houck2040/artisci huggingface dataset:
study examines iceberg shifts in north atlanticjan 29 2014some heinrich events – periodic massive iceberg surges into the north atlantic that were previously thought to have weakened the global ocean conveyor belt circulation and sent earths climate into the deep freeze – may actually have been caused by changes in atmospheric circulation patterns say a team of researchers that includes two texas a&m university professorsmatthew schmidt associate professor of oceanography and ping chang professor of oceanography and atmospheric science and director of the texas center for climate studies along with colleagues from georgia tech princeton the woods hole oceanographic institution the university of cambridge and germanys university of bremen have had their findings published in the latest issue of nature geoscience to make this discovery the researchers studied the chemistry of shells produced by benthic foraminifera single-celled organisms that live near the sea floor these benthic foraminifera were collected from sediment cores recovered from the margins of the florida straits by studying the oxygen isotope composition of the shells the researchers were able to reconstruct past changes in florida current transport which is directly related to the strength of the global conveyor belt circulation researchers have known for years about heinrich events periods of extreme cold in the north atlantic these events were named for the geologist who first discovered them hartmut heinrich they occurred during the last ice age when immense icebergs broke loose from glaciers and as they melted deposited ice rafted debris on the sea floor six of these heinrich events have been identified and they are known as h1 through h6 while there is evidence that the last heinrich event that occurred around 17 000 years ago was indeed caused by a dramatic reduction in the oceans conveyor belt circulation our new reconstruction of ocean circulation patterns during some earlier heinrich events that occurred during the last ice age between 20 000 and 30 000 years ago did not reveal significant changes in ocean circulation schmidt explains nevertheless these heinrich events were experienced worldwide so they must have been transmitted via the atmosphere schmidt says that the study has important implications for our understanding of the mechanisms of abrupt climate change in the past the more we know about how climate changed in the past the better prepared we will be for predicting future climate variability new study examines iceberg movement photo: shutterstock
asian air pollution affecting worlds weatherjan 25 2014extreme air pollution in asia is affecting the worlds weather and climate patterns according to a study by texas a&m university and nasas jet propulsion laboratory researchersyuan wang a former doctoral student at texas a&m along with texas a&m atmospheric sciences professors renyi zhang and r saravanan have had their findings published in the current issue of nature communications using climate models and data collected about aerosols and meteorology over the past 30 years the researchers found that air pollution over asia – much of it coming from china – is impacting global air circulations the models clearly show that pollution originating from asia has an impact on the upper atmosphere and it appears to make such storms or cyclones even stronger zhang explains this pollution affects cloud formations precipitation storm intensity and other factors and eventually impacts climate most likely pollution from asia can have important consequences on the weather pattern here over north america chinas booming economy during the last 30 years has led to the building of enormous manufacturing factories industrial plants power plants and other facilities that produce huge amounts of air pollutants once emitted into the atmosphere pollutant particles affect cloud formations and weather systems worldwide the study shows increases in coal burning and car emissions are major sources of pollution in china and other asian countries air pollution levels in some chinese cities such as beijing are often more than 100 times higher than acceptable limits set by the world health organization standards zhang says one study has shown that lung cancer rates have increased 400 percent in some areas due to the ever-growing pollution problem conditions tend to worsen during winter months when a combination of stagnant weather patterns mixed with increased coal burning in many asian cities can create pollution and smog that can last for weeks the chinese government has pledged to toughen pollution standards and to commit sufficient financial resources to attack the problem the models we have used and our data are very consistent with the results we have reached saravanan says huge amounts of aerosols from asia go as high as six miles up in the atmosphere and these have an unmistakable impact on cloud formations and weather zhang adds that we need to do some future research on exactly how these aerosols are transported globally and impact climate there are many other atmospheric observations and models we need to look at to see how this entire process works yuan wang who conducted the research with zhang while at texas a&m currently works at nasas jet propulsion laboratory as a caltech postdoctoral scholar the study was funded by grants from nasa texas a&ms supercomputing facilities and the ministry of science and technology of china two chinese cylists ride near factory in northern china ( photo: epoch times)
dr mark everett professor of geology explains to bbc world reporters the ground penetrating radar used to uncover civil war fortifications on alcatraz island
barbara bayer assistant dean for finance and administration 9798621146
2015 agu fall meetingdec 21 2015more than 100 faculty staff and students from the college of geosciences at texas a&m attended the 48th annual meeting of agu in san francisco last week agu fall meeting poster hall this gathering attracts around 24 000 attendees from the most respected scientists across the globe to the aspiring students anxious to secure an employment opportunity networking or to further their education subjects on the agenda ranged from atmospheric sciences global environmental change and mineral and rock physics to planetary sciences ocean sciences techtonophysics and biogeosciences and many more geosciences faculty were very active in the presentations entering more than 50 presentations publications posters and discussions the prestigious agu meeting showcases the latest science usually before publication in over 1700 sessions and 23 000 presentations strategically grouped for certain interest topics for more information about the 2015 agu program visit http://fallmeetingaguorg/2015/
dr julie loisel completes her first semester in the college of geosciencesdec 7 2015dr julie loisel is about to complete her first semester as a faculty member within the college of geosciences dr loisel began her academic career at université de québec in montréal canada she studied physical geography for her undergraduate and masters degrees she pursued her phd in earth and environmental studies at lehigh university graduating in 2012 with the dissertation autogenic and allogenic controls on carbon dynamics in peatlands from alaska and patagonia loisel has over five years of experience as a teaching assistant and adjunct faculty at former universities her courses covered a range of material from the science of environmental issues and terrestrial ecosystem ecology to biogeography she brings these experiences to the classroom in the course on planet earth which she taught this fall among her academic endeavors loisel has conducted a large amount of external research she served as a visiting research scholar at texas a&m galveston in 2014 studying lignin phenols carbohydrates and amino acid extraction and analyses loisels latest post-doctoral research took place at the university of california los angeles focusing on climate change in the southwest and its impacts on terrestrial ecosystems loisel is the recipient of a multitude of awards and research grants including the alexander graham bell canada doctoral postgraduate scholarship awarded by the canadian government to one outstanding phd student this year loisel is also part of a large research grant from the national science foundation earth sciences division p2c2 program (paleo perspectives on climate change) to support research on water isotopes in peat mosses as proxies for understanding climate and atmospheric circulation changes in southern patagonia loisel participated in the project design and proposal writing for this grant loisel has 14 publications and has participated in more than 30 seminars and speaking engagements about her research topics she is also a member of the association of american geographers as well as a host of other scientific organizations by: emily peter ‘15
nick perez joins the college of geosciencesnov 9 2015tectonic basin analyst nick perez joins department geology and geophysicsnicholas perez in an assistant professor in the department of geology and geophysics he attended the university of texas where he received his bachelors and doctorate in geological sciences perezs research interests include investigating the dynamics of foreland and hinterland basins during active orogenesis sediment routing systems integrating stratigraphy geochronology geophysics and kinematics to link basin and deformation histories and understanding the role of structural inheritance on deformation and subsidence patterns perez has previous experience as a graduate research and teaching assistant as well as an undergraduate laboratory and field assistant at the university of texas in 2014 he was an invited speaker at texas a&m as well as the university of texas at dallas perez has over 10 scientific publications eight of which he is the main contributor he has also participated in extensive field experiences in the andes of bolivia argentina and peru as well as the canadian cordillera his dissertation research integrated stratigraphic structural and geochronologic constraints to determine the cenozoic deformation history of the central andes in southern peru future research interests include the permian basin of west texas the cascades in the pacific northwest and the atlas mountains in morocco assistant professor in the department of geology and geophysics nick perez
assistant professor in the department of geology and geophysics nick perez
meteorology student is awarded endowed scholarshipnov 3 2015meteorology student quinton a lawton of houston texas has been awarded one of 14 freshmen scholarships nationwide from the american meteorological societylawton received the 2015 american meteorological society/percival d wark and clara b (mackey) wark endowed scholarship the ams freshman undergraduate scholarship encourages high school students to pursue careers in the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences the scholarships are based on merit and are awarded to students who have shown the potential for accomplishment in these fields the award is $2 500 for nine months in the freshman year and an additional $2 500 for in the sophomore year based on performance in the first year dr david q wark a fellow of ams member and a united states federal employee for over a half-a-century endowed the ams named scholarship in honor of his late parents percival damon wark and clara belle (mackey) wark as stated by dr wark the establishment of this scholarship is prompted by the donors acknowledgment of the outstanding scientific and cultural leadership of the ams as well as its unique and universal position in promoting the science of meteorology it is fitting that percival d wark and clara b (mackey) wark should be memorialized in this milieu the american meteorological society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications founded in 1919 ams has a membership of more than 13 000 professionals professors students and weather enthusiasts quinton a lawton
air and water: geosciences experts speak at texas tribune festivaloct 16 2015three professors in the college of geosciences are speakers at the fifth annual texas tribune festival andrew dessler wendy jepson john nielsen-gammon wendy jepson associate professor in the department of geography and andrew dessler professor and john nielsen-gammon regents professor in the department of atmospheric sciences will be on two panels during the four-day event jepson is on the panel a water reality check at 8:30 am saturday oct 17 jepson has done extensive research on the environmental inequities in low-income rural and mexican-american neighborhoods along the texas-mexico border dessler and nielsen-gammon are on the panel the fight over climate at 9:50 am saturday oct 17 desslers research is in atmospheric chemistry climate change and climate change policy he has been a researcher at nasa and served as a senior policy analyst in the white house office of science and technology policy during the last year of the clinton administration nielsen-gammon is state climatologist a position he has held for 15 years he has traveled the state and nation giving hundreds of talks on the impacts of climate to organizations ranging from local farmers and ranchers to state and national associations and legislative bodies he has conducted extensive research on jet streams and extreme rainfall events and performed diagnostic analysis of ozone events in houston and dallas by karen riedel
the berg-hughes center symposium looks to the futureoct 7 2015symposium on oct 16 will assess the future of the energy industry including unconventional resources the future 50 will be held oct 16 in the annenberg presidential conference center this is the sixth annual symposium sponsored by the berg-hughes center for petroleum and sedimentary system with participation from the crisman institute for petroleum research this years conference honors the college of geosciences 50th anniversary we are also looking at the berg-hughes centers future research and educational direction said carlos dengo 78 director of the center the symposium opens with the status and perspectives of the berg-hughes center the crisman institute and the department of geology and geophysics dusty marshall 75 member of the geology and geophysics advisory council will present reflections on the life and lessons from robert r berg one of the centers namesakes and longtime professor department head and revered teacher and mentor the keynote address a geologists view: past present and future: how to prepare for a future in industry will be given by barry katz a chevron fellow and team leader for hydrocarbon charge in chevrons energy technology company program highlights include presentations on unconventional resources carbonate reservoirs basin modeling and industry-related geophysics the symposium is from 8 am to 5 pm with a reception following register on the berg-hughes center website
visiting scholars join the ocean discovery programoct 6 2015a deep biosphere program director and an earth-science communicator provide outreach and communications opportunities rebecca fowler rosalyn sylvan rosalynn sylvan joins iodp as a visiting scholar to collaborate in her role as managing director of the center for dark energy biosphere investigations (c-debi) an nsf-funded science and technology center headquartered at the university of southern california c-debi focuses on exploring life beneath the seafloor and making transformative discoveries that advance science benefit society and inspire people of all ages and origins sylvan has a research background in nutrient biogeochemistry with a phd in marine sciences from the university of georgia rebecca fowler is the communications and outreach director at the foundation for earth science which supports programs that establish and improve science-based end-to-end information systems and the broader earth science data and technology communities she has a background in science communication and education with experience creating initiatives for academic institutions and research laboratories that facilitate interest and participation in earth science fowler has a masters of science in education leadership and policy from portland state university
new program in geosciences triples enrollmentoct 1 2015in just one short year enrollment has increased by 170% in a popular new geotechnology program brian thomas a junior from ennis texas is the 100th student to enroll in the new degree program in geographic information science and technology (gist) thomas began his college career majoring in geography before joining the air force where he spent three years in the desert assigned to intelligence operations and satellite communications my experience in the air force showed me how much gis technology permeates all segments of society this field i believe holds untold potential and i am fascinated anyway by the tools and application thomas said students in the program which began in fall 2014 with an enroolment of 37 earn a bs degree in one of three tracks: computation design and analysis earth systems and analysis and human systems and society gist is administered through the department of geography brian thomas 100th gist student
geographer heads international organizationoct 1 2015sarah bednarz has been elected as president of the american association of geographersbednarz has been active in aag for more than 20 years holding offices at the regional and national levels her service activities especially focus on geography education including advanced placement commissions and studies standards and practice geography test development and curriculum and instruction committees she served as chair of the geography education research committee for the road map to 21st century geographic literacy nationwide initiative funded by the national science foundation that established a plan for large-scale improvement of k-12 geography education bednarz received her ab degree magna cum laude from mount holyoke college and an mat from the university of chicago she taught in illinois and the hearne and college station public schools for 18 years before earning her phd in geography education from texas a&m her many honors include being named the only presidential professor for teaching excellence in the college of geosciences she received the gilbert h grosvenor honors for geographic education from aag and the george j miller award from the national council for geographic education she has received both the association of former student distinguished achievement award at the university level (2004) and at the college level (1997) she served the college as associate dean for academic affairs from 2008–14 aag has more than 10 000 members from over 60 countries who share interests in the theory methods and practice of geography which they cultivate through the aags annual meeting scholarly journals (annals of the association of american geographers the professional geographer the aag review of books and geohumanities) and the online aag newsletter for which bednarz writes a monthly column dr sarah bednarz
journal article on fishing quota leases yields prizesep 30 2015texas sea grant marine economist andrew ropicki has received the 10thannual award for outstanding article by the journal marine resource economicsthe winning article social network analysis of price dispersion in fishing quota lease markets co-written with sherry l larkin presents research on how price differences occur in non-centralized quota lease markets due to informational asymmetries among market participants ropicki and larkin analyzed trading in ifq (individual fishing quota) markets using social network analysis the results indicated that quota traders with more network connections were able to negotiate better prices in the ifq market; and more generally that quota prices varied regionally for more information the full article can be accessed through the bioone database ropicki and larkin will be honored with a permanent engraved plaque housed in the nicholas school of the environment at duke university andrew ropicki
come tailgate with ussep 30 2015join the college of geosciences as it continues its 50th anniversary celebrations we will be at tent 44 in simpson drill field behind the albritton bell tower all faculty students staff former students and friends are invited to join in for food drink and fun before we btho mississippi state the tailgate is conveniently located at the front of the simpson drill field time to tailgate is 4 pm until saturday oct 3 a tv screen and sound stage will be available for those not fortunate enough to have tickets to the game for more information please contact karen riedel or robyn blackmon
tim logan joins atmospheric sciencessep 29 2015an atmospheric chemist with extensive teaching experience joins geosciencesafter teaching meteorology for a year as a visiting lecturer timothy logan has been appointed instructional assistant professor in atmospheric sciences logan received his phd and ms from the university of north dakota in atmospheric science with a concentration in atmospheric chemistry he received his bachelors degree from the university of virginia in environmental science with a concentration in geochemistry his research interests are the chemical and physical nature of mineral dust biomass burning and pollution aerosols and their influences on marine boundary layer clouds and deep convection he has developed an aerosol classification method based upon asian aerosols that can be used in other regions he has presented at various conferences and workshops on atmospheric chemistry physics aerosol properties and their connections to cloud physical properties deep convective processes and climate change dr timothy logan
elizabeth ramey '16 and allison pace '15 with steve dimarco onboard texas a&m-galveston's rv trident mckensie daugherty and lisa campbell use a lab-based imaging flow cytobot
new department head is named in geology and geophysicssep 28 2015michael pope is professor of geology and the new department head for geology and geophysicsmichael pope was born and reared in california were he attended community college in san diego before earning a bachelors degree in earth and space sciences from ucla in 1985 he earned an ms in geology from the university of montana in 1989 studying early cambrian carbonates in british columbia and the northwest territories canada mike earned his phd from virginia tech in 1995 working on ordovician carbonates in kentucky and virginia pope studied precambrian carbonates with john grotzinger during a post-doc at mit then worked at mobil pope taught at washington state university before coming to texas a&m in 2009 where he teaches carbonate and siliciclastic sequence stratigraphy and field camp pope also served as interim director of the berg-hughes center for petroleum and sedimentary systems popes research focuses mainly on integrating litho- chemo- and chronostratigraphy in a regional sequence stratigraphic framework to understand high-frequency and long-term climatic and oceanic processes affecting development of sedimentary successions especially in carbonate reservoirs using detrital zircon geochronology to understand sediment dispersal and large-scale tectonic processes pope and his students are currently working on microbial carbonate reservoirs slope and toe-of-slope carbonate rocks carbonate unconventional reservoirs and sediment dispersal of ordovican quartz arenites michael c pope