists studying bat popula- tions, to archaeologists studying ancient societies, to geomorphologists studying how caves form, change, and erode. Caves also offer a multitude of localized paleoclimate data, Veni said, which could be revealed by 3-­D maps.

Lidar’s Ups and Downs Lidar has already proven itself a boon to sci- ence beyond the confines of caves. In the past couple of decades, scientists have used it to study Earth’s surface and atmosphere and to investigate forests, ice sheets, mountains, and even coral reefs in high resolution. Lidar works by shooting pulses of laser beams at a target, measuring how long it takes for the light to bounce back, and then calculating the distances. Some say that the technology’s name derives from “light radar” because the technology works like radar but uses pulses of light instead of radio waves. Others identify LIDAR as an acronym, proba- bly for “light detection and ranging.”

David Black In Pennsylvania, Dave Field relies on pub- Ben Shinabery (right), a land surveyor in Louisville, Ky., stands in Big Bat Cave with a volunteer and a lidar scanner licly available aerial lidar data of the state’s ­sitting atop a tripod. topography to find sinkholes that might lead him to caves. Since the data became avail- able, he said, the rate of discovering sink- compass, some measuring tape, a cou- create three-­dimensional (3-­D) cave maps of holes has gone up significantly. ple of waterproof notebooks, and a Big Bat Cave—the world’s 57th longest “It’s been a real enlightenment just to see A pencil or indelible pen: These are the cave—near Custer, Ky. (see http://bit.ly/​ how much karst is out there,” Field said, bare minimum supplies a caver needs to create ­big-­bat). Unlike Field’s laser range finder, a using a term for any landscape built on rocks, a map of a cave. While one person measures, lidar scanner pulses thousands of times per such as limestone, that water slowly dis- sets compass headings, and calculates angles second, gathering thousands of data points solves—a process that creates such features and true distances, another person slowly per pulse. The data, when processed with as sinkholes and caves. trails behind, making intricate hand-­drawn powerful software, spit out a precise 3-­D map Below ground is another matter. The sketches of the cave’s geological features. of the cave, opening up whole worlds of equipment isn’t terribly portable, Veni said. These days, cavers also employ handheld information. Cave exploration often requires a person to instruments that use laser beams to deter- squeeze through excruciatingly tight tunnels, mine heights and distances. This is how Dave First Maps, Then Science navigate up and down sudden rises or drops, Field, a retired geophysicist and avid caver Although people have explored caves since and sometimes even swim through water— who heads the Mid-­Atlantic Karst Conser- there have been people, the quest for scien- with only 3 centimeters of breathing room vancy, maps caves in Pennsylvania. However, tific insights from caves remains a challenge. underneath a tunnel’s roof. these small instruments don’t have the range Scientists who work in caves say that ways to “It’s a new tool, and, again, we’re taking it needed to determine the size of large caverns map caves more thoroughly and accurately into an environment that is hostile to elec- where roofs and tunnel endings may be lost in could have a major influence on how that tronics,” Veni said. darkness. quest goes. Because the technology is so expensive—a Several hundred miles away, in Brecken- “I tell many cavers that [they’re] the Lewis good lidar scanner can cost more than a hun- ridge County, Ky., cave enthusiast and former and Clarks” of cave science, said George Veni, dred thousand dollars—not many scientists state cartographer Ken Bailey, who is now the a hydrogeologist and executive director of the have been able to take advantage of this valu- president of the Kentucky Karst Conservancy, National Cave and Karst Research Institute. able tool, Field noted. deploys a much more powerful laser technol- “Without these maps, we can’t do the science ogy to map caves. The equipment, called a in any effective manner.” The Largest Caves lidar terrestrial scanner, offers much greater As a hydrogeologist, Veni looks at maps of Andy Eavis, a self-­described “cave fanatic” range and data-­gathering ability than hand-­ caves that act as aquifers and can see how who has been exploring caves for more than held devices. such caves function, right down to the per- 50 years and has mapped more than 500 kilo- Bailey has teamed up with Ben Shinabery, a meability of the rocks, the structure, and the meters of caves around the world, is currently land surveyor with access to a scanner, to very plumbing of the terrain. using lidar technology to scan the world’s

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largest cave chambers. In preparation for the International Union of Speleology meeting in New Study Reveals 2017, he and his team plan to produce 3-­D-​ ­printed models of the vast caverns. The pur- How Much Ground­water Remains pose, Eavis said, is to concretely define par- ticular cave terminology like “passageway” or “chamber” because there is still some dis- agreement over what exactly these terms roundwater­ comprises a third of all little—only 6%—of total groundwater­ gets mean. For instance, how wide is a “passage- freshwater on Earth and provides replenished in roughly a human lifetime. way”? How high must the roof be to call an G humans with a necessary source for “We’re using our groundwater­ resources too area a “chamber”? irrigation and drinking water. However, until fast—faster than they’re being renewed,” Eavis and his team use a lidar scanner with recently, the only groundwater­ supply esti- Gleeson said in a press release. a resolution of 1 centimeter and a range of up mates relied on rough calculations dating back The researchers identified the modern to 400 meters, which has suited their needs to the mid-1970s.­ A new study provides the groundwater­ by how much tritium, a radio- perfectly because one of the caves they first data-driven­ calculations of the total sup- active isotope of hydrogen, the water con- scanned in November 2015—Cloud Ladder ply and uncovers how tains. Modern Hall in China—hosts a roof towering 365 much usable ground­ ground­water con- meters (1197 feet). water we have left. If the total volume of tains higher concen- “These roofs are bigger than any roofs man To perform their groundwater in the top trations of tritium has ever made. Structurally, they shouldn’t calculations, than older ground­ really stay up; they should have fallen down a researchers drew 2 kilometers of crust were water because tri- long time ago,” Eavis said. from a wealth of tium fallout from In the past 2 years, Eavis and his team have existing geochemi- extracted and pooled thermonuclear tests mapped nine chambers in Malaysia, China, cal, geologic, and across the continents, in the mid-­20th Spain, and France. Upcoming trips include hydrologic data. “In century spiked the visits to caves in Iran, Oman, Mexico, and the past, all of this it would be about 180 water. Gleeson and Belize. A 3-­D map produced by laser scanning data was kind of hid- his colleagues devel- of the Miao Room in China was recently doc- den in books and meters deep. oped a database of umented in a National Geographic feature maps, and now it’s tritium measure- (http://bit.ly/Super-­Cave). much more readily ments, which they After Eavis and his team are finished with available for these used with watershed their multicave scanning project, he says kinds of novel science questions,” said Tom models to estimate the volume of the mod- they’ll sell the $150,000 scanner because they Gleeson, a hydrogeologist at the University of ern ground­water. will have no more use for it. Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, and the The new study provides the first estimate lead researcher of the study, which was pub- of the volumes of young and modern ground­ Conservation Efforts lished on 16 November 2015 in Nature Geosci- water and a map of the distribution of mod- Shinabery, the land surveyor, travels from ence. ern groundwater­ across the globe, Gleeson Louisville, Ky., to Big Bat Cave once every The study (http://bit.ly/gwater-­study) said. The team’s estimate for total global 2 months to scan another leg and is often revealed that if the total volume of ground­ groundwater­ closely matched the total accompanied by a team of volunteers—­ water in the top 2 kilometers of crust were groundwater­ calculations from the 1970s, he students looking for research experience, extracted and pooled across the continents, it added. members of the community who want to would be about 180 meters deep. But the explore the cave, or local scientists. The karst quantity of what the researchers call “young” Going Deep conservancy has already put together videos of groundwater­ is far smaller. Gleeson said he hopes the team’s new find- the scanned portions of the cave (see http:// ings will enable policy makers to make more bit.ly/bbcave-flythru).­ Young Groundwater­ informed decisions about ground­water use in Bailey hopes that creating 3-­D maps of Big Gleeson defines young groundwater­ as the future. “The depth of the groundwater­ is Bat Cave and other Kentucky caves might lead groundwater­ that has been recharged within really important to know in terms of how to more conservation efforts. Caves not only the past 100 years. Although some regions— deep we need to drill and how costly that provide homes to living things, including bat for instance, California—can use older would be,” he said. The new maps might also colonies that are currently being decimated by groundwater,­ it is far too brackish in most prove useful for locating regions where white-­nose syndrome, but also provide water places. So communities generally rely on industry and agriculture are putting usable to millions of people across the nation. young groundwater­ sources, he said. “If you groundwater­ at risk. However, if people can’t see the caves, they take all that young groundwater­ out of the The team plans next to map the amount of might not care, Bailey said. Earth, it would only be 3 meters high. So time it will take before ground­water “We are protecting ourselves when we pro- about the height of a stop sign,” Gleeson extraction around the world begins to affect tect [caves],” he continued. “To be able to said. the flow of the life-­supporting rivers fed by show people who will never go there why it’s Of that young groundwater,­ he and his groundwater,­ Gleeson said. worth saving is what the lidar is for me.” team have further focused on groundwater­ that accumulated in roughly the past 50 years, which they called “modern” By JoAnna Wendel, Staff Writer groundwater.­ This analysis showed that very By Shannon Kelleher, Writer Intern

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

If you answered D or E, you probably oppose formalization. The choice you made is based on cultural considerations—here with either a What Is the Anthropocene? First Nation (D) or Eurocentric (E) emphasis. You probably don’t want a subset of geologists to co-­opt the word “Anthropocene” for their concepts. ince Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer Multiple Meanings If you answered F or G, you probably mildly introduced the word “Anthropocene” in Scientists generally agree on certain charac- (F) or strongly (G) oppose this inclusion. S 2000, scientists and nonscientists alike teristics of the word “Anthropocene”: In any case, no matter how you use the term have used the word to highlight the concept “Anthropocene,” others are using the same It is here to stay, with more than 500,000 that we are now living in a time when the • word with a very different meaning. Google hits and growing. global environment, at some level, is shaped It carries connotations of human domi- by humankind rather than vice versa. Humans • Contrasting Philosophies nance of the environment. have significantly altered Earth’s land surface, Throughout history, humans have divided The Anthropocene is not currently a formal oceans, rivers, atmosphere, flora, and fauna. • time into named portions. Giving a name to part of the Geologic Time Scale. By its emphasis on the here and now and on something makes communication and analy- what humans have done and can do in the Underneath our agreements lies a major sis easier. For communicating time, two gen- future, the word “Anthropocene” has served divergence in philosophy. Let’s start with a eral philosophies are popular among various as a call to action for environmental sustain- simple test (Figure 1). The data shown on the scientific disciplines. ability and responsibility [Crutzen and Stoer- left are abundances of corn pollen and corn One philosophy is to name time segments mer, 2000; Waters et al., 2014; Ruddiman et al., smut spores in sediment layers in a lake in by some means of recognizing defined points 2015]. southern Ontario, Canada (although any proxy in time. For example, the Victorian era can be So far, however, the term “Anthropocene” for anthropogenic influence could be used). defined precisely by the dates of the reign of has not been integrated into the official Geo- Can you relate your concept of the Anthro- Queen Victoria of England (20 June 1837 to logic Time Scale, which geologists use to pocene to a specific sedimentary record? Your 22 January 1901). Named intervals of time rep- divide the past into named blocks based on the answer likely reflects your views about making resent the same starting and ending points rock record. In 2016 or thereabouts, the Inter- the Anthropocene a formal part of the Geo- and are of the same duration everywhere. This national Commission on —the logic Time Scale. precision is relatively easy when dealing with scientific body that maintains the official Geo- If you answered A, B, or C, you probably historical time; it becomes more difficult logic Time Scale—will consider a proposal to think you favor including the Anthropocene as when dealing with the geologic record. formalize a definition of this term. It’s a deci- a formal part of the Geologic Time Scale— A second philosophy is to name time seg- sion that has both semantic and scientific especially if your particular choice of start date ments by stages in human cultural develop- implications and may have legal implications is selected. If your choice is not selected, you ment, such as the Bronze Age and the Renais- as well. may not favor formalization at all. sance. The Bronze Age reflects neither a specific starting date nor a duration of a spe- Year Stratigraphic Record cific number of years. Rather, it begins and CE Corn Corn ends at different dates at different places on Smut Zone ABC D E F G 2000 the basis of the presence or absence of specific Anthropocene 1945 CE features in the development of the civilization Canadian Anthropocene 1900 Anthropocene present in a particular place. Geologists, like other scientists, have rules 1815 CE 1800 Anthropocene 1800 CE 1784 CE and precedents for formal nomenclature, and these are embodied in the Geologic Time Scale. 1700 Post- Iroquoian The scale is tied to the rock record and took Anthropocene shape over centuries, often without strict 1600 CE Holocene Holocene 1600 Holocene pre- definitions. Since the 1970s, however, the Holocene Anthropocene 1500 International Commission on Stratigraphy of (do not use the International Union of Geological Sciences Holocene (use the word 1400 Iroquoian Anthropocene “Anthropocene” has been the arbiter of the terms appearing on as in D or E or at all because some other way it doesn’t belong the Geologic Time Scale. 1300 because on a Pre- pre- it’s informal) stratigraphic The Geologic Time Scale includes only those Iroquoian Anthropocene chart) terms that, to the best of current knowledge, 1200 0 12 0 30 % relate to the rock record of specific segments of geologic time. Each unit represents, con- Fig. 1. (left) A simplified pollen/spore diagram (redrawn fromMcAndrews and Turton [2010]) of the record from a lake ceptually, the same interval of time every- sediment core with annual layers in southern Ontario, Canada. Variations in percentage of corn pollen (labeled “corn”) where in the world. Although imprecision in and spores from a corn smut fungus serve as a proxy for human impact. Chronology comes from layer counts and recognizing the time signal in the rock record radiocarbon dating. (right) Seven of the many concepts of the word “Anthropocene” (A–G) that divide this record. imposes limitations, no unit of the Geologic CE = Common Era. For additional discussion of various choices, see, for example, Autin and Holbrook [2012a, 2012b], Time Scale is specified to have different dura- Edgeworth et al. [2015], Finney [2014], Gale and Hoare [2012], Gibbard and Walker [2014], Lewis and Maslin [2015], Rud- tions in different parts of the world, and there diman et al. [2015], Steffen et al. [2015], and Zalasiewicz et al. [2014, 2015]. is no geologic record of the future.

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If the Anthropocene is to become a formal If the Anthropocene is a period, then the Qua- an informal unit of geologic time. Others may part of the Geologic Time Scale, a unique point ternary period, which began approximately not consider it a time unit at all. in time must mark its beginning. Although it 2.6 million years ago at a time of major • The word “Anthropocene” will be is tempting to examine at length the relative glacial-­interglacial fluctuation, has ended. If it assigned a specific start time and placed on merits of various particular starting points, is an epoch, then the Holocene epoch, the the formal Geologic Time Scale, but a signifi- the real discussion should focus on a different interglacial (warm) interval that began 11,800 cant proportion of its use would be in direct question: Can any unique point in time coexist years ago, has ended. If it is an age, then it is contradiction of the basic tenets of strati- with current Anthropocene concepts and the current age within the Holocene epoch. graphic correlation and terminology. Many usage? In other words, does the Anthropocene These consequences extend far beyond the scientists will now say that it is acceptable to have a beginning that is the same everywhere, scientific community. For instance, many have an Anthropocene epoch that is openly or does it begin at different times in different building codes have strict legal definitions of acknowledged to vary in age from place to places because it represents a holistic concept what constitutes a “Holocene fault.” If the place. These scientists will include those who that involves time, place, human cultural Holocene epoch were to be over, perhaps a in the past have recognized that chronostrati- attainment and dominance, and a variety of developer would try to build in an area of active graphic correlation (although never perfect) environmental effects [Edgeworth et al., 2015; ground movement because, technically, there strives to recognize time equivalence. The Ruddiman et al., 2015]? is no Holocene fault. Or would “Holocene” term will be used by all but ­strict-​ have two meanings: one geological, one legal? ­constructionist stratigraphers in a variety of Hierarchy ways to mean different things to different If the Anthropocene is to be incorporated into Possible Outcomes people, most of them thinking that their way the Geologic Time Scale, the International The International Commission on Stratigra- is formal and correct. Commission on Stratigraphy will have to deal phy has set a target date in 2016 for consider- In the next year or so, the International with the question of rank. Each unit in the ation of a proposal to formalize the Anthropo- Commission on Stratigraphy will make a deci- time scale has a rank. Eras are divided into cene. I see three possible outcomes: sion, and the rest of us will have to live with it. periods, which are divided into epochs, which • The word “Anthropocene” will be Is the Anthropocene a specific subdivision in are divided into ages. assigned a specific start time (which will not the continuum of time, or is it a holistic con- A quick search in the scientific and popular please everyone) and will be added to the for- cept that includes time but is not defined by literature for the term “Anthropocene” reveals mal Geologic Time Scale. In this case, the word it? Which decision will serve us best? an obvious lack of consensus on its rank. Hun- “Anthropocene” will not have a 1:1 correspon- dreds of citations refer to an Anthropocene dence with any and all things anthropogenic. References era, an Anthropocene period, an Anthropocene If the Anthropocene is assigned the rank of Autin, W. J., and J. M. Holbrook (2012a), Is the Anthropocene an issue of stratigraphy or pop culture?, GSA Today, 22, 60–61. epoch, and an Anthropocene age. In fact, the epoch, then the Holocene is over. Rigorously Autin, W. J., and J. M. Holbrook (2012b), Reply to Jan Zalasiewicz et al. term “Anthropocene” is so widely employed applied labels such as Holocene and Anthro- on response to Autin and Holbrook on “Is the Anthropocene an that many users must be quite unaware of the pocene will be used in all discussions of issue of stratigraphy or pop culture?,” GSA Today, 22, e23. Crutzen, P., and E. Stoermer (2000), The “Anthropocene,” Global formal rank terms of geologists. anthropogenic deposits or anthropogenic Change Newsl., 41, 17–18. Rank has consequences. If the rank of era is environmental effects that originate before Edgeworth, M., et al. (2015), Diachronous beginnings of the Anthro- appropriate for the Anthropocene, the direct the chosen start time. pocene: The lower bounding surface of anthropogenic deposits, Anthropocene Rev., 2, 33–58, doi:10.1177/2053019614565394. corollary is that the Cenozoic era, which began The word “Anthropocene” will be used in • Finney, S. (2014), The ‘Anthropocene’ as a ratified unit in the ICS approximately 66 million years ago with the a cultural sense to indicate and call attention International Chronostratigraphic Chart: Fundamental issues that must be addressed by the Task Group, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 395, demise of the nonavian dinosaurs, has ended. to the fact that humankind significantly influ- 23–28. ences the global Gale, S., and P. Hoare (2012), The stratigraphic status of the Anthropo- environment. It will cene, Holocene, 22, 1491–1494. represent a holistic Gibbard, P., and M. Walker (2014), The term ‘Anthropocene’ in the Be a Science context of formal geological classification, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., concept and may 395, 29–37. have different start Lewis, S., and M. Maslin, (2015), Defining the Anthropocene, Nature, 519, 171–180, doi:10.1038/nature14258. times in different Expert on the Hill! McAndrews, J., and C. Turton (2010), Fungal spores record Iroquoian places in the world. It and Canadian agriculture in 2nd millennium A.D. sediment of may depend on dif- Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada, Veg. Hist. Archaeobot., 19, 531–544. ferent features or Ruddiman, W., et al. (2015), Defining the epoch we live in: Is a formally environmental designated “Anthropocene” a good idea?, Science, 348, 38–39, effects. Deposits of doi:10.1126/science.aaa7297. Steffen, W., et al. (2015), The trajectory of the Anthropocene: anthropogenic origin The Great Acceleration, Anthropocene Rev., 2, 81–98, will be considered doi:10.1177/2053019614564785. Anthropocene Waters, C., et al. (2014), A stratigraphical basis for the Anthropocene? Introduction, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 395, 1–21. deposits. The Zalasiewicz, J., et al. (2014), Can an Anthropocene series be defined Anthropocene can and recognized?, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 395, 39–53, doi:10.1144/ Congressional Science Fellowship easily be depicted on SP395.16. Zalasiewicz, J., et al. (2015), When did the Anthropocene begin? A Work on Capitol Hill for one year. the formal Geologic mid-twentieth­ century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal, Application Deadline: 1 February 2016 Time Scale but will Quat. Int., 383, 196–203, doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.11.045. sciencepolicy.agu.org/congressional_fellows not be a formal unit of it. Some people APPLY NOW! may consider the By Lucy E. Edwards, U.S. Geological Survey, Anthropocene to be Reston, Va.; email: [email protected]

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 7 UAE- Oman Mountains Give Clues to Oceanic Crust and Mantle Rocks

By Simone Pilia, Mohammed Y. Ali, Anthony B. Watts, and Michael P. Searle

When oceanic plates meet continental plates, the continental plates usually come out on top. Cases where this is reversed provide valuable access to oceanic crust and mantle materials.

8 // Eos 15 January 2016 NASA

s a rule, when tectonic plates made of top of less dense continental material [Coleman, 1981]. dense oceanic crust material meet plates Although is regarded as a geodynamic anomaly of more buoyant mate- [Agard et al., 2014], it is not an uncommon occurrence. rial, the oceanic plate moves beneath the The evidence of such a process is contained in ophio- continental plate and sinks into the man- lites, sequences of oceanic crust and upper mantle rocks tle in a process known as . found near the surfaces of continents. By far the largest, Occasionally, however, a process called obduction thrusts best exposed, and most studied ophiolite complex is the Asheets of oceanic crust and upper mantle rocks over the Semail ophiolite in the eastern corner of the Arabian Pen- insula, spanning Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) [Glennie et al., 1973; Lippard et al., 1986; Searle and This aerial photo of the Semail ophiolite shows crustal deposits Cox, 1999]. (gray rocks at left, toward the north) that solidifi ed in deep water in the Although scientists have mapped and studied the sur- ancient and from the Earth’s mantle farther face geology of this region in detail, the middle to lower south (brown rocks at right). crustal structure of the UAE-Oman mountains remains an

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 9 enigma. Despite more than 40 years of detailed geological et al., 2015]. The thickness of the ophiolite thrust sheet studies, a lack of high-­resolution geophysical imaging and the structures in the underlying deeper part of the beneath the UAE-Oman­ mountains remains. mountain belt, however, remain poorly known. In an attempt to unravel the structure beneath both the Semail ophiolite and the underlying crust of the UAE-­ Unanswered Questions Oman , scientists from the Petroleum Two aspects of ophiolite research remain controversial: the Institute in Abu Dhabi, UAE, have teamed up with geolo- tectonic setting of an ophiolite’s origin (mid-­ocean ridge, gists and geophysicists from the University of Oxford in suprasubduction zone, transform fault) and the mecha- Oxford, U.K. Their detailed geophysical and geological nism of their emplacement onto continental margins. observations represent significant progress toward solv- Detailed geochemical analyses of the crustal compo- ing the ongoing debates about the ophiolite emplacement nents provide information on the tectonic setting. Con- processes. straints on the geochronology of events are provided by uranium-lead­ isotopic ages from ophiolite crustal rocks Evidence of Past Events and amphibolite minerals in the metamorphic sole. The From middle Permian to mid-­Cretaceous times (about mechanism of emplacement of large thrust sheets of 270 to 95 million years ago), the Arabian margin was a dense ophiolite rocks onto more buoyant continental tectonically stable, passive, dominantly carbonate conti- crust is determined from detailed structural mapping of nental margin. During the Cenomanian–Turonian time the ophiolite and thrust sheets beneath combined with (about 96 million years ago), the Semail ophiolite formed geochronological constraints. in the Tethyan region to the northeast as a result of a Surface mapping can, however, examine only the upper subduction-­obduction process that thrust thin-skinned­ crustal rocks that are exposed. We rely purely on geo- Tethyan oceanic sheets onto the collapsed continental physical methods to determine the structure of the deep, margin. Flexural loading of the thrust sheets caused a unexposed parts of the crust. foreland basin, the Aruma basin, to develop in front of the obducting ophiolite. Collecting Geophysical Data The UAE-Oman­ mountains are 150 kilometers wide and To illuminate the crustal and upper mantle structure stretch for 700 kilometers, and they expose the Semail beneath the UAE-Oman­ mountains, the research team ophiolite thrust sheet, which is roughly 15–20 kilometers carried out the first integrated seismic reflection and thick. Beneath the exceptionally well preserved Semail refraction experiment in the UAE-­Oman region in July ophiolite, a series of thrust sheets of oceanic sedimentary 2014. Passive and active seismic techniques will be used and basaltic rocks, emplaced from northeast to south- to construct new images of the structure of the crust, west, separates the overlying ophiolite from the Arabian which will be verified by potential field (gravity, mag- continental rocks beneath. netic) modeling. The scientists also plan to acquire vibro- The structural fabric of these seis seismic data, in which a thrust sheets can be reconstructed “thumper truck” generates vibra- to gain an understanding of the tions in the ground, in early 2016 to paleogeography of the Tethys The middle to lower complement the existing data set Ocean that lay adjacent to the Ara- (Figure 1). bian plate during Cretaceous times. crustal structure of the Seismic reflection data were The most distal thrust sheets (far- acquired along a grid of lines total- thest from the areas of geologic UAE-­Oman mountains ing 925 kilometers in the Arabian activity) include deep-­sea sedi- remains an enigma. Gulf and Gulf of Oman (Figure 1) ments, including cherts, radiolarian using the survey ship M/V Hawk oozes, carbonate seamounts, and Explorer. The ship towed an array of , that immediately underlie the ophiolite. Resto- air guns (total volume of 7060 cubic inches, 116 liters) for ration of thrust sheets between the ophiolite and the Ara- generating seismic waves and a 5-kilometer-­ ­long multi- bian margin reveal more than 200 kilometers of horizon- channel streamer to record reflections from subseafloor tal shortening and thrusting [Searle et al., 2015]. sediments and basement rocks. Along the base of the ophiolite thrust sheet, irregular Seismic refraction data were acquired along selected occurrences of metamorphic rocks, amphibolites, and reflection lines using 25 broadband land recording sta- greenschists are termed the “metamorphic sole.” Con- tions. The refraction data consisted of about 800 air gun straining the pressure, depth, temperature, and timing of shots fired at 50-second­ time intervals. Gravity and mag- metamorphism in these rocks enables us to reconstruct netic data were continuously collected throughout the processes operating during oceanic subduction and ophi- cruise. Similar data will also be acquired along the east– olite formation. west onshore refraction transects and will be integrated One unique thrust slice, the Bani Hamid thrust sheet in with existing onshore and offshore data. the northern Oman-UAE­ mountains, shows a 1-­kilometer-​ Broadband seismometers are currently recording tele- ­thick sequence of extremely high grade marbles and seismic earthquakes (more than 1000 kilometers from the quartzites (granulite facies). This sequence was formed measurement site). Analysis of three-component­ wave during the latter part of the obduction process, when fronts and shear-wave­ splitting from these data will pro- these buoyant rocks were jammed in the subduction zone vide new insights into the deep lithospheric structure and and then thrust into the middle of the ophiolite [Searle degree of anisotropy, respectively.

10 // Eos 15 January 2016 Adapted from Landsat

We anticipate that in the near future, the instruments Fig. 1. This satellite image shows the site of the experiments. Shots for will be moved to different locations within the UAE. This the refraction experiment were fired offshore (thick red lines) and relocation will augment the existing national seismic net- recorded on land by broadband seismometers (red squares). Reflec- work, and the resulting data set will be used to apply tion transects are indicated by white lines. Gravity and magnetic data additional passive techniques (e.g., ambient noise tomog- (light blue lines) were acquired throughout the cruise. We plan to raphy) and to study the earthquake hazards in the coun- deploy vibroseis trucks to several locations (green inverted triangles) try. These sensors will extend the array coverage of the to complement the existing data set. The yellow dashed line depicts mountains, which, coupled with cutting-­edge tomo- the boundary between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other graphic inversion techniques for analyzing seismic data, countries; the bottom left inset shows the location of the UAE. The top could potentially play a major role in deciphering the tec- left inset shows a seismic record for reflection line FUJ_R_101 (high- tonics of the region. In addition, a detailed surface geol- lighted in green). ogy map of the ophiolite will be produced for the area across the two seismic refraction profiles.

Applying the Data to Key Scientific Questions Despite the abundance of recent geological and geochem- As discussed above, much of the controversy surrounding ical data interpretations, including those of the Semail ophiolites around the world concerns their origin, tec- ophiolite, project scientists believe that the ongoing tonic setting, and the mechanism of emplacement onto debates about ophiolite formation and emplacement can- continental crust. The UAE-Oman­ mountains have proved not be solved without further detailed geophysical and critical to the general understanding of ophiolites because geological observations. they have been mapped in great detail and have been sub- Moving forward, we will investigate various scenarios ject to extensive high-­precision geochemical and geo- by combining new geophysical evidence, structural map- chronological analyses that constrain the igneous history ping, and geochemical analysis of rock sample data. We and metamorphic evolution of the sole amphibolites. hope that the new data will shed light on critical struc- The rocks of the Bani Hamid thrust sheet in the north- tural questions and processes such as the following: ern UAE-Oman­ mountains constrain the metamorphic • the geometry of thrust sheets beneath the Semail history of the subophiolite rocks that pin down both tim- ophiolite ing and depths of metamorphism [Searle et al., 2015]. The • the structure of the Hagab thrust beneath the Musan- thickness of the ophiolite thrust sheet and the structures dam culmination that reflects the initial continental in the underlying deeper part of the mountain belt, how- collision ever, remain poorly understood. Part of the reason for • how the older obduction-­related thrust sheets affect this is the lack of high-­resolution geophysical imaging. the Hagab-­type thrusts

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 11 • the deep crustal struc- contribute to the under- ture of the northeastern standing of ophiolite com- margin of the Arabian Project scientists believe that the plexes around the world. plate ongoing debates about ophiolite Early results are expected • the velocity structure of to be published in 2016. the crust and uppermost formation and emplacement mantle beneath the oro- Acknowledgments genic belt and the flank- cannot be solved without further The project is funded by ing UAE foreland basin the Petroleum Institute and Gulf of Oman rifted detailed geophysical and Research Centre (PIRC), margin geological observations. with additional support The seismic refraction pro- from the UAE government files will ensure that mean- and Schlumberger. The ingful inferences can be made on the main structural ele- UAE Ministry of Energy provided logistical support and ments of the crust and upper mantle beneath the necessary approvals. The offshore data were acquired by mountain belts and adjacent regions. Together with evi- Seabird Exploration on board M/V Hawk Explorer. dence from active source seismology and gravity and mag- netic anomalies, the data will determine the offshore References extent of the ophiolite and inform assessments of Agard, P., X. Zuo, F. Funiciello, N. Bellahsen, C. Faccenna, and D. Savva (2014), Obduc- tion: Why, how and where. Clues from analog models, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 393, resources, including oil and gas. 132–145. These results will also enable us to determine whether Coleman, R. G. (1981), Tectonic setting for ophiolite obduction in Oman, J. Geophys. or not the ophiolite is detached from Tethyan oceanic Res., 86(B4), 2497–2508. Glennie, K. W., M. G. A. Boeuf, M. H. Clarke, M. Moody-Stuart,­ W. F. H. Pilaar, and B. M. in the Gulf of Oman by a continental base- Reinhardt (1973), Late Cretaceous nappes in Oman Mountains and their geologic ment ridge, as postulated by Ravaut et al. [1997]. Passive evolution, AAPG Bull., 57(1), 5–27. seismic methodologies (e.g., and Lippard, S. J., A. W. Shelton, and I. G. Gass (1986), The Ophiolite of Northern Oman, 178 pp., Blackwell Sci., Oxford, U.K. receiver function analysis) will provide relatively low Ravaut, P., R. Bayer, R. Hassani, D. Rousset, and A. Al Yahya’ey (1997), Structure and resolution images of the crust, but they have the potential evolution of the northern Oman margin: Gravity and seismic constraints over the to provide insights into the deep structure of the Zagros-­Makran-­Oman collision zone, Tectonophysics, 279(1), 253–280. Searle, M. P., and J. Cox (1999), Tectonic setting, origin and obduction of the Oman subcrustal lithospheric mantle underlying the mountain ophiolite, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 111, 104–122. belt and adjacent regions. Searle, M. P., D. Waters, J. Garber, M. Rioux, A. Cherry, and T. Ambrose (2015), Struc- We strive to address major questions concerning the ture and metamorphism beneath the obducting Oman ophiolite: Evidence from the Bani Hamid granulites, northern Oman mountains, Geosphere, 11(6), 1–25, structure and emplacement of the Semail ophiolite and to doi:10.1130/GES01199.1.

Author Information Simone Pilia and Mohammed Y. Ali, Department of Petro- In this close-up photo of ophiolite rocks from Wadi Fins, 88 kilometers leum Geosciences, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE; southwest of Muscat, Oman, altered peridotites are interspersed with email: [email protected]; and Anthony B. Watts and Michael white veins, the product of olivine alteration. The field of P. Searle, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, view in this photo is about 15 centimeters across. South Park Road, Oxford, U.K. Katie Pratt/Deep Carbon Observatory Katie

12 // Eos 15 January 2016 Sounding the Northern Seas

By Seth L. Danielson, Elizabeth L. Dobbins, Martin Jakobsson, Mark A. Johnson, Thomas J. Weingartner, William J. Williams, and Yulia Zarayskaya

cean, atmosphere, and ecosystem pro- cesses in the North Pacific and western (Pacific) Arctic are critical to determin- ing climate both locally and globally. Yet up- to- date depictions of this region’s seafloor depths have been lacking. Such information gaps can limit the effectiveness of oil spill Oresponses, search and rescue missions, and scientific

During the Arctic summer, the Sun barely dips below the horizon over the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska and the Yukon Territory. This August 2015 photo, which depicts a region inside the Alaska Region Digital Elevation Model (ARDEM) grid region, was taken from the R/V Norseman II during a research expedition for the Arctic Marine

Seth Danielson Biodiversity Observation Network project.

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 13 research projects, all of which rely on accurate information this entire region, with a horizontal resolution of approx- about ocean currents and the seafloor. imately 1 kilometer. Specifically, oceanic circulation forecasts, geospatial Three publicly available DEMs cover large portions or the mapping applications, and analyses of water column and entirety of the ARDEM region, but none fills the niche seafloor environmental data require depictions of under- occupied by the ARDEM grid. The International Bathymet- water terrain, or bathymetry. These depictions, repre- ric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) [Jakobsson et al., 2012] sented as numerical matrices known as digital elevation charts a grid across the entire Arctic with a southern models (DEMs), are ideally constructed with the most boundary located at 64°N in the northern Bering Sea. The complete and up-­to-date­ seafloor bottom sounding data General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) world available. Various DEMs are available; however, each has map [Goodwillie and members of the informal Gridding Work- its own strengths and weaknesses, and not all data are ing Group of the GEBCO Sub-­Committee on Digital Bathymetry, publicly available. It is not surprising that bathymetric 2011] and Smith and Sandwell’s [Smith and Sandwell, 1997; DEM resolution and quality are intimately tied to the accu- Becker et al., 2009] satellite-­based bathymetry DEMs rep- racy of ocean circulation forecasts. resent the premier global seafloor DEMs. In the waters surrounding Alaska, many studies depend The organizations that make the global elevation models on adequately representing in ocean circulation models the benefit from regional data compilations (such as IBCAO passage of subarctic Pacific waters as they flow across the and now ARDEM) that are able to identify and assemble expansive and shallow Bering and Chukchi Sea continental data within smaller regions. To facilitate collaboration with shelves en route to the Arctic. The tightly interconnected regional mapping efforts such as ARDEM, GEBCO formed nature of these shelves and their associated circulation the Sub-­Committee on Regional Undersea Mapping. systems and ecosystems require a single DEM that can be used by ongoing and future research projects. A Patchwork Quilt of Data Vertical elevations and coastline locations are particularly A New Model prone to change along Alaska’s coasts, where land masses To assist the mapping, response, and research applica- tions noted above, our team developed the Alaska Region Digital Elevation Model (ARDEM; see http://bit.ly/ARDEM​ Fig. 1. The Alaska Region Digital Elevation Model (ARDEM) grid, with _­model), which spans 130°E to 120°W and 45°N to 80°N ocean depths plotted on a logarithmic color scale. The International with a horizontal grid spacing of 30″ in latitude and 60″ in Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) grid provides elevations longitude (Figure 1). The ARDEM grid provides both topo- located to the north of the black line that crosses the East Siberian and graphic elevation and bathymetric depth estimates for Chukchi Seas.

14 // Eos 15 January 2016 NASA/Kathryn Hansen NASA/Kathryn

rise under the reduced weight of melting glaciers (isostatic On a windless day in the Chukchi Sea, the water takes on a glassy rebound) and earthquakes alter land and ocean elevations appearance. Sea ice damps the ocean waves, transforming the water by meters or even tens of meters in the case of the 1964 into a mirror for the clouds above. Alaska earthquake. Ice, waves, and melting permafrost can erode as much as 20 meters of Alaska’s Arctic coast each year. Such rapid change means that scientists mak- ing DEMs of the region are always scrambling to stay up tional charts. The contour lines on such grids can encom- to date. pass large areas of the ocean, and they bias the gridded Adding to this complexity, compilation of large-­scale depths in a “terracing” effect [Marks and Smith, 2006]. bathymetric DEMs must contend with a patchwork quilt of A large fraction of the ARDEM region includes shallow data types, data quality, and vertical reference levels sedimentary continental shelves. DEMs that employ [Smith, 1993]. High-­quality multi- satellite-based­ observations of beam ship sounding data are gravity anomalies are imprecise desirable but sparse, particularly Such rapid change means over these regions because the on the expansive high-­latitude that scientists making measurements tend to represent continental shelves [Wessel and subseafloor structure rather than Chandler, 2011]. Furthermore, DEMs of the region are the seafloor shape itself [Lee et al., many otherwise acceptable 2010]. single-beam­ sounding data are always scrambling to stay For these reasons and against degraded by poorly documented this backdrop, we constructed the speed of sound and transducer up to date. ARDEM grid without digitized depth equipment configurations. contour lines and satellite-based­ Soundings on nautical charts typically denote navigation depth estimates. This approach required us to make an hazards and so can be biased shallow with respect to the extensive digitization effort to capture point soundings local mean water depth. from published navigational charts. Regions such as large parts of the shallow shelves off the Arctic coast of Eurasia, where source data have not been Putting It All Together readily accessible (e.g., because of government restric- We assembled ship-­based depth sounding data from U.S. tions), often require grids to be constructed by digitizing National Ocean Service and Canadian Hydrographic Service latitude and longitude locations from contours on naviga- Electronic Navigation Chart point soundings, multibeam

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 15 swath data sets, miscellaneous single-beam­ tracklines, sounding to be on the order of approximately 1 centimeter and point soundings digitized from paper nautical charts. (1 centimeter is equivalent to 500 meters on a 1:50,000 We also incorporated National Ocean Service seafloor chart, and 1 centimeter is equivalent to 5 kilometers on a survey data served by the National Geophysical Data Cen- 1:500,000 scale chart). The nominal ARDEM grid spacing is ter’s bathymetry database, along 1 kilometer, so we believe that we with other depth data from mis- were able to georeference data cellaneous research cruises, An important set of data from charts with 1:50,000 resolu- including single-­beam soundings came from our recent tion and higher into the appropri- from many Gulf of Alaska and ate ARDEM grid cells. Bering Sea expeditions aboard the digitization of 315 historic Soundings acquired prior to R/V Miller Freeman and the R/V modern satellite-based­ position- Alpha Helix. Other data include Russian nautical charts. ing methods may have location multibeam swaths from the accuracies that are coarser than Agency for Marine-­Earth Science and Technology R/V Mirai the approximately 1-­kilometer grid resolution. Nonethe- cruises. less, we find that these newly digitized soundings can pro- An important set of data new to bathymetric DEM vide appreciably more seafloor detail than digitized con- efforts that covers the ARDEM region came from our recent tours. Compare, for example, the panels in Figure 2. The digitization of 315 historic Russian nautical charts and differences between the older IBCAO and newer ARDEM chart insets from the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the panels show why we spent so much effort in digitizing the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk. These chart point soundings. charts had scales ranging from 1:1000 to 1:2,000,000. We The IBCAO grid provides elevations to the ARDEM grid georeferenced and digitized the soundings, yielding more over the northern East Siberian Sea, the northern Chuk- than 6 × 105 unique latitude-longitude-­ depth­ triplets. chi Sea, and the Beaufort Sea (see Figure 1), allowing a Thirteen of the Russian charts were coarser than seamless integration of the two compilations by users 1:500,000, and 110 were at a resolution of 1:50,000 or finer. who require elevations in areas that overlap both of these We expect the maximum error in the location of each chart two grids. The ARDEM grid also includes data from

2016 CIDER SUMMER PROGRAM JUNE 27 – AUGUST 5, 2016 "Flow in the Deep Earth"

CIDER announces their annual summer program on behalf of the geosciences community (http://www.deep-earth.org/). Organizers: Michael Manga, Matt Jackson, Abby Kavner, Thorne Lay and Barbara Romanowicz. Geological activity, such as mountain building and volcanism, is Free Access ultimately the consequence of the convective mass transport in the Earth’s interior. Indeed, the grand unifying theory in geophysics and Earth science——fundamentally depends on the still to Breakthrough poorly understood mechanisms that permit the Earth’s interior to flow beneath tectonic plates. Deciphering the three-dimensional structure and time dependence of this flow provides a framework for unraveling Research the complex, nonlinear interplay of processes that shaped the long- term evolution of Earth. The purpose of CIDER 2016 is to bring together junior and senior scientists from different disciplines to cross- educate each other and help advance this inherently multi-disciplinary question. The program includes a tutorial program for about 40 advanced graduate students and post-doc (June 27-July 23), while scientists at the assistant professor/researcher level are welcome at any point in the program. This summer program will be held at the Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara. It is supported by the NSF/FESD program. Applications are invited for both senior and junior participants at:

http://www.deep-earth.org/summer16.shtml Application deadline: February 1, 2016

16 // Eos 15 January 2016 Fig. 2. Comparison of (left) the new ARDEM grid with (right) the IBCAO for their improvements. This work was funded with sup- grid (a and b) along the Siberian coast and (c and d) near Bering Strait. port from the Oil Spill Research Institute (OSRI) and the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB), NPRB project 1225 (NPRB publication 574). sounding-based­ grid cells in Smith and Sandwell’s DEM (release version 14.1). Over land, elevations come from References the National Geophysical Data Center’s Global Land Becker, J. J., et al. (2009), Global bathymetry and elevation data at 30 arc seconds reso- lution: SRTM30_PLUS, Mar. Geod., 32(4), 355–371. One-km­ Base Elevation Project (GLOBE) grid [GLOBE Task GLOBE Task Team et al. (Eds.) (1999), The Global Land One-­kilometer Base Elevation Team et al., 1999]. (GLOBE) Digital Elevation Model, Version 1.0, http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/topo/ The ARDEM grid provides a new research tool for the globe.htm, Natl. Geophys. Data Cent., Natl. Oceanic and Atmos. Admin., Boulder, Colo. Goodwillie, A., and members of the informal Gridding Working Group of the GEBCO Sub-­ Pacific sector of the Arctic and subarctic shelf seas. The Committee on Digital Bathymetry (2011), Centenary edition of the GEBCO digital atlas, ARDEM grid itself and unrestricted data assembled for the users guide to the GEBCO one minute grid, Br. Oceanogr. Data Cent., Liverpool, U.K. ARDEM grid are available for other users through the Jakobsson, M., et al. (2012), The International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) version 3.0, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L12609, doi:10.1029/2012GL052219. Alaska Ocean Observing System (see http://www.aoos​ Lee, Z., C. Hu, B. Casey, S. Shang, H. Dierssen, and R. Arnonem (2010), Global shallow-­ .org/).­ We anticipate that these data will help usher in a water bathymetry from satellite ocean color data, Eos Trans. AGU, 91(46), 429–430, new era of precision Arctic modeling and mapping. doi:10.1029/2010EO460002. Marks, K. M., and W. H. F. Smith (2006), An evaluation of publicly available global bathymetry grids, Mar. Geophys. Res., 27(1), 19–34, doi:10.1007/s11001-005-­ 2095-­ 4.­ Acknowledgments Smith, W. H. F. (1993), On the accuracy of digital bathymetric data, J. Geophys. Res., We gratefully acknowledge the numerous organizations 98(B6), 9591–9603, doi:10.1029/93JB00716. Smith, W. H. F., and D. T. Sandwell (1997), Global seafloor topography from satellite altim- and individuals whose efforts have helped us assemble this etry and ship depth soundings, Science, 277, 1957–1962. soundings data set, including the National Oceanic and Wessel, P., and M. T. Chandler (2011), The spatial and temporal distribution of marine Atmospheric Administration, the National Ocean Survey, geophysical surveys, Acta Geophys., 59(1), 55–71. the National Geophysical Data Center, the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Japan Agency for Marine-­Earth Author Information Science and Technology, the creators of the GLOBE DEM, Seth L. Danielson and Elizabeth L. Dobbins, University the creators of the Smith-­Sandwell DEM, the Hawaii Map- of Alaska Fairbanks; email: [email protected]; Martin ping Research Group, the University of New Hampshire Jakobsson, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Mark A. Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, the Lamont-­ Johnson and Thomas J. Weingartner, University of Alaska Doherty Marine Geoscience Data System, Ned Cokelet, Bill Fairbanks; William J. Williams, Institute of Ocean Science, Kopplin, Steve Okkonen, Will Perrie, and Steve Solomon. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, BC, Canada; and Yulia Russian charts were digitized by East View Geospatial of Zarayskaya, Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sci- Minneapolis, Minn. We thank two anonymous reviewers ences, Moscow, Russia

Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 17 AGU NEWS

Thanks so much to all of the incredible people who Awardees and Prize Winners explore our world and to AGU for creating this award, which recognizes the importance of our research and the need both Honored at 2015 AGU Fall Meeting to communicate to those who have invested in us and to pass the torch to the next generation of explorers. —Charles R. Chappell, Vanderbilt University, Destin, Fla.

Chappell, Jones, and McBean Receive 2015 Ambassador Awards Citation for Lucile Jones Dr. Lucile “Lucy” Jones is an Charles R. Chappell, Lucile Jones, and Gordon McBean were awarded the 2015 Ambassador Award at the AGU Fall Meeting extraordinary public servant who Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The award is in recognition for “outstanding has devoted her path-breaking­ contributions to the following area(s): societal impact, service to the Earth and space community, scientific leadership, and career to reducing the threats of promotion of talent/career pool.” natural hazards in southern Califor- nia, across the nation, and around Citation for Charles R. results online. The program now involves tens of thousands the world. Since joining the U.S. Chappell of schools in more than 100 countries. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1983, Throughout his nearly half century Rick has given talks to thousands of students of all ages Lucile Jones Lucy has made outstanding research career in solar-­terrestrial and continues to be a leader in communications and educa- research contributions and pro- physics Rick Chappell has continu- tional outreach. I cannot think of anybody more deserving of vided significant scientific leader- ously focused his energies on com- the AGU Ambassador Award. ship to the nation. She rose rapidly through the scientific munication, outreach, mentoring, —Andrew Nagy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor ranks in recognition of her research on earthquake occur- and creating innovative programs rence probability, which to this day forms the basis for all that enhance the public under- Response earthquake advisories issued by the state of California. Charles R. Chappell standing, appreciation, and support I am honored and deeply grateful for being selected as an Since then, Lucy has expanded the scope of her research of space and Earth science. These AGU Ambassador. My career has been about space explora- into the realm of risk and vulnerability studies to improve activities were originally focused tion and communicating the results and importance of that knowledge transfer across multiple natural hazards. She has on his own discipline of space physics but have spread to exploration to the public, especially to the teachers and stu- led the development of scenarios that have made cata- include Earth science and to address the broader issue of dents. To be recognized for these communication and out- strophic hazards real to the people of California and in doing communicating science through the media to the public. reach activities is most meaningful to me. so sparked a science-based­ approach to earthquake pre- Rick began his outreach activities first with a major As scientists, we all start our exploration journey in a paredness that now involves tens of millions of people world- museum exhibit and then a movie about magnetospheric limited area of study. As we grow in our understanding, the wide. She has successfully built strong partnerships with physics. He continued his public communications through interdisciplinary nature of science leads us to work with engineers, social scientists, biologists, geographers, public being a media spokesperson for multiple Spacelab/shuttle explorers in other fields. Whether it is the relationship health doctors, emergency managers, and public officials to missions. between the Sun and the Earth or the changing global envi- design scenarios that are among the most visible and highly Chappell’s experience with the media led him to return ronment, it is critically important to cross disciplines and used products to come out of the USGS. to his alma mater, Vanderbilt University, in 1996 to conduct interact with other scientists to piece together the big picture. Most recently, Lucy led a USGS cooperative project with a study on the interaction between the science community In my career I have worked to facilitate ­cross-​­­discipline the city of Los Angeles in which she served as the science and the media. This led to the book Worlds Apart and to the exploration through both planning interdisciplinary Chap- adviser for seismic safety to Mayor Eric Garcetti. The results creation of a new undergraduate interdisciplinary major in man conferences and creating organizations such as the of this collaboration include a consensus approach to improv- the communication of science and technology. During this Aspen Global Change Institute. It is in this environment that ing building safety, a comprehensive program to strengthen time he was a member of the AGU Committee on Public sharing and learning take place and the broader research the water infrastructure in the city, and convening stakehold- Outreach, being chairman for 1 year of his 3-year­ term. challenges are met through new partnerships. ers in the state’s utilities to address the vulnerabilities posed Rick worked with colleagues to organize two ­cross-​ For each of us explorers, taking time to communicate as by utilities crossing the San Andreas Fault. ­discipline collaborative AGU conferences, one in 1974 and individuals and as groups is critical, particularly in this time of Lucy is widely recognized as an authoritative voice on nat- one in 2014, which brought together scientists from differ- the confusing politicization of science in areas such as global ural hazards and disaster risk reduction. When earthquakes ent disciplines to understand the interaction between the change. We owe a continued, understandable report to the strike, the world’s major media outlets turn to her for ionosphere and magnetosphere. public which funded our research, and we owe a period of answers, and time and again, she has seized the teachable Working with John Denver’s Windstar Foundation in the giving back through teaching, interacting with teachers, and moment to the benefit of all. Lucy’s skill in communicating late 1980s, Rick joined with scientists in Earth and space mentoring the young student explorers of the future. Pro- with reporters and connecting with the public—including the sciences to create the Aspen Global Change Institute grams such as GLOBE bring scientists, teachers, and K–12 many thousands who follow her on Twitter—has made her (AGCI). AGCI has now been in operation for 25 years and students together to share knowledge while measuring their one of the most trusted scientists in America. Lucy Jones is has involved hundreds of Earth, space, and social scientists, local environment. In this hands-on­ way, students become truly an ambassador for science in service to society and a who have carried out the cross-discipline­ study of global explorers who are sensitive to the changing environment worthy recipient of this award. change. AGCI has also created education outreach pro- around them. It was a great pleasure to work with Vice Presi- —David Applegate, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, grams such as ground truth study activities for students at dent Gore to help create this interagency program. Va. the Science Olympiad. As scientists, we are given the great privilege of living The NASA administrator asked Rick to work with Vice the adventure of exploration and of doing and learning Response President Gore to create the Global Learning and Observa- things that others have never done before. We are able to I am honored to receive the Ambassador Award and am tions to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program in 1994– “live in the what might be” where our ideas that are born, grateful to David Applegate and other colleagues at the 1995. GLOBE involves K–12 students around the world in honed, and realized through teamwork can become reality USGS for nominating me. One cannot be an ambassador measuring their local environment and in reporting the and can then be shared with others. without a home country to represent and I am proud the

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USGS has been my intellectual home for 32 years and of its Gordon also served as Canada’s assistant deputy min- motivated by our scientific interests to understand these commitment to science in the public service. ister in Environment Canada, responsible for climate, complex issues and also to provide societies with the scien- I began work in seismology while a graduate student at weather, and air quality sciences and services and minis- tific information upon which actions can and should be MIT, using my undergraduate degree in Chinese Language and ters’ adviser on climate change science and policy, includ- made. Literature to study the Haicheng earthquake. I came to realize ing at the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in 1997. It has been very inspiring for me to work with many col- that the Chinese need for prediction to save lives was so large Gordon has also made significant contributions to the leagues, including Professor Soroosh Sorooshian, who have and the cost of a false alarm in an agrarian economy was so field of disaster risk reduction. After the Indian Ocean tsu- contributed in many different ways to me being selected for small that they could use the probability gain of an earth- nami tragedy, he chaired the scoping and planning com- this award. By working together, we have been able to make quake swarm to act at a much lower level of certainty than mittee that led to the establishment of the Integrated a much more substantial contribution to these issues—but we would be possible in the United States. In other words, the Research on Disaster Risk program. still have a long way to go with, for example, climate change. decision to act required economic and social information as Gordon is the current president of the International It is a continuing challenge for scientists to better communi- well as seismologic information. This led to a career in earth- Council for Science, the leading nongovernmental science cate, clarify and, as appropriate, motivate our governments quake statistics, to try to bring seismology to the people with organization in the world speaking on the issues of the and societies to take action. the information to understand the impact of the predictions. freedom and responsibility of scientists around the globe. When writing this response, I knew that the global com- However, as we progressed in our ability to deliver proba- Gordon’s outstanding scientific contributions and his self- munity will meet at the climate change Conference of the bilities, we discovered how few people actually understand less efforts as a scientific ambassador to serve the profession Parties 21 in Paris that is scheduled to end just before this them. I am grateful to the USGS for the opportunity to explore and society make him an excellent recipient of this award. AGU conference; but I could not really predict the outcome. other approaches to explaining risk, including the ShakeOut, —Soroosh Sorooshian, University of California, Irvine As now president of the International Council for Science ARkStorm and SAFRR Tsunami Scenarios. That this path (ICSU), I think that it is important that we, collectively as a would eventually lead to a full year in Los Angeles City Hall is Response scientific community, speak out on these issues. We also as astonishing to me as to anyone. Along the way, I have dis- I am very pleased and honored to have been selected for an need to address the issue of the freedom for all scientists to covered that the scientist’s boredom with solved problems AGU Ambassador Award for 2015. Throughout my career I do science and have the support to enable their doing excel- and our need to express, quantify, and generally live in have been inspired and motivated by mentors and col- lent science and connecting it to societal needs. We also uncertainty often leads us to tell our potential partners what leagues to work together with scientists from around the need to, as a scientific community, emphasize our individual we don’t know, rather than fulfill their need to understand world to understand and take action on the global geophysi- and collective responsibility of scientists. what we do know. I also found that the stories of the scenar- cal issues of climate change, disaster risk reduction, and I would like to thank AGU for this very important award ios and an understanding of the individual impacts of collec- enhancement of research capacity around the globe. The and thank all my colleagues for their collective contributions tive decisions helped bring our community together to finally development and implementation of these global programs, to me being the recipient. address the risk. WCRP, IRDR, START, IAI, and others, were really the result of —Gordon McBean, University of Western Ontario, Most support for our research comes from government, global team efforts and commitments, with all of us being Ontario, Canada from the public purse, because people want the results. Especially as Earth scientists, much of our research could lead to a safer, more prosperous future, but only if it is used. I Sonia Esperança and Robin Reichlin believe we have an obligation to ensure that the results of Receive 2015 Edward A. Flinn III Award our research are not just heard, but understood by those who entrusted with the decisions that can protect our society and Sonia Esperança and Robin Reichlin received the 2015 Edward A. Flinn III Award at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, our environment. held on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The award honors “an individual or small group who personifies the Union’s —Lucy Jones, U.S. Geological Survey, Pasadena, Calif. motto ‘unselfish cooperation in research’ through their facilitating, coordinating, and implementing activities.”

Citation for Gordon McBean By carrying out their responsibilities as program directors Gordon’s leadership roles in the with outstanding dedication, they have provided leadership community were propelled with for geochemistry and geophysics, exercising deep under- his appointment in 1984 as a standing of research quality and frontiers. Moreover, working member of the Joint Scientific as a team, Robin and Sonia have been instrumental in the Committee (JSC) for the World development of key multidisciplinary infrastructure for geo- Climate Research Programme sciences that has changed the way in which we conduct our (WCRP), mandated to plan and research. They have looked for ways to make new programs implement the major global cli- happen in the context of planning within NSF, often within a Gordon McBean mate research programs. He sub- Sonia Esperança Robin Reichlin restricted fiscal climate, and have promoted workshops and sequently became the chair of meetings to refine the goals to make the cases convincing. In JSC (1988–1994), and under his many situations, they have identified new research opportu- leadership WCRP implemented four major research pro- Citation nities and laid the groundwork for new programs even before grams in the areas of water/energy, variability/prediction, As program directors at the National Science Foundation most of the research community was fully aware of them. stratosphere, and Arctic/cryosphere. (NSF) in the Division of Earth Sciences for the last 20 years, Examples of programs they have helped happen and sus- While chairing WCRP and recognizing that there was lit- Robin Reichlin and Sonia Esperança have played an excep- tain, among others, are Cooperative Studies of Earth’s Deep tle participation from the developing world in these major tionally important role in advocating for, nurturing, and sup- Interior (CSEDI), Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth science programs, he helped in the creation of the Inter-­ ​ porting the research community in solid Earth sciences, Research (CIDER), Computational Infrastructure in Geody- ­American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the through combined efforts in their respective fields of spe- namics (CIG), Consortium for Materials Properties Research System for Analysis Research and Training (START) for cialty (geophysics and geochemistry and petrology). They in Earth Sciences (COMPRES), and Meeting of Young Africa and Asia. The success of both IAI and START pro- have achieved an unprecedented level of respect and admi- Researchers in Earth Sciences (MYRES). Notably, they have grams in scientific capacity building in Latin America, Africa, ration, as well as confidence and trust, from a highly discern- played an important role in establishing the Frontiers in Earth and Asia is a testament to Gordon’s vision and leadership. ing and typically critical research community. System Dynamics program (FESD). The stewardship of these

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important programs and their many other community activi- leagues for this recognition. We are proud to join a group of Among the many rewards of fighting for new science ties have benefitted a large segment of the Earth science outstanding awardees that has worked on behalf of the and the funding to support it are the opportunities to work community. Clearly, many individuals at NSF and in the com- geosciences, including one of our mentors at NSF, Daniel closely with many of the greatest minds and visionaries in munity have helped all these programs come to life and be Weill. Dan showed us how to be effective advocates for the the field, and to watch the development of students who sustained. However, Robin and Sonia’s contributions stand novel research of the community within the NSF. We are have grown and emerged as new leaders in the geosci- out for their exceptional ability to communicate with the com- also excited to share this award because early on we recog- ences. We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to munity and help researchers articulate their needs, as well as nized that through a close partnership, we could best pro- nurture emerging ideas and technologies that have paved identify the highest and scientifically most worthy initiatives, mote new facilities and research directions. The rapid the path to new understanding, and to view the research embrace them, and advocate for them at NSF. advance of the frontiers of solid-Earth­ geosciences has sus- community and their science from a synoptic viewpoint. In summary, Robin and Sonia have sustained excellence in tained us through the many hurdles and setbacks along The joy is in looking back over 20-­plus years to see the NSF’s geoscience programs and tirelessly advocated on behalf that path. We have shared a passion for the science, the enormous growth in the breadth, sophistication, and inte- of the Earth sciences research community to develop new pro- people engaged in research, and a vision for a comprehen- gration of ­solid-​Earth science and how every discovery grams and open up new research opportunities. The Flinn Award sive, integrated understanding of the physical and chemical benefits knowledge and society. is a fully deserved and modest recognition of their contributions. functioning of the Earth. We were lucky to be supported at Though recognized as individuals, we know that it is the —Barbara Romanowicz, University of California, home by our husbands, Steve Bohlen and Rick Carlson, concerted and persistent efforts of many that bring success. Berkeley who understood our determined minds and respected our We are but two members of a team of program directors devotion to promoting the health of our communities. We united in a passionate desire to facilitate understanding of Response also shared being mothers to our children, Jesse, and Tay- the beautiful mysteries of the Earth. We feel deeply fortu- We are deeply honored to be the co-recipients­ of the 2015 lor, Hunter, Annie, and Sallie, and the tough decisions made nate to have played a part. Thank you. Edward A. Flinn III Award, and wish to thank the AGU to balance career and life, giving us an appreciation for sim- —Sonia Esperança and Robin Reichlin, National awards committee, and our Earth sciences community col- ilar issues faced by a new generation of scientists. Science Foundation, Arlington, Va.

Benjamin Lee Preston Receives 2015 Charles S. Falkenberg Award Therefore, it is indeed an honor to receive the Charles S. Falkenberg Award. I am grateful to both AGU and the Earth Benjamin Lee Preston received the 2015 Charles S. Falkenberg Award at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on Science Information Partnership, not only for this individual 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The award honors an “early-­ to middle-­ career​­ scientist who has contributed to the recognition but also for their support of the Falkenberg quality of life, economic opportunities, and stewardship of the planet through the use of Earth science information and to the Award, which acknowledges the value of public engage- public awareness of the importance of understanding our planet.” ment and science communication. I also owe much to a long list of mentors—Vicki Arroyo, Jack Fellows, Bill Glaze, Citation Ben is well known for his skills in communicating with var- Gary Jacobs, Jay Gulledge, Bill Hooke, Tony Janetos, Roger Dr. Benjamin Preston fully embod- ious audiences about climate change, the underlying science, Jones, and Terry Snell, to name but a few—who have ies the spirit and focus of the and ways in which society can manage climate risk; he has helped me along what has so far been a rewarding career Charles S. Falkenberg Award. Ben participated in congressional Climate Science Day, met with path. has been a tireless leader in cli- Tennessee and Virginia congressional staff, given invited The advances I have witnessed over the past 2 decades mate change research and raising talks at the Chattanooga Engineers Club and Knoxville Rotary in computing, remote sensing, visualization, and under- societal awareness of the chal- Club, participated in a discussion of climate change on local standing of Earth system processes are clear indicators of lenges posed by climate change. public radio, and talked to high school students about climate the benefits generated from investments in science. Never- He has published research that change and the rewards of a career in science. He has also theless, challenges remain in making Earth science informa- Benjamin Lee Preston spans experimentation, analysis of been the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tion accessible, interoperable, and useful for society. We Earth system observations, and Fifth Assessment Report coordinating lead author on Working must constantly reevaluate how we can do a better job of physical/ecosystem modeling. His Group II’s “Adaptation, Opportunities, Constraints, and Lim- putting that information to work for societal benefit. In so research leadership also extends into the social sciences. its” chapter and lead author on the IPCC Synthesis Report doing, we will likely discover a need to better understand This depth has enabled Ben to become an internationally rec- and was highlighted in the video accompanying the release humans as the dominant agent of global change. We are ognized innovator in both fundamental and applied research of the IPCC Working Group II report. extensively documenting how, when, and where we are regarding the assessment of climate change vulnerability and I believe that Ben is emerging as an exceptional and affecting our planet, but questions of why are more elusive. risk, including probabilistic analysis of climate projection important leader in the AGU and climate community and fully By coupling our knowledge of Earth system dynamics with ensembles, evaluation of exceeding climate thresholds in embodies the personal and professional qualities repre- knowledge of human system dynamics generated by social, natural and human systems, and the use of risk management sented by the Falkenberg Award. behavioral, and policy sciences, we can accelerate our in guiding climate adaptation decision making. —Jack D. Fellows, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, capacity to use science to enhance the well-­being of human For over the past decade, Ben has been working on the Oak Ridge, Tenn. and natural systems alike. analysis of the spatial and temporal dynamics of climate The Earth scientists of the future may therefore be trained risk to human settlements, including spatial integration of Response quite differently than those of the past. We are already see- heterogeneous biophysical data on climate, topography, Almost 20 years have elapsed since I first began my grad- ing opportunities for interdisciplinary education and careers and land use from Earth system models and remote sens- uate studies in environmental science. Throughout that expanding rapidly. Research organizations, including my ing. He has integrated these data with socioeconomic data time, I have sought to identify ways in which science can own, are actively integrating knowledge and capabilities to such as land values, population, and infrastructure in order be applied to address practical environmental challenges. address questions at the forefront of Earth science but also to translate changes in the Earth system into societal vul- Despite being warned by multiple advisers about the relevant to different stakeholder communities and their nerability and adaptive capacity to climate and global potential pitfalls of dabbling in policy or public engage- objectives. These trends are part of the legacy of Charles change. It is this commitment to understanding how cli- ment, I believe there is a growing demand for scientists Falkenberg. Hopefully, that legacy inspires us all. mate risk research is used by society that really sets Ben who, regardless of the stage of their career, are committed —Benjamin Lee Preston, Oak Ridge National Labo- apart from others. to pursuing quality science with direct social impacts. ratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

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Holly Gilbert Receives 2015 Athelstan Spilhaus Award I’d like to thank Michael Hesse for his continued support and recognition of the importance of communicating sci- Holly Gilbert received the Athelstan Spilhaus Award at the 2015 AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December ence to the public. I’ll be forever indebted to Tom Holzer, my 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The award honors an individual “for their enhancement of the public engagement with Earth and thesis adviser and mentor, who taught me the importance of space sciences.” presenting complex physics concepts in a simple way. Out- reach is meaningless without the hard work and dedication Citation Response of the scientific community, so I thank my heliophysics col- The Athelstan Spilhaus Award rec- I am deeply honored to be recognized with this award and leagues for conducting world class scientific research that ognizes exceptional skill, dedica- feel extremely lucky for so many opportunities to interact continually provides the content to help educate the world. tion, and success in informing the with the public, allowing me to share my excitement about Lastly, I’d like to thank AGU for recognizing and appreciat- public of the value, beauty, and heliophysics science. Communicating and promoting ing scientists who take time away from their normal work to excitement of Earth and space sci- science in the context of sharing independent research conduct vitally important outreach. ence research. Dr. Holly Gilbert results at conferences is part of being a scientist. I’ve been —Holly Gilbert, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, embodies these virtues like few privileged with opportunities to extend my communication Greenbelt, Md. others. skills to reach large, diverse groups of people, whether in Holly Gilbert Holly has made extraordinary classrooms, on cable TV, or on cruise ships. The most contributions to enhancing the pub- rewarding part of doing this type of outreach is seeing The version of “Holly Gilbert Receives lic’s understanding of heliophysics children get inspired as I’m talking to them. Exploring the 2015 Athelstan Spilhaus Award” printed and space science while also becoming an effective leader in domain of the Sun has awed us with scientific complexity in the 15 January magazine contained the a major research organization. Her highly successful research and beauty. Sharing our enthusiasm and knowledge with wrong response. This PDF version has career has provided her with the deep scientific understand- the general public provides them with a glimpse of that been updated to present the correct ing that conveys authenticity and genuine excitement, and fundamental beauty, benefiting scientists and society response by Holly Gilbert. her exceptional communication talent provides her with a alike. unique skill set to interact with the public. I had the pleasure of experiencing Holly’s capabilities starting in 2008, when she joined the Goddard Space Flight Center to dedicate herself not only to managing all of the Peter J. Webster Receives 2015 International Award outreach activities of her organization but also to finding innovative ways to show to the public the fascination and Peter J. Webster received the 2015 International Award at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2015 importance of heliophysics science. With characteristic in San Francisco, Calif. The award honors “an individual scientist, group, or a small team for making an outstanding energy and dedication, she translates scientific discoveries contribution to furthering the Earth and space sciences and using science for the benefit of society in developing nations.” into captivating information for the public. Her excellence in building relationships between researcher and outreach Citation his work on the fundamentals of active/break cycles, he communities is recognized widely. Peter Webster has made landmark recognized how the European Centre for Medium-Range Holly understood early on the tremendous outreach contributions to the understanding Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) global model handles these potential inherent in public media. Unlike anybody I have of the dynamics of the tropical cycles and has developed a method for forecasting ever met, she took action—with tremendous success. She atmosphere and especially to the upcoming dry and wet spells based on statistical render- appeared and continues to appear on numerous radio and workings of the south Asian mon- ing of the ECMWF output. He has combined this model television shows, and she played key roles in Discovery soon, which affects the billions of forecast framework with a river runoff model to be able to Channel (2012 Apocalypse), History Channel (The Universe), people living in the subtropics. predict with remarkable acuity the probability of disasters PBS (Earth from Space), and Weather Channel (Space Torna- Webster’s vision and insight led to such as the floods that have devastated Pakistan in the does) documentaries. It is a mark of her standing with the Peter J. Webster one of the grandest international last several years. These forecasts aim also to help pre- media that she was invited to join a brainstorming session field campaigns in the history of vent crop failures from either flood or excessive dryness with Morgan Freeman for his Science Channel series Through atmospheric ­sciences—​the Tropi- on 1–2 week time scales. the Wormhole, where she helped formulate ideas for topics cal Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Webster has worked tirelessly with agencies and gov- at its inception. Response Experiment (TOGA COARE)—which employed ernments concerned with disaster mitigation and Holly also routinely provides lectures for high-­profile events numerous ships and aircraft in a logistically complex array regional forecasting. In some 20 journeys to south Asia in like keynotes at two recent NASA at the Smithsonian events, over the remote tropical Pacific Ocean “warm pool,” which the past decade and a half he has organized a project which were attended by national policy makers, and talks at hosts an interacting set of cloud systems, atmospheric called Climate Forecast Applications in Bangladesh, schools and other educational venues. For example, she waves, and ocean-­atmospheric fluxes that affect weather which proved that storm and flood forecasts were practi- taught an astronomy course at a community college in Hous- and climate over the globe. TOGA COARE provided an cable with 1–2 week lead times, and now has formed a ton, Texas, and she was the guest lecturer at the St. George observational data set that continues to stand as a corner- company to bring these methods to the various countries Observatory (Schriever, La.), where a solar telescope was dedi- stone for advancing understanding of tropical dynamics and of south Asia. In the January 2013 issue of Nature, Web- cated in her name to recognize her commitment to teaching improving weather and climate models. ster laid out a plan in which these methods can contrib- the public. Holly receives hundreds of emails from people she Webster’s preacademic career was as a weather fore- ute to disaster mitigation in south Asia if only the correct has touched personally, many from parents complimenting caster in . In the past decade he has returned to combination of governmental and private sector partici- her ability to inspire their children. Space physics and aeron- forecasting, turning theoretical insights into monsoonal pants can be realized. omy research owes much of its public recognition to her. dynamics toward improving monsoon predictions for —Robert Houze, University of Washington, Seattle Dr. Holly Gilbert is a most deserving recipient of AGU’s south Asian countries. He has focused on the 1–2 week 2015 Athelstan Spilhaus Award. warning time frame, which, as known from his own Response —Michael Hesse, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, research, is the typical time scale of the somewhat erratic I am deeply honored to receive the AGU International Award. Greenbelt, Md. but “active” and “break” periods of the monsoon. From Thank you to the Union and my nominators. Any contribution

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to international research has been achieved in tandem with ics, TOGA in which was developed a real-­time operational to be insufficient and, without due deference to different many people over a long period of time. ENSO monitoring, TOGA COARE that provided new insights social norms, international projects often wither in the “Val- I became interested in the tropics. Forty years ago, fore- into ­ocean-​­atmosphere interaction, and JASMINE investi- ley of Death.” We are still learning how to become more casting variations in the monsoon was a rather haphazard gating intraseasonal variability of the monsoon. My involve- effective. empirical affair. But we had started to understand some of ment in these international experiments has forged valued Finally, I would like to acknowledge partners with the basic dynamics that set the tropics apart. Not only was and lasting relationships across many communities around whom I have worked, in particular, Robert Houze Jr., it an almost untouched field, it provided an opportunity to the world. Roger Lukas, Timothy Palmer, Sri A. Subbiah, Tom Bren- do something socially useful. With the growing power of Perhaps the deepest gratification has come from working nan, and Ernesto Sánchez-­Triana. In addition, I thank numerical weather prediction, there seemed to be a hope with many talented graduate students, many of whom are members of my research group, many of whom have that we could move from qualitative forecasting efforts to from overseas. I have mentored seven doctoral students from accompanied me on this interesting journey over the last something more quantitative. But to achieve this goal, we South America and seven from Asia. I have learnt so much few decades. To a large degree, Georgia Tech has made needed to understand the elementary physics of the basic from each of them about different approaches to life, possible many of our international projects. Also, special phenomena we were trying to predict. This requirement led research, and social interactions. This introduction to social thanks and gratitude for the steadfast support of my part- to a series of low-­latitude field experiments: MONEX, differences has proven extremely useful as we endeavored ner, Judith Curry. describing basic monsoon behavior, EMEX documenting the to use our hazard forecasting techniques in Bangladesh, —Peter J. Webster, Georgia Institute of Technology, involvement of smaller scale elements in monsoon dynam- India, and Pakistan. Merely transferring technology turns out Atlanta

Andrew C. Revkin Receives 2015 Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained and trusted guides and tutors in the face of complex and con- Achievement in Science Journalism sequential questions. It’s particularly gratifying to be recognized by scientists Andrew C. Revkin received the 2015 Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism at the AGU Fall because I almost became one. As a boy in Rhode Island, my Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The award recognizes “a journalist or team of passion for fishing and Jacques-­Yves Cousteau tugged me to journalists who have made significant, lasting, and consistent contributions to accurate reporting on the Earth and space the water. A bar mitzvah gift of a snorkeling set got me under sciences for the general public.” the surface. A science teacher, Joe Ferretti, fueled my curios- ity, letting me design a fan-driven­ wave tank in place of writ- Citation commentator, as Andy likes to say, his advocacy is for ing a pro-forma­ paper. Roaming from the North Pole to reality, not some agenda. But the rigorous focus required to pursue a Ph.D. was a the White House to the Amazon He has worked to foster scientists’ communication bad fit for my temperament. I found fascination in the widest rain forest, Andrew C. Revkin has skills and has written three book chapters on science and field of view. In examining the ultimate transdisciplinary devoted his career to conveying environmental communication. issue, humanity’s evolving two-way­ relationship with the cli- consequential Earth and environ- Andy has even told the story of climate change through mate, I’ve had the rare privilege of studying the whole pic- mental science and related policy song. Several of his songs with environmental themes ture, from the climate models running on supercomputers in issues to the widest possible have been receiving increased attention, particularly “Lib- Boulder in 1985 to the burning rain forests of the western audiences—through magazine erated Carbon,” on the history of humanity’s relationship Amazon in 1989 to the shifting sea ice around the North Pole Andrew C. Revkin stories, thousands of New York with fossil fuels. in 2003 to the contentious climate treaty talks in one city Times articles and blog posts, —Walter Munk, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, after another. prize-­winning photography and San Diego, Calif. Even as I’ve been chronicling this extraordinary period of documentaries, and three lauded books aimed at both environmental and social change, I’ve also been navigating adults and young readers. Response equally momentous changes in how ideas are shared and Those achievements alone might make him an out- I am deeply grateful to AGU for this recognition of 32 years shaped. The shift from knowledge gatekeepers to networked standing recipient of the AGU Robert C. Cowen Award for (and counting!) spent trying to convey what humans have communities—from Walter Cronkite to Wikipedia—is in its Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism. But early learned about how this wondrous planet works and how earliest stages, with profound changes in the works both for on, Revkin’s broad interdisciplinary awareness of science we’ve learned it. I especially thank my nominator, the journalism and science. and human development led him beyond the conventional extraordinary Walter Munk, and those who signed supporting In many ways, I feel like I’m just beginning. That’s a good role of the journalist. In a 1992 climate book written for letters: William H. Hooke of the American Meteorological thing. When I look at Walter Munk’s unrelenting zest for the American Museum of Natural History, he proposed Society, Jamie Morison of the University of Washington, inquiry at age 98, I realize that—with luck—I might have that humanity had entered a post-­Holocene “geological J. Marshall Shepherd of the University of Georgia, James another 32 years of communicating ahead of me. age of our own making.” His proposed name, the Anthro- P. M. Syvitski of the University of Colorado, and Apollo astro- Let’s get together in 2047 and see how things have gone. cene, did not catch on, but he is among those credited naut Russell L. Schweickart.­ They have all been generous —Andrew C. Revkin, Pace University, Pleasantville, N.Y. with laying the foundation for the concept of the Anthro- pocene. In 14 years as a news reporter at the Times, Andy con- Eos ceived of or helped lead a string of special reports and Get highlights in your series on climate and energy. In 2005 and 2006, he exclu- sively uncovered the suppression of climate science by inbox every Friday. political appointees. In 2007, he conceived of and launched his Times blog Dot Earth, exploring all facets of To sign up for the Eos Buzz newsletter, simply go to the evolving human relationship with our finite planet. publications.­agu.org, scroll down, and enter your information After he left the Times staff in 2010 to teach courses in environmental communication at Pace University, his blog in the “SIGN-UP FOR EOS BUZZ NEWSLETTER” section. moved to the opinion side of the paper. But even as a

22 // Eos 15 January 2016 AGU NEWS

Douglas Fox Receives 2015 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science spawned what would become an entire section in the story Journalism – Features published in December 2014, tracing an important thread of history from Kurt and Bernard Vonnegut in the 1940s through Douglas Fox received the 2015 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – Features at the AGU Fall Meeting to the present day. Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The award recognizes “a journalist for a feature story or I want to thank High Country News not just for giving series in any medium except books that makes information about the Earth and space sciences accessible and interesting to me the chance to write this story but simply for being the the general public.” magazine, the organization, and the people that you are. I enjoy working with you. And I deeply respect your commit- Citation ognition (“The Dust Detectives,” High Country News, ment to storytelling, and to providing the resources, the Douglas Fox spent the first 8 years 22 December 2014). patient thought, and the space on a page that this requires. of his journalism career writing I had envisioned writing this story for 2 years—and had a And I want to thank Sarah Gilman, who edited me from about biology before turning to sense that there was something large to be said. But that beginning to end. Some stories come out well-­crystallized Earth science in 2007, during a alone does not guarantee that a story will turn out well. The the first time around, and the editing is straightforward. 7-week­ reporting trip to West Ant- distance from an idea to words printed on the page is long, This was not one of those stories. The idea was there but arctica. He hadn’t been formally and making that journey requires that you depend on others. required plenty of chiseling, honing, and generous use of exposed to the Earth sciences, but I’m grateful for the generosity of those people whom I the delete key to bring it out. It was Sarah who took a that trip reawakened his old inter- interviewed and visited while working on this story between patient interest in the story and worked with me for ests, nurtured as a youngster 2011 and 2014. You were probably surprised by the number 6 months, through countless rounds of suggestions and Douglas Fox roaming the naked landscapes of of conversations this entailed, and the sheer number of hours questions. That process can be exhausting, grating, and Arizona, Colorado, and the Baja spent talking. It might have felt excessive and exhausting. painful. But in this rare case it was painless—a partnership California Peninsula in Mexico. But those long hours almost always make a story better. In with someone whom I’d never met face to face but came to Doug strives to spend time immersed with researchers the case of this story, I recall one tired conversation that hap- trust and respect. Thank you, Sarah! I enjoyed working with in the field—whether on a ship at sea, in a tent on a polar pened at 8:00 p.m. in a hotel bar, after a long day in the lab. you. ice sheet, or traversing the Basin and Range in the Ameri- That conversation transpired in November 2011—and —Douglas Fox, Freelance Writer, Alameda, Calif. can West—gathering hundreds of pages of notes on the tiny, telling details that can bring a story to life: the cream cheese texture of deep-­sea mud, the rotten-­egg stench of Sandi Doughton Receives 2015 David Perlman Award for Excellence petroleum in stone, or the way that a rock hammer serves in Science Journalism – News as the sensory proboscis of a geologist. Doug often writes Sandi Doughton received the 2015 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – News at the AGU Fall Meeting about things that seem mundane—dust or ice or precari- Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The award recognizes “a journalist for a news story or ously balanced rocks—but hidden in these minutiae, he series in any medium except books that makes information about the Earth and space sciences accessible and interesting to somehow finds expansive stories that change how we see the general public.” the world around us. The feature for which Doug won the Walter Sullivan Citation twice as big as the one that struck on 22 March 2014, killing Award, “The Dust Detectives” (High Country News, Sandi Doughton first wrote about 43 people in Oso. 22 December 2014), grew out of an interest that germinated the laser surveying system called Seeing these images left no doubt about the danger along over a period of years. Doug first spent time with dust lidar years ago. the Stillaguamish River. researchers in 2011, exploring the unseen biosphere of air- In 2009, she reported on how Sandi’s story, though, did more than report the results of borne microbes and their possible role in rainfall. He pub- scientists used lidar to study those surveys. She took the time to explain how the technol- lished a pair of stories with Discover and Science News for mysterious mounds in the low- ogy works. She then switched to watchdog mode and Students in 2012 but felt that there remained something lands of southwest Washington. reported how many of these valuable images aren’t easily larger to be explored: the connection between the micro- It was a classic story by our top-­ accessed by homeowners, builders, and buyers wanting to cosm of a single dust speck and the great, global commerce notch science reporter: lots of better understand the risks associated with a piece of prop- of these invisible particles that shapes our world. Sandi Doughton details for the science geeks writ- erty. With his painstakingly precise and thorough reporting and ten in an engaging fashion for All this discussion of lidar and its benefits led the Wash- artist’s eye for detail, Doug performed a sort of journalistic our broader audience. The crisp lidar images showed the ington State Legislature this past spring to pass legislation alchemy. In his hands, dust is no longer the idle bits drifting in mounds formed at the edges of retreating glaciers, sup- that will expand lidar mapping of geologic hazards and make beams of light, but a powerful, almost magic-­seeming force porting a theory about their origin proposed 100 years that information more available. The legislation, signed by that shapes ecosystems in ways that scientists are just begin- ago. the governor in April, was the first major public policy initia- ning to understand. Conveying the importance of microscopic Later that same year she reported on the experts who tive in response to the Oso landslide. and macroscopic worlds beyond our senses is no easy task, were using lidar to monitor movement in a large landslide —Richard Wagoner, The Seattle Times, Seattle, and yet Doug manages to bring it all into solid, intricate focus, that buried a quarter mile of highway in Yakima County in Wash. enticing readers with a story that ranges from Kurt Vonnegut central Washington. to the Silk Road and with vivid portraits of the far-off­ places So when last year’s catastrophic landslide buried a Response that shape our own, including mountain ranges that them- rural, riverfront community in Snohomish County, north of For a science writer, it’s a thrill to be mentioned in the same selves seem almost alive in their animation through geologic Seattle, Sandi immediately wondered what lidar images of sentence as David Perlman. To receive an award named for time. the terrain would show. She dug around and found that one of the best and hardest-working­ reporters in the busi- —Jodi Peterson, High Country News, Paonia, Colo. Snohomish County had conducted lidar surveys of the ness is an honor. slide area and extended river valley in 2013. Like David, I work for a daily newspaper. It’s unusual for Response The images revealed scars left by a series of huge land- scientific organizations to recognize the distinction between I’m honored to receive the Walter Sullivan award, and happy, slides up and down the valley that are now hidden by time feature stories and journalism produced on tight deadlines— for many reasons, to see this particular story garner that rec- and thick vegetation. At least one of these ancient slides was sometimes within hours, at most over a few days.

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

I’m grateful to AGU for acknowledging the value of that Geoscientists knew better. lidar images, nor was the lidar data incorporated into state kind of coverage, and to David for setting the standard as to As my colleagues at the Seattle Times quickly determined, databases or land use policies. how it should be done. And since a journalist is only as good the hillside had collapsed repeatedly in the past. Geologists In the Pacific Northwest, there are many examples of the as her sources, I’d also like to thank the many geoscientists had warned it would happen again. Earth sciences nudging society toward positive change. who have so freely shared their time and expertise with me That history made me wonder what lidar images of the Field geologists and seismologists revolutionized our over the years. slide area might show. The technique has fascinated me ever understanding of earthquake risk—and the region is much This story grew out of the horrific landslide that roared off since I learned about its power to reveal hidden features on better prepared as a result. The same is true of volcanic a slope near the Western Washington town of Oso. Within the landscape, so I turned to Ralph Haugerud. One of the U.S. hazards. minutes, an entire neighborhood along the Stillaguamish Geological Survey’s most accomplished “lidar whisperers,” Those examples make me optimistic that contributions River was obliterated. Forty-three­ people, who had been Haugerud was already working up a quick report on the Still- from the geosciences, including lidar, will eventually lead to going about their business on a Saturday morning, were aguamish valley. better understanding of landslide hazard and better public killed. That report documented dozens of previous slides, some policy. I just hope we don’t have to experience another trag- An emergency manager described the disaster as “com- even bigger than the one that obliterated the community edy like Oso before we get there. pletely unforeseen.” near Oso. But the people who lived there never saw those —Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.

co-chief scientists Steve D’Hondt and Bo Barker Jør- Fumio Inagaki Receives 2015 Asahiko Taira gensen. I still remember the electric blitz I felt when International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize numerous geochemical and microbiological profiles were posted on the shipboard wall, which systematically Fumio Inagaki was awarded the 2015 Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize at the AGU Fall showed the beautiful nature of the subsurface microbial Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The Taira Prize is a partnership between AGU ecosystems that we had explored with drilling. In 2010, I and the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU), and is made possible through a generous donation from the Integrated Ocean had the opportunity to sail as co-chief scientist with Steve Drilling Program Management International (IOPD-MI).­ The prize honors an individual for “outstanding transdisciplinary on IODP Expedition 329 to explore the ultra-­ oligotrophic​­ research accomplishment in ocean drilling.” South Pacific Gyre. This challenging adventure on the JR confirmed the deep penetration of dissolved oxygen into Citation of young scientists and his engagement in design of the the deep-sea­ sediments from the seafloor to the basement Fumio Inagaki is one of the most Chikyu, the most modern scientific drilling vessel. He has and, for the first time, demonstrated that there are no lim- influential leaders in the science ­co-led or participated in 10 ocean drilling expeditions focused its to the aerobic sedimentary biosphere. In 2012, onboard and technology of exploring life on exploration and understanding of subsurface life. In all of the Japanese riser-drilling­ vessel Chikyu, I had the unprec- through ocean drilling. He has sig- his work, Fumio has shown exceptional generosity, dedica- edented second opportunity to sail as co-chief scientist, nificantly advanced the study of tion to international collaboration beyond any frontier, and this time with Kai-Uwe­ Hinrichs, to explore the limits of microbial life in deeply buried sedi- amazing integrity as a person in a highly competitive field. He deep life down to ~2.5 kilometers below the seafloor. ment. He is internationally recog- has a great sensibility for the achievements of others, which During the Chikyu’s Expedition 337, it was an unforgetta- nized as an innovator of tech- he is always ready to put before his own. He opens his lab at ble moment with Kai and colleagues when we extended Fumio Inagaki niques, standards, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth­ Science and Technology the previous scientific ocean drilling world record to a instrumentation in ocean drilling (JAMSTEC) to any international student or postdoc in need of depth of 2466 meters and observed ultra-deep­ microbial geomicrobiological research. advice or equipment. He has dedicated a lot of time to ser- life in ~20 million-year-­ old­ coal horizons. Fumio has published over 100 articles in renowned interna- vice on scientific boards and committees for the advance- I am particularly proud to have had the opportunity to tional journals and textbooks on life below the ocean floor. ment of ocean drilling science. As the first recipient of the explore the deep-biosphere­ frontiers working with many His truly interdisciplinary work combines microbiology, geo- Taira Prize, Fumio Inagaki is honored for his exceptional sci- excellent teams and friends, not only in my geomicrobiology chemistry, and geology with ocean drilling science and tech- entific and technological leadership in international ocean laboratory at JAMSTEC, but also during the drilling expedi- nology to understand the limits of life on Earth. His studies of drilling research. tions. Indeed, this first Taira Prize recognizes the efforts of the biogeochemical functions of deep-ocean­ microorganisms —Antje Boetius, Max Planck Institute for Marine the entire deep-biosphere­ ocean-drilling­ community. Finally, include transdisciplinary contributions to important societal Microbiology, Bremen, Germany; and Steven D’Hondt, most importantly, I would like to especially thank my wife and challenges, such as the fate of Earth’s deep carbon, subsea- University of Rhode Island, Narragansett family, who have always supported my scientific ventures. In floor carbon dioxide storage, and the microbial potential for 2011, Bo mentioned that “deep-biosphere­ research is still a converting carbon dioxide to methane in deeply buried coal Response young science with exciting challenges ahead”—where beds. It is a tremendous honor for me to receive the prestigious nobody has gone before. Among his major scientific contributions through ocean Taira Prize. I would like to express my deepest thanks to —Fumio Inagaki, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth­ Sci- drilling are the first demonstration of subseafloor biogeogra- Antje Boetius and Steve D’Hondt for their gracious cita- ence and Technology, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan phy of microbial life, the proof by stable-isotope­ tracing tion, and AGU, Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU), and Inte- experiments that cells in deep subseafloor sediment are grated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) for establishing the capable of metabolic activity, and the recent discovery of Taira Prize to recognize international scientific ocean drill- microbial life in deeply buried subseafloor coal by ultradeep ing research. ocean drilling. His achievements have not only pushed the My first participation in ocean drilling was on the U.S. Go to Eos.org for frontiers of ocean drilling for deep biosphere research but drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution (JR) during the Ocean also been influential in a broad range of other fields, such as Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 201 off Peru and in the East the latest news extreme environment research, microbial ecology, geobiol- Equatorial Pacific in 2002, which was the pioneering proj- ogy, and astrobiology. ect dedicated to the study of subseafloor life and the deep and perspectives Fumio Inagaki’s exceptional leadership in the science and biosphere. I had the good fortune to work with fantastic technology of ocean drilling include his outstanding support international colleagues during Leg 201, including the

24 // Eos 15 January 2016 AGU NEWS

Richard C. J. Somerville Receives 2015 Climate Communication Prize leagues. I have learned much from them about communicat- ing the science of climate change. I also gratefully acknowl- Richard C.J. Somerville was awarded the 2015 Climate Communication Prize at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held edge the late Steve Schneider, who taught all of us. I agree on 16 December 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. The Climate Communication Prize is funded by Nature’s Own, a purveyor of with Steve’s wise advice to everyone who communicates fossils, minerals, and handcrafted jewelry in Boulder, Colo. The prize honors an “AGU member-scientist­ for the communication science: Know thy audience; know thyself; know thy stuff. of climate science, and highlights the importance of promoting scientific literacy, clarity of message, and efforts to foster I have also learned much from scientists who have mas- respected and understanding of science-based­ values as they relate to the implications of climate change.” tered the art of communicating science with the broad public through television, notably Neil deGrasse Tyson and the late Citation began with Richard’s very effective rhetorical question: “Do Carl Sagan. Many fine scientists have excelled at speaking Richard Somerville has made mon- you consult your dentist about your heart condition?” and writing for the general public, including John Tyndall, umental contributions to the col- One of the tougher things for climate scientists to talk who put the greenhouse effect on a firm physical foundation lective effort to communicate cli- about effectively is the relationship between climate change in 1861. Elizabeth Kolbert is a superb science writer who mate change to the public. These and extreme weather. Too often, scientists, as Richard has writes often and powerfully about climate change. All these efforts include contributions to noted, lead with what is not known, rather than what is people have inspired me. AGU’s own communication and known—a fatal communication blunder. Richard has been out I must single out the immense benefit I have had from outreach mission. At the AGU Fall front in talking about the conundrum, coaching a whole gen- working on climate communication for more than 25 years Meeting 3 years ago in San Fran- eration of climate scientists in how to communicate the with Susan Joy Hassol. Our partnership is unusual. Susan is a Richard C. J cisco, Richard, working with Susan actual connections in ways that are effective and accurate. professional communicator, not a scientist, but she has Somerville Joy Hassol and the newly formed Richard continues to do all of these things even as he has, acquired a deep understanding of climate science, and she Climate Science Rapid Response along with other University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has an uncanny ability to explain complex scientific topics in Team, jointly conducted a series of faculty, developed and begun to teach a new massive open clear, compelling English. The website ­climatecommunication​ workshops for climate scientists, providing critical training online course (MOOC) on climate change. Entitled “Change in .org showcases many products of our collaboration and is a to these scientists, including the next generation of climate Four Dimensions,” the course covers the physical, sociologi- one-stop­ shop for anybody who wants to do better at com- science communicators. cal, technological, and humanistic aspects of climate change. municating climate science. Richard coauthored with Susan Joy Hassol an influential Richard is currently the primary scientific adviser for There are many obstacles to communicating climate sci- article “Communicating the Science of Climate Change” in Susan Joy Hassol’s Climate Communication group while also ence clearly. Communicating well is like skiing well. Nobody Physics Today. In this article, he presented a number of key serving as distinguished professor emeritus and research is born an expert skier, but it can be learned, and a good way science communication concepts to the community. For exam- professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD. of learning is taking lessons from experts. We know that ple, the article showed how emissions would have to be —Michael E. Mann, Pennsylvania State University, excellent science can inform wise policy and that communi- ramped down rapidly as the timing of peak emissions is University Park; and Jeffrey T. Kiehl, National Center for cating the science effectively can help the world cope intelli- increasingly delayed. The diagram communicates the urgency Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo. gently with the challenge of climate change. I hope that many of climate change mitigation in a compelling manner. more climate scientists will make the effort to improve their Richard has also played a critical role in organizing the Response ability to communicate science with the wider world. I thank scientific community to more effectively combat the misinfor- With great humility, I profoundly thank AGU for awarding me Sylvia Bal, my wife of 50 years, for her unwavering support. I mation and disinformation that is sadly so omnipresent in its Climate Communication Prize. I thank Jeff Kiehl and Mike thank the many colleagues who have worked with me. I today’s media coverage of climate change. He played an Mann for nominating me, and I thank Nature’s Own for the thank AGU and Nature’s Own for establishing this prize in cli- influential role, for example, in drafting a letter from 38 cli- cash award that accompanies this great honor. All the previ- mate communication and for honoring me with it. mate scientists to counter a particularly misleading op-ed­ ous winners of this prize, Gavin Schmidt, Jeff Kiehl, Kevin —Richard C. J. Somerville, Scripps Institution of published in the Wall Street Journal. The letter of response Trenberth, and Katharine Hayhoe are my friends and col- Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla What Are You Missing? Be Part of AGU in 2016 013-1298 • Discounts on AGU journals and books • Discounted registration rates for AGU meetings and ability to submit abstracts • FREE selection of e-books rotating on a quarterly basis • Opportunity to join AGU sections and focus groups, and connect with peers who share your scienti c interests Join or renew today! membership.agu.org/join-renew

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

Slow-­Moving Glide Avalanches Still Pack a Punch Christopher Ancey. Used with permission. Christopher Ancey. A chairlift station in St. François Longchamps, France, damaged by a wet-snow­ glide avalanche in March 2012.

valanches pose a dramatic threat to human lives and infrastruc- One such glide avalanche occurred on 2 March 2012 at the ture in snowy regions around the world. Rising global tempera- St. François Longchamps resort in France. Seventy skiers were riding A tures have increased the frequency and impact of gravity-­driven the chairlift when it was hit, but they were evacuated unharmed. This flows, in which mechanical failures trigger snow avalanches and debris was the first avalanche to hit this 28-­year-old­ chairlift, which was flows. A type of wet-­snow avalanche known as glide avalanches has damaged again by a 2015 glide avalanche. caused increasing damage as well, but scientists still struggle to under- Using mathematical models and laboratory simulations, Ancey and stand the precise physics behind these hazards. Bain reviewed the physics of glide avalanches and the forces they exert When meltwater is under pressure from the snowpack above and on simple structures such as chair lift towers. They also used two case warmed by the ground below, it acts as a lubricant, which causes a large studies of glide avalanche damage to chair lift towers to back calculate solid mass of wet snow to glide slowly down a slope. These avalanches the forces involved. Although the precise physical mechanisms are most common on fairly steep slopes with a smooth surface like behind glide avalanches remain elusive, when the snow depth and grass or bare rock. Adjacent areas of snow glide at different speeds, density are known, the force exerted on simple structures can be cal- generating stress within the snowpack. Once the stress reaches a criti- culated. The team also reports that gliding snowpacks can produce the cal level, the snowpack can crack all the way through, cascading snow same force as high-­speed flows. down the slope. Glide avalanches can cause serious damage to infra- The studies the authors reviewed also differ in predictions of structure, such as chair lift towers, and calculating their potential wet-­snow avalanche frequency in response to global climate impact is vital to better protecting mountain communities. change. Field surveys show considerable variability in the nature of avalanche activity in recent decades, and the researchers reported no clear correlation between global warming and the frequency of Correction wet-­snow avalanches. Despite this ambiguity, the study is an important step toward a better scientific understanding of In the 15 December 2015 issue of Eos, the affiliation of Postcards avalanche physics and prediction, vital to cold climate regions from the Field contributor Allen Pope should have been listed as where communities and economies rely on snow safety. (Reviews of the University of Colorado, Boulder. Geophysics, doi:10.1002/2015RG000491,​ 2015) —Nancy McGuire, Free- lance Writer

26 // Eos 15 January 2016 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Improving Indian Summer Forecast Versus Reality: Monsoon Prediction High-Resolution­ Weather he Indian summer monsoon brings torrential rains to South- Prediction east Asia from June through September every year in a weather T event with massive impacts on local economics, infrastructure, and culture. In summer, winds from the southwest carry moisture from the Indian Ocean and deposit it over the Indian subcontinent.

Around October, the winds reverse direction, and only certain 0) regions receive the remaining moisture. The topography of the subcontinent further contributes to the intensity of the monsoon, with the and the Western Ghats acting as barriers that trap severe weather above India. Despite its seasonality, the timing, duration, and intensity of the Indian Summer Monsoon vary widely, and scientists are keen to NC 2.0 (http://bit.ly/ccbync2- ­ NC 2.0 improve modeling and prediction methods to account for this kind of variability. Using observations from an instrument called the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite, Raju et al. evaluated how changes in temperature and moisture with respect to altitude influence monsoon development. They used the data to

model monsoon characteristics, including precipitation, easterly ­ CC BY- DeLay, Flickr user Kelly wind shear, low-­level moisture distribution, and the temperature of A storm cell in Groom, Texas, produces a brief tornado. the troposphere (the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere). By combining observations and a regional model, the team was able to more accurately forecast patterns of precipitation across the he storm systems that sweep across the central United States region. The forecast monsoon features are highly correlated with drive flooding, drought, and environmental changes that affect observations, indicating their potential value for future predictions T communities and economies across the country. People in the of the Indian summer monsoon. The AIRS data may be the key to path of these storms rely on quantitative precipitation forecasts from more realistic models of temperature and moisture processes that numerical weather prediction models, which offer estimates of rain- drive monsoon development and behavior. Seasonal forecast fall hours to days in advance. High-­resolution models can be com- improvements would have tremendous implications for lives and bined with hydrologic models to project broader effects like stream- livelihoods throughout the region, especially during the extremes flow and flooding, but model accuracy can fluctuate depending on the (drought or flood). (Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, season, grid resolution, and available observational data. doi:10.1002/2014JD023024, 2015) —Lily Strelich, Freelance Writer The High-­Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model was developed to resolve some of this uncertainty. It uses latent heat profiles derived from radar observations to provide hourly forecasts of convective storms on the scale of 3 kilometers. Because of this precision, honing the HRRR model accuracy has far-reaching­ benefits for infrastructure and industry across the country. Here Bytheway and Kummerow use observational data to evaluate HRRR forecast performance. The team developed a verification process based on data collected during the 2013 warm season by the National Centers for Environ- mental Prediction Stage IV radar rainfall product, comparing 467 con- vective precipitation features with HRRR forecast precipitation fea- tures. They found that the correlation between modeled and observed features fluctuated over the forecast period, with the closest correla- tion around hour 3 of any given forecast. Overall, HRRR forecasted rainfall within 30 kilometers of the observed rainfall throughout the forecast period. It was also relatively good at predicting the location of the storm center of mass, although it tended to skew slightly west. In general, the model predicted smaller storms with rainfall concentrated in more intense cores than were actually observed. The distribution of rainfall within the storms was related to the model’s ability to produce deep convection relative to atmospheric moisture content. The researchers shared these results with HRRR developers, and the updated version of the model

Caisii Mao/demotix.com attempts to mitigate the biases they identified. (Journal of Advances in Indian cycle rickshaw drivers battle the high water to get commuters through the Modeling Earth Systems (JAMES), doi:10.1002/2015MS000497, 2015) —Lily flooded areas of Dhobinala during heavy monsoon rains in Dimapur, Nagaland, India. Strelich, Freelance Writer

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

Convection Cycles, Atmosphere, and Ocean Work Symbiotically

luctuations in Earth’s climate reflect the complex interactions of the atmosphere and oceans, a dynamic dance that changes with F the seasons. One such interaction is the Madden-Julian­ Oscilla- tion (MJO), a marriage of atmospheric circulation and tropical convec- tion that propagates eastward above the warm regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The circulation cells are large—about 10,000 kilometers wide along the equator—and occur intraseasonally, roughly every 30 to 70 days. Because of this scale and frequency, the MJO has a big impact on global weather. The rising and sinking motions within the MJO circulation cells Charlotte A. DeMott. Used with permission. produce a pattern of enhanced and suppressed convection. This con- Cloudiness within the Madden-Julian­ Oscillation (MJO), shown here in the west Pacific, vection pattern brings rainfall and induces changes in clouds and regulates radiative, freshwater, and momentum forcing of the upper ocean. The ocean wind, which translates to variations in heat, salinity, and momentum adjustment to the forcing regulates sea surface warming or cooling, which can, in turn, at the ocean surface where water and atmosphere interact. The asso- affect MJO cloudiness. ciated changes in sea surface temperature can have global conse- quences, but the MJO is difficult to explain theoretically or simulate in atmospheric general circulation models, and its relationship with sea MJO and a clear understanding of the role of the ocean in the distur- surface temperature is poorly understood. bance have been elusive. The researchers summarize the current Here DeMott et al. work to fill in these knowledge gaps by reviewing understanding of these processes by analyzing results of more than published studies dealing with observations of MJO processes, theo- 300 papers focused on the problem. ries of air-­sea interactions within the MJO, and modeling studies of The review study found that high-resolution­ mixed layer ocean these feedbacks. Their review article aims to develop better insight models can represent some of the complicated air-­sea interactions into how air-­sea interactions influence the MJO and, ultimately, how and recommended that scientists use coupled simulations and evalu- these exchanges shape weather patterns. ate them in terms of the observed relationship between convection When the MJO inhibits convection, light winds and clear skies allow and sea surface temperature and associated variables. the upper few meters of the ocean to warm and separate into stable A full assessment of air-sea­ interactions within the MJO requires a layers stratified by temperature and salinity. As MJO convection combination of methods, including modeling studies, process-­ develops, windy conditions at the surface mix these layers and trans- oriented diagnostics, and careful measures of the environmental fer energy stored in the upper ocean to the atmosphere. moisture profile and heat budget of the MJO. A comprehensive As the MJO propagates eastward, this mixing action increases, driv- approach is central to improving our knowledge of ocean-­atmospheric ing currents and upsetting the stratified layers. Scientists discovered coupled feedbacks. (Reviews of Geophysics, doi:10.1002/2014RG000478, the phenomenon in the 1970s, but a comprehensive theory for the 2015) —Lily Strelich, Freelance Writer

Aerosols May Play a Big Part in Atmospheric Absorption

ife on Earth is supported by a thin layer of gases held to the Robotic Network. This study is the first time PARASOL data have been planet’s surface by gravity. Our atmosphere provides the breath compared alongside other observations, and the data cover almost the L of life and regulates global temperature in the face of a constant entire globe, offering valuable insight into aerosol influence. onslaught of solar radiation. Aerosol particles—including smoke, ash, The scientists found that the data sets usually reflect real-world­ soot, mineral dust, and sea salt—play a key role in regulating atmo- observations quite nicely but that the models slightly overestimate spheric energy exchanges. The particles can directly drive effects in aerosol scattering, as opposed to absorption. In other words, the mod- the energy budget by raising the Earth’s albedo, scattering and els predicted an outsize role for aerosol, scattering solar radiation and reflecting solar radiation back into space and ultimately cooling the cooling the upper atmosphere. The researchers suggest this bias planet. Indirect effects of aerosols are more complex, like the uncer- implies that the direct and indirect effects of aerosols within the tainties of particle interaction with clouds. A better scientific under- atmosphere may be bigger than previously simulated. standing of the role of aerosols in the atmosphere could give commu- The researchers hope their work highlights the potential and the nities a vital tool to adapt to the Earth’s changing climate. importance of aerosols and the single-­scattering albedo effect in eval- Here Lacagnina et al. evaluate the single-­scattering albedo of the uating the Earth’s energy exchange. The success of this comparison atmosphere with measurements from the Polarization and Anisotropy of between PARASOL data, observations, and model simulations may Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences Coupled with Observations from a help open the door to more cohesive analyses of the atmosphere. Lidar (PARASOL) satellite and compare their measures with observations (Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, doi:10.1002/2015JD023501,​ from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument and the ground-based­ Aerosol 2015) —Lily Strelich, Freelance Writer

28 // Eos 15 January 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Hydrology programs at the Masters and PhD lev- els to roughly 60 graduate students. AGU’s Career Center is the main resource for Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Laramie is a picturesque and friendly recruitment advertising. Position GROUNDWATER HYDROLO- town offering a reasonable cost ofliv- GIST University of Wyoming ing, good K-12 public schools and easy The Department of Civil and Archi- access to outdoor activities in the All Positions Available and additional job postings can be tectural Engineering at the University Rocky Mountain region. Additional viewed at https://eos.org/jobs-support. of Wyoming invites applications for a information on the Department, Col- tenure-track faculty position in lege, and Laramie is available at: http:// AGU offers printed recruitment advertising in Eos to Groundwater Hydrology at the Assis- www.uwyo.edu/civil , http://ceas.uwyo. reinforce your online job visibility and your brand. tant Professor level. We seek a candi- edu and http://www.laramie.org. date with the interest and abilit y to Applications must include: 1) a letter develop and sustain a nationally com- of application, 2) a curriculum vitae Contact [email protected] for more information petitive research program. The suc- including a list of publications, 3) a about reserving an online job posting with a printed Eos cessful candidate must hold an earned statement of research interests, 4) a recruitment advertisement. doctoral degree in Civil Engineering or statement ofteaching interests, and in a closely related discipline by the 5) contact information for at least three position start date. Registration as a references. Do not include supplemen- professional engineer or professional tal information such as off-prints of LINE LISTING RATES: hydrologist are desirable but not papers, reference letters, or tran- required. The successful candidate scripts. Review of applications will ➢ must be able to teach courses in fluid begin 1 5 $0.26 per character for each additional issue of publication mechanics, hydraulics, hydrology, and September 2015 and continue until ➢ $0.32 per character for first issue of publication water resources engineering. Also, the the position is filled. The preferred successful candidate must have the start date for the position is January STUDENT OPPORTUNITY RATES: demonstrated ability to develop an 2016. Submit applications in a single ➢ No Cost up to 500 characters externally funded research program in PDF file to: [email protected]. groundwater hydrology. The University ofWyoming is an ➢ This position will become part of a Equal Employment Opportunity/Affir- major research thrust in water ➢ $0.16 per character forover each 500 additional characters issue for first of publication issue of publication mative Action employer. All qualified resources at the University of Wyo- applicants will receive consideration EMPLOYMENT DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES ming. Groundwater resources are of for employment without regard to race, immense imp011ance to societal and color, religion, sex, national origin, (OPEN RATE, BLACK AND WHITE): ecological needs. Approximately half disability or protected veteran status or of Wyoming water resources are from Full Page : $5,500.00 net any other characteristic protected by ➢ groundwater, and subsurface law and University policy. Please see: resources provide critical water to ➢ Half Page: $2,160.00 net http://www.uwyo.edu/diversity/ agriculture, oil and gas development, faimess. We conduct background ➢ Third Page: $1,450.00 net and municipalities. There are tremen- investigations for all final candidates dous research challenges in ground- being considered for employment. ➢ Quarter Page: $1,090.00 net water resulting from changing climate Offers of employment are contingent signals and human population pat- ➢ Sixth Page: $730.00 net upon the completion of the background terns, and emerging techniques pro- check. ➢ Eighth Page: $590.00 net vide outstanding opportunities for groundwater hydrologists to better To view all employment display ad sizes, visit Tenure-Track Faculty Position, Civil ➢ quantify the fate and transport of and Environmental Engineering, http://sites.agu.org/media-kits/files/2014/12/ water in a changing west. We seek a Utah State University Eos-Employment-Advertising.pdf groundwater hydrologist with experi- The Department of Civil and Envi- ence in laboratory and field ronmental Engineering at Utah State COLOR RATES: approaches for describing complex University is searching to fill a ten- subsurface processes. Areas of specific ure-track faculty position in water interest include, but are not limited to, ➢ One Color: $315.00 net management of irrigated systems surface-groundwater interaction, (complete description go to https://usu. ➢ Full Color: $980.00 net unsaturated flow and contaminant hiretouch.com/job-details?jobid=937) transport. as part of a water-focused cluster hire As a member of the faculty of the involving multiple colleges within the Department of Civil and Architectural University (https://caas.usu.edu/cwi/). Engineering, the successful candidate All ranks (Assistant/Associate/Full Pro- ➢ Eos is published semi-monthly on the 1st and 15th of every will integrate his or her research with fessor level) will be considered for this month. Deadlines for ads in each issue are published at the goals of the new Wyoming Center position. Applications will begin being for Environmental Hydrology and Geo- http://sites.agu.org/media-kits/eos-advertising-deadlines/. reviewed on 12/2/15, but the position physics (http://www.uwyo.edu/epscor/ will remain open until filled. wycehg/) and provide academic support ➢ Eos accepts employment and open position advertisements to the PhD program in Water Ocean Sciences from governments, individuals, organizations, and academic Resources, Environmental Science and Engineering (http://www.uwyo.edu/ Assistant Professor, Tenure Track. institutions. We reserve the right to accept or reject ads at wrese/). The University of Washington School of our discretion. UW faculty have access to world- Oceanography invites applications for a class computational resources as full-time (100% FTE), 9-month, multi- ➢ Eos is not responsible for typographical errors. described at: https://arcc.uwyo.edu/. year tenure-track Assistant Professor The depat1ment is supported by 22 (0116) position. A Ph.D. or foreign tenured or tenure-track faculty and equivalent is required on the date of

offers ABET-accredited baccalaureate appointment. We seek to hire a physi- * Print-only recruitment ads will only be allowed for those whose requirements include that positions must be advertised in a printed/paper medium. programs in both civil engineering and cal oceanographer with strong dynami- architectural engineering to approxi- cal and/or observational interests. The mately 300 undergraduate students. applicant’s research focus may be at The department also offers graduate any scale, from coastal to global, from

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

mixing to climate. Applicants should math (see www.engr.washington. to February 1, 2016, to ensure full con- date is expected to perform idealized demonstrate interest in interdisciplin- edu/advance), the UW provides a sideration. 2D and realistic global 3D HYCOM sim- ary collaboration, and complement the wide range of networking, mentoring University of Washington is an ulations. This position allows for ample research of our current faculty. Univer- and development opportunities for affirmative action and equal opportu- collaboration opportunities with sci- sity of Washington faculty engage in junior faculty. nity employer. All qualified applicants ence partners of the ONR NOPP project teaching, research and service. The Questions pertaining to this search will receive consideration for employ- Topic 3 “Seamless Forecasting from the successful applicant will be expected to can be addressed to Dr. Parker Mac- ment without regard to race, color, Deep Ocean to the Coast.” A PhD in contribute to the teaching mission of Cready, Search Committee Chair religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender physical oceanography or other related the department at the graduate and ([email protected]). More information identity, national origin, age, protected field is required at the time of the undergraduate levels. The University of on the School of Oceanography can be veteran or disabled status, or genetic appointment. A qualified applicant is Washington and the School of Ocean- found at http://ocean.washington. information. The University of Wash- anticipated to have experience in ography promote diversity and inclu- edu. ington is recognized for supporting the numerical modeling and knowledge of sivity among our students, faculty, Applicants should submit a cover work-life balance of its faculty and internal wave processes in the ocean. staff, and public. Thus, we seek candi- letter, curriculum vitae with publica- offers a wide range of professional This position is initially for one year dates whose research, teaching, and/or tion list, statements of research and development and networking opportu- but is renewable based on satisfactory service have prepared them to fulfill teaching interests with reference to nities for junior faculty and a compre- performance. Interested candidates our commitment to inclusion, and have how their teaching and/or research hensive benefits package, including please contact Maarten.Buijsman@ given them the confidence to fully demonstrate a commitment to diver- access to campus child-care and usm.edu or see online posting at: jobs. engage audiences in higher education sity and inclusion through scholarship health/vision/dental plans for spouse, usm.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=55843 from a wide spectrum of backgrounds. or by improving access to higher edu- domestic partner, and/or dependents. The USM is an equal opportunity The University of Washington cation for underrepresented individu- Details can be found at http://www. action employer. (UW) is located in the greater Seattle als or groups, and the names and con- washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/ metropolitan area, with a dynamic, tact information of four references. We forms/ben-summaries/faculty.pdf The Marine Science Institute (Uni- multicultural community of 3.7 mil- request letters of recommendation versity of California, Santa Barbara) lion people and a range of ecosys- from these references to be sent sepa- Post Doctoral Research Associate, seeks a PhD level postdoctoral fellow tems from mountains to ocean. The rately. Electronic materials are pre- Marine Sciences, Stennis Space Cen- to contribute to studies of nutrient UW serves a diverse population of ferred; send to [email protected] with ter fluxes and exchanges from sedi- 80,000 students, faculty and staff, Assistant Professor PO Position in the A postdoctoral position in physical ments into coastal waters near kelp including 25% first-generation col- subject line. If you are only able to send oceanography is available in the forest ecosystems. lege students, over 25% Pell Grant a hard copy, please address it to Ms. Su Department of Marine Science at The The position will involve hydrody- students, and faculty from over 70 Tipple, School of Oceanography, Uni- University of Southern Mississippi. The namic and biogeochemical field mea- countries. A recipient of the 2006 versity of Washington, Box 357940, successful candidate will work on vari- surements and associated data analysis Alfred P. Sloan Award for Faculty Seattle, WA, 98195, USA. Individuals ous problems related to tide and inter- and modeling. The research is associ- Career Flexibility and a National Sci- with disabilities desiring accommoda- nal tide generation, propagation and ated with an on-going NSF funded ence Foundation ADVANCE Institu- tions in the application process should dissipation in the realistically forced Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) tional Transformation Award to notify Su Tipple at 206-543-5060. global HYCOM model. In particular, a project and related work on coastal increase the advancement of women Applications, including letters of rec- better parameterization of internal tide ecosystems (http://sbc.lternet.edu/). faculty in science, engineering, and ommendation, should be received prior wave drag will be explored. The candi- Salary and benefits will depend on aca-

The Joe D. and Helen J. Kington Professor in Environmental Change

The University of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences seeks an eminent scholar of international prominence whose research and teaching address the contemporary challenges of environmental change to apply for the Kington Chair in Environmental Change, an endowed professorship with tenure. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a relevant field of the environmental sciences and an outstanding record of scholarship and teaching consistent with an appointment as a Chaired Professor. The Kington Chair is at the center of a newly created university initiative in Resiliency in the Face of Environmental Change, as part of the University’s Cornerstone strategic plan. This is a cross-school, cross-disciplinary effort focused on addressing environmental challenges. Developing ways to forestall and adapt to environmental change, and to cope with its many inter-connected consequences will require building strength across the disciplines whose research will contribute to the resiliency of our social, economic, and infrastructure systems. This university initiative will entail a cluster hire of at least five faculty within the College, the School of Engineering and the School of Architecture. The Kington Chair will provide intellectual leadership for this network of scholars who will study the science, politics, economics, culture, and ethics of environmental change. The ideal incumbent of the Kington Chair should be conversant not only in her or his own field, but knowledgeable about the trans-disciplinary aspects relevant to the challenge of environmental change. Possible areas of interest include (but are not limited to) natural and human drivers and effects of environmental changes on the biosphere, earth surface, hydrosphere, and climate. To apply, submit a Candidate Profile through Jobs@UVa (https://jobs.virginia.edu), search on posting number 0617749 and electronically attach the following: CV; cover letter; and the names and contact information for three references. In the letter, please include examples of where you have provided intellectual leadership for a network of scholars who study multiple aspects of environmental change (e.g., science, politics, economics, culture, ethics). Additional materials will be requested of those candidates selected for interviews. The review of applications will begin on December 21, 2015. The appointment will begin at the start of the Fall term in August 2016. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to: Rachel Short ([email protected], 434-924-7763). Questions about the position itself should be directed to Jim Galloway, Search Committee Chair, at [email protected]. The University performs background checks on all new faculty hires prior to making a final offer of employment. The University of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women, Minorities, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities are encouraged to apply.

30 // Eos 15 January 2016 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

demic background and experience. Please contact Candace Major, are additional university strengths in online at http://ejobs.umd.edu/​ 100% time appointment for one year MGG Program Lead ([email protected]; Astronomy (helioseismology and ­postings/38311 and should include the from start date with possibility for sec- 703-292-7597), with any questions planetary physics), Electrical and following: a letter of application stat- ond year renewal. Start date is negotia- about this position. Computer Engineering, and Mechani- ing research and teaching goals; a ble, but is anticipated by April 2016. cal Engineering. The successful candi- complete CV; and contact information Electronic applications (including a full YALE UNIVERSITY: Postdoctoral date is expected to initiate and main- for three (3) professional references. CV, description of research interests Positions in Ocean, Atmosphere tain an active, externally funded Review of applications will begin in and names and addresses of three ref- and Climate Dynamics research program, supervise graduate January 2016, and will be ongoing erences) should be sent to: https:// One or two postdoctoral positions students, and to teach at both under- until the position is filled. recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/apply/JPF00623. in Ocean, Atmosphere and Climate graduate and graduate levels. The University of Maryland, Col- Application review will begin January Dynamics will be available at Yale Appointment will be at the Assistant lege Park, an equal opportunity/affir- 15, 2016 and continue until position is University, Department of Geology Professor level. A Ph.D. degree in mative action employer, complies filled. The department is especially and Geophysics (http://people.earth. Physics, Geophysics, or related field is with all applicable federal and state interested in candidates who can con- yale.edu/profile/alexey-fedorov/ required, and postdoctoral experience laws and regulations regarding non- tribute to the diversity and excellence about). General fields of research is highly desired. discrimination and affirmative of the academic community. The Uni- include ocean and atmosphere circu- Applications must be filed elec- action; all qualified applicants will versity of California is an Equal Oppor- lation, ocean-atmosphere interac- tronically at (http://jobs.nmsu.edu) receive consideration for employ- tunity/Affirmative Action Employer. tions, the role of ocean in climate, and the deadline for applications is ment. The University is committed to All qualified applicants will receive climate variability and change, paleo- February 15, 2016. Applicants should a policy of equal opportunity for all consideration for employment without climate. Particular projects: El NiÒo attach a resume, a statement of persons and does not discriminate on regard to race, color, religion, sex, and mean tropical climate in the past, research interests, a short description the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other character- present and future; ITCZ in different of the candidate’s teaching philoso- national origin, physical or mental istic protected by law including pro- climates; biases in GCMs; stability, phy and the names and addresses of at disability, protected veteran status, tected Veterans and individuals with variability and predictability of the least three persons familiar with the age, gender identity or expression, disabilities. Atlantic meridional overturning cir- candidate who are willing to provide sexual orientation, creed, marital sta- culation (AMOC). The work will letters of reference. The position is tus, political affiliation, personal The NSF is seeking a qualified can- involve numerical modeling, analyses anticipated to start in Fall, 2016. appearance, or on the basis of rights didate to fill the position of Pro- of observational and GCM data, and For further information or ques- secured by the First Amendment, in gram Director in the Marine Geol- analytical approaches. A PhD in tions please contact the Head of the all aspects of employment, educa- ogy and Geophysics (MGG) Program physical oceanography, atmospheric Search Committee, Prof. Tom Hearn, tional programs and activities, and in the Division of Ocean Sciences sciences or related disciplines is at [email protected] . NMSU admissions. (OCE), Directorate for Geosciences required. Experience with ocean or is an Equal-Opportunity/Affirma- (GEO) in Arlington, VA. climate GCM is a big advantage. tive-Action employer; Minorities, Assistant/Associate Professor of The successful candidate will man- Funding is currently available for two Females, Veterans, and those with a Microbial Biogeochemistry age a portfolio of research in marine to three years. Successful candidates Disability are particularly encouraged The Department of Soil, Water and geophysics, including research relating can begin their program at Yale to apply. Environmental Science (SWES) at the to: the structure and tectonic evolution between April - September, 2016. The University of Arizona seeks a dynamic of the oceanic lithosphere and its asso- applicants should email his or her CV, Interdisciplinary/Other individual to initiate a research and ciated volcanic, magmatic, hydrother- a statement of research interests, one teaching program at the interface of mal, and earthquake activity; the tec- reprint or preprint, and the names of Assistant Professor in Tectonics/ soil microbial ecology and biogeo- tonics and morphology of the seafloor three referees to Professor Alexey Structural Geology, Department of chemistry. Applicants are sought who and the geodynamic processes that Fedorov ([email protected]; Geology, University of Maryland, use contemporary techniques such as create it; and subseafloor fluid flow Subject: postdoctoral search). Short- College Park. genomics, bioinformatics, isotope that controls the exchange of heat and listed candidates will be contacted. The Department of Geology at the geochemistry, or high resolution chemical species between seawater, Yale University is an affirmative University of Maryland invites appli- imaging and spectroscopy, to study abyssal ecosystems, and ocean crust. action/equal opportunity employer. cations for a tenure-track assistant microbial communities and activities, The individual selected for this position Yale values diversity in its faculty, professor in Tectonics/Structural and their interactions with biogeo- will also oversee NSF-funded marine staff, and students and strongly Geology, broadly defined. Possible chemical processes in earth surface geophysical infrastructure and data encourages applications from women research areas of interest include, but systems (ecosystems, soil, rock, centers, coordinating with the Division and members of underrepresented are not limited to: active tectonics water). Potential research foci may of Ocean Sciences facilities group to minority groups. and natural hazards, basin analysis, include (but are not limited to): facilitate access to marine seismic climate-tectonics interactions, plant-soil-microbe relations; nutri- facilities (e.g., the Ocean Bottom Seis- Solid Earth Geophysics crustal evolution, geodesy, microtec- ent dynamics and rhizosphere pro- mometer Instrument Pool and 2D/3D tonics, orogenesis, planetary geology, cesses; mineral and organic matter seismic data acquisition platforms), as Tenure-Track Faculty Position in and tectonophysics. The appointee transformations; and coupled micro- the Division of Ocean Sciences contin- Geophysics will be expected to develop and main- bial-biogeochemical processes, rang- ues to implement community recom- (position number 198994, requisi- tain an active, externally funded ing from molecular to watershed mendations (e.g., the National Acad- tion number 1500158F) research program that will involve scales. The candidate will teach an emy of Sciences report Sea Change: The Department of Physics at New both graduate and undergraduate undergraduate course each year and a Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences 2015- Mexico State University invites appli- students, and to participate fully in graduate course in a related area of 2025). cations for a tenure-track faculty teaching at all levels, including struc- specialization, contribute to student Specific details regarding the appointment in Computational Geo- tural geology. We particularly encour- mentoring, and help to develop inno- duties, qualifications, benefits and physics. Candidates with computa- age applications from those who vative approaches to enhance student how to apply are found on the USA- tional skills in seismology, crustal and integrate across traditional disci- engagement, increase diversity, and JOBS website (https://www.usajobs. mantle dynamics, and thermo-me- plinary boundaries both within the expand collaborations with commu- gov/). chanical properties of rock systems Department of Geology (http://www. nity and business partners. Applicants wishing to apply for a are invited. A strong computational geology.umd.edu) and throughout the The SWES department comprises a Permanent Appointment should see and physics background is required. College of Computer, Mathematics, cross-section of faculty, staff, and Job Announcement OCE-2016-0002 The NMSU Physics Dept. offers Bache- and Natural Sciences (http://www. students with unparalleled capacity at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ lor’s degrees in Physics and Engineer- cmns.umd.edu). Candidates from to address emerging environmental ViewDetails/423526200 ing Physics and Master’s and Doctoral underrepresented groups are encour- issues of local to global significance, Applicants wishing to apply for a degrees in Physics and Geophysics. aged to apply. including climate change, contami- Federal Temporary, IPA or VSEE Current research areas in the depart- A Ph.D. in Geology or a related dis- nant remediation, and the sustain- Appointment should see Job ment include high-energy nuclear and cipline is required at the time of able management of land and water Announcement OCE-2016-0003 at: particle physics, solid-state/con- appointment. The appointment may resources. Outstanding research https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ densed-matter physics and materials begin as early as August 1, 2016. opportunities exist at the University ViewDetails/423526700 science, optics, and geophysics. There Applications should be submitted of Arizona, with a strong culture of

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

interdisciplinary scholarship among Extension programs are housed in the ulty research grants. The positions are 12 months. The applicant should be 65 faculty in the School of Earth and College of Agriculture and Life Sci- intended to better prepare future fac- years old or younger when his/her Environmental Sciences (http://www. ences (http://cals.arizona.edu/main/), ulty by combining state-of-the-art term in this position has terminated. sees.arizona.edu/), the School of which SWES is a part of. The UA is research programs with classroom Send (1) CV including date of birth, Plant Sciences, the Department of recognized as a global leader for teaching experience for the candi- nationality and publication list, (2) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the research with a diverse working envi- dates, and will involve two semesters statement of research interests, (3) Mel and Enid Zuckerman School of ronment, nationally recognized work/ of teaching, including one semester pdf files of 3 significant publications, Public Health, and Biosphere 2. life program, and a competitive bene- where the candidate will serve as the (4) names and e-mail addresses of Qualifications: fits package. The UA is located in the instructor of record for an undergrad- three references and (5) desired arrival Minimum qualifications include a heart of Tucson, a diverse and vibrant uate course. Fellows will work under date and place of assignment (Beppu Ph.D. in microbiology, soil science community, with a growing popula- direction of FSU faculty to support or Aso) to Prof. Takahiro Ohkura or geoscience, biogeochemistry, or a tion, excellent recreational opportu- funded research programs (see below). through e-mail to [email protected]. closely related field. Postdoctoral nities, and favorable economic cli- Additionally, they will develop class- kyoto-u.ac.jp by March 1, 2016. For experience is preferred. Applica- mate. Explore Tucson and UA at room teaching skills during one the details, please look at http://www. tions from candidates with an inter- http://whyua.arizona.edu/. semester of each year, first under vgs.kyoto-u.ac.jp/igse/. est in collaborative research are Application Instructions: supervision and, during the second preferred, as are those from individ- More information on the position year, as instructors of record for an Student Opportunities uals who would bring novel micro- and complete application instructions undergraduate class details of which bial and/or biogeochemical may be found at the UA Human are provided below. Fellows will be PhD Fellowships in Remote Sensing approaches and techniques to bear Resources link: https://uacareers. eligible to participate in the Preparing are available immediately in Virginia on environmental systems. This is a com/postings/6969. Formal review of Future Faculty program at FSU (PFF). Tech’s Interdisciplinary Graduate tenure/tenure-eligible position and applications will begin 2/15/16 and Research programs and instructional Program. will have a 70/30 split between continue until the position is filled mentors seeking fellows include the Remote Sensing is an interdisci- research and teaching. As an equal following: plinary field which is evolving rapidly opportunity and affirmative action Post-Doctoral Fellowships: Dept. of • Insights into the volatile budget in to address a wide range of scientific employer, the University of Arizona Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sci- the Earth’s interior using high pressure and societal problems. Virginia Tech’s recognizes the power of a diverse ence, Florida State University experiments, geochemical analysis, Remote Sensing graduate program community and encourages applica- The Department of Earth, Ocean & and numerical simulations. [see online spans nine departments in five sepa- tions from individuals with varied Atmospheric Science (EOAS) at Florida info]. rate colleges and covers all aspects of experiences, perspectives and back- State University seeks candidates for • Applying novel geochemical Remote Sensing, including engineer- grounds, and who have experience two postdoctoral positions to conduct methods (e.g. novel stable metal iso- ing, theory, data analysis, applica- with a variety of teaching methods supervised research and teaching topes) to the sedimentary record to tions, and policy. Students in the pro- and curricular perspectives. duties in the areas of solid Earth trace the redox evolution throughout gram pursue a Ph.D. in a core About the University of Arizona: dynamics, isotope geochemistry, or Earth history. [see online info]. discipline in their home department The University of Arizona is the arctic carbon cycling. These two-year • Researching carbon storage and while taking additional interdisciplin- state’s land-grant university and the positions are jointly supported by the flux in Arctic permafrost soils and ary courses which count toward a Agricultural Experiment Station and College of Arts & Sciences and by fac- peatlands from the arctic to the trop- Remote Sensing Certificate. Interested ics [see online info]. applicants are encouraged to visit our Eligible candidates must hold a PhD website (http://rsigep.frec.vt.edu/) to in chemical oceanography, geochem- learn more about the curriculum, spe- istry or mineral physics related to the cific research themes, the application three areas of interest described process, and how to communicate Two Faculty Positions in Solid Earth Dynamics, Structure, and above, at the time of appointment. with prospective advisors. General Evolution and/or Ocean, Atmosphere and/or Climate Salary is $45,000 per annum, partici- questions can be directed to rs_igep@ The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES) is seeking pation in state health plans is covered vt.edu. and $1,500 towards the purchase of a outstanding scientists to fill two open-rank faculty positions, in the areas of computer may be requested. The Flor- PhD in Climate Decision Making solid earth dynamics, structure and evolution and/or ocean, atmosphere ida State University is an equal oppor- through EPP at Carnegie Mellon. and/or climate. Appointment can be at any rank from tenure-track assistant tunity, affirmative action employer We seek PhD students with techni- professor to tenured full professor. and women, minorities, and individu- cal backgrounds to address 1) public Columbia University's vibrant program in these fields is one of the most als with disabilities, are strongly understand and perceptions of GHGs, highly rated in the United States and includes a world-class research and encouraged to apply. To apply, climate and low emission energy port- graduate training program, mostly based at Lamont-Doherty Earth respond to the listing for Postdoctoral folios; 2) decarbonizing the energy sys- Observatory (LDEO) in Palisades NY, and involving 100+ scientists and 90+ Associate, Earth, Ocean and Atmo- tem; 3) future of nuclear; and 4) risks of graduate students, as well as an undergraduate program on the Manhattan spheric Science at http://jobs.fsu.edu. dead ends in scaling up climate poli- campus. Primary appointments are within DEES with 9 months of Additional inquiries may be addressed cies. See: www.epp.cmu.edu and institutional salary support. The positions are based at, and will include to [email protected]. http://CEDMcenter.org. Contact: affiliation with, LDEO. Secondary affiliation with Columbia's International Review of applications will begin Feb- [email protected]. Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) and Department of Applied ruary 26, 2016, and appointment Physics and Applied Mathematics are possible, as is close collaboration with terms will begin for the fall semester PhD Student Opportunity in the American Museum of Natural History and NASA's Goddard Institute for 2016. Hydrology, Washington State Uni- Space Studies. versity The successful candidates will develop high-impact research programs Visiting Faculty Position /Volcanol- Four year RA available for student ogy and Geothermal Sciences /Kyoto to work with an interdisciplinary focused on problems of global significance and have demonstrated University, Japan team to understand the interactions excellence in teaching or potential for such in the case of entry level Kyoto University invites applica- between drought, forest manage- appointments. Applicants should address the specific ways they would tions for a visiting Professor or Asso- ment, and wildfire on forest ecosys- contribute to the research and teaching mission of DEES/LDEO. Minimum ciate Professor in volcanology, geo- tem resilience. Students experienced requirements for the position are demonstrated scientific creativity and a thermal sciences and related with Linux/programming and/or Ph.D. in a related field. Early-career scientists are especially invited to apply. disciplines. The successful applicant is ecohydrology will be competitive. Application review will commence on January 20, 2016 and continue until the expected to work at Aso Volcanological The student will be co-advised by positions are filled. For more information and to apply for either position Laboratory or Beppu Geothermal Jennifer Adam (WSU} and Christina please visit our online site at: Research Laboratory, Kyushu, Japan. Tague {UCSB}. Interested students https://academicjobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=61767 Attractive salary and traveling should contact [email protected] for Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer -- expenses are provided from the uni- more information. Fall semester Race/Gender/Disability/Veteran. versity. The position is opened on applications to WSU are due on 10 October 1, 2016, and the tenure is 3 to January for priority consideration.

32 // Eos 15 January 2016 Postcards from the Field

Installing seismometers in Bavaria, Ger- many, to extend the coverage of AlpArray. This experiment is a European initiative to advance our understanding of orogenesis and its relationship to mantle dynamics, plate reorganizations, surface processes and seismic hazard in the - Apennines- Carpathians- Dinarides orogenic system. In this photo, seismologists Angelo Pisconti and Januka Attanayake from the Institut für Geophysik at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster in Ger- many are seen installing broadband seismometers in Todtenweis, Germany. During this trip, one of the seismome- ters was installed in a 900- year-old wine cellar beneath Kloster Scheyern (Scheyern Abbey). This particular phase of seismometer installation in Germany is led by Professor Christine Thomas. For further details, visit http://www . seismo.ethz.ch/research/groups/alrt/ projects/alparray/.

—Stefan Ueding State Certified Technician, Institute of Geophysics, University of Münster

View more postcards at http://americangeophysicalunion.tumblr .com/tagged/postcards- from- the-fi eld. Mark Your Calendar 2016 Nominations Open 15 January

Nominate your colleagues for a prestigious AGU Prize, Award, Fellowship, or Medal

New Union Awards for 2016 Africa Award for Research Excellence in Earth and Space Science William Kaula Award

honors.agu.org