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EAS NEWS 2011 In this issue Message from the Chair Radar Deployment in Alaska EAS in the Marcellus Shale play Virginia Earthquake Argentine Field Camp and more... www.eas.cornell.edu

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Page 1: EAS NEWS 2011

EAS

NEW

S 20

11 In this issue

Message from the Chair

Radar Deployment in

Alaska

EAS in the Marcellus

Shale play

Virginia Earthquake

Argentine Field Camp

and more...

www.eas.cornell.edu

Page 2: EAS NEWS 2011

2

Wold Family Professorship in Environmental Balance for Human Sustainability

The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University is searching for a visionary Earth scientist to fill the new Wold Family Professorship in Environmental Balance for Human Sustainability. We seek candidates with significant experience and a strong reputation in the energy and/or minerals industry who can lead innovative research and establish connections between industry and academia. The appointment is a part-time position on a 5-year term (renewable). The position is ideally suited for an individual seeking flexibility for external commitments.

Sustaining human well-being while meeting the continuing needs to supply energy and mineral resources will require effective communication and a wise balancing of natural availability, new technologies, environmental systems, and human needs. The Wold Professor will be expected to conduct scientific research that helps the academic community, industry and government develop a sustainable supply of natural resources. Through classes, research projects, and other activities the Wold Professor will help students understand the scientific challenges and insights that relate to and derive from resources so that they can become global leaders in this field. The successful candidate will also be able to contribute to or lead faculty research teams that tap the very large range of capabilities available at Cornell. A PhD and at least 3 years of experience in the minerals, energy, or similar industries are required.

Applicants should submit a curriculum vita, a research statement, a statement summarizing teaching experience and goals, leadership efforts, contributions to diversity, and complete contact information for at least three references. An automated message will be sent. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, with review beginning on Oct 1, 2011. To apply: Application materials must be submitted on-line at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/840

The Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences and the College of Engineering at Cornell embrace diversity and seek candidates who will create a climate that attracts faculty and students of all races, nationalities and genders. Cornell University seeks to meet the needs of dual career couples, has a Dual Career program, and is a member of the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to assist with dual career searches. Visit http://www.unyherc.org to see positions available in higher education in the upstate New York area.

Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer.

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Page 3: EAS NEWS 2011

Newsletter created and edited by Judy Starr Contributing editors: Terry Jordan, Larry Brown, David Hysell, Matt Pritchard, Bruce Monger, Suzanne Kay, Chuck Greene, Steve Colucci

3

Larry D. Brown

Message from the Chair

Page 4: EAS NEWS 2011

Larry D. Brown, ChairSidney Kaufman Professor in Geophysicsgeophysics, seismology, ground penetrating radar, geotecton-ics; research areas include Montserrat,Taiwan, Tibet

Lawrence M. Cathles fl uid dynamics of the earth system, modeling crustal chemical change and resource formation

Gang Chentheory and modeling of the global circulation of the atmo-sphere; climate change and its regional impact

Christopher L. Andronicoslong-term evolution of the solid earth, specifi cally the deep crust and upper mantle

Warren D. Allmonpaleobiology, paleoecology, macroevolution, evolution of Cenozoic mollusks

Stephen J. Colucciclimatology and forecasting

Arthur T. DeGaetano, Assoc. Co-Chairclimatology, disease control, entomology

Louis A. Derrybiogeochemical processes in multiple time scales, elemental speciation and cycling in soil-plant-water systems and the role of atmospheric deposition

Charles H. Greeneoceanography, aquatic science, biocomplexity, conservation biology, ecology

David L. Hysellupper atmosphere and ionosphere, radar remote sensing, rede-fi ning the way radars are used to study the ionosphere; research facility locations include Alaska, Peru, and Puerto Rico

Teresa E. Jordan, J. Preston Levis Professor of Engineering stratigraphy, surface processes, sedimentary basins and forearc up-lift in Northern Chile, paleoclimate in the Central Andes, variability of sedimentary properties in the Marcellus shale in NYS, sustainable energy recovery from the earth

Suzanne M. Kay,William and Katherine Snee Professor in Geological

Sciences

petrology, geochemistry, and mineralogy; the relation of regional tectonics to magmatic processes at convergent margins, the forma-tion of the lower crust, the shape of subducting oceanic slabs, and the evolution of ore deposits; South American fi eld study.

Robert W. Kaygeochemical and petrologic aspects of the formation, modifi ca-tion and destruction of Earth’s crust

Natalie M. Mahowaldunderstanding global and regional scale atmospheric transport of biogeochemically important species such as desert dust

Jason Phipps Morgangeodynamics, computational geodynamics, marine geology and geophysics, impacts/explosive volcanism

Rowena B. Lohmanglobal geophysics, advanced seismology, earthquake record reading, and active tectonics

Matthew E. Pritchardgeophysics, glaciology, geodesy, tectonics, and volcanology, optical and radar satellite remote sensing

Susan J. RihaCharles L. Pack Professorplant-environment modeling, environmental biophysics, ecohydrol-ogy, climate change, forest soils, land use change, water resources

William M. Whiteisotope geochemistry, mantle evolution, magmatic processes at mid-ocean ridges and oceanic islands

Daniel S. Wilksstatistical meteorology and climatology

John L. Cisneevolution of the earth systems, paleobiology, population and community paleoecology, biometric study of evolution and stratigraphic distribution, sedimentology, sea-level change

Mark W. WysockiSr. Lecturermeteorology, air pollution,weather analysis, fl uid dynamics

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Page 5: EAS NEWS 2011

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2011 2011 Kaufman INSTOC SymposiumKaufman INSTOC Symposium

Origin and Evolution of the Continental CrustOrigin and Evolution of the Continental Crust

Session I: The PresentKevin Burke (University of Houston)Walter Mooney (USGS Menlo Park)

Paola Vanucchi (University of Florence)Richard Carlson (Carnegie Insti tuti on of Washington)

Susanne Kay (Cornell University)

Session II: The PastScott Samson (Syracuse University)

Jeff Vervoort (Washington State University)Chris Hawkesworth (St. Andrews University)

Session III: ProcessesChris Andronicos (Cornell University)

Peter Kelemen (Lamont-Doherty, Columbia University)Robert Kay (Cornell University)

The 2011 Kaufman INSTOC Symposium was held on September 26, 2011. Newly appointed Jack Oliver Visiti ng Professor Roberta Rudnick, from the University of Maryland, was keynote speaker for the event. Guest speakers presented talks in one of three segments of the themed symposium: The Present, The Past, and Processes. Larry Cathles, Director of INSTOC, and others in the department reported that they received many positi ve reviews following this well-att ended symposium.

Roberta RudnickOliver Visiti ng Professor

Institute for the study of the continents

usgs.gov

Page 6: EAS NEWS 2011

Marcellus - The Importance of Earth Sciences:

Recognizing the risks and advantages;

coming up with solutions

EAS members work with faculty from across Cornell in examining the energy transiti ons that face the U.S., using the Marcel-lus shale development as a case study. EAS members Terry Jordan, Susan Riha, Rob Ross, Jeff Tester, and Mary Helen Cathles, with the Energy Transiti ons study group, are bringing university-wide experti se to bear in describing the trade-off s involved in exploitati on of shale gas, or the possible decision to not exploit this resource. Cornell is well positi oned to study the sys-tem of technical, environmental, and social issues. For the nati on in total, parti es with widely divergent opinions about en-vironmental and economic values need to work together. Similarly, the Cornell eff orts are moti vated by the desire to bring experts together for a shared system-wide understanding irrespecti ve of individual opinions about whether they favor or oppose shale gas development in central New York.

A white paper issued by the group, available on the web at:htt p://www.sustainablefuture.cornell.edu/att achments/ETransi-ti ons-WhitePaperMaster-22Sep2010.pdf. frames the importance and objecti ves: “Given energy’s criti cal role in the econ-omy, our way of life, the global power balance, the balance of trade, and the environment, we must learn how to manage many diff erent energy transiti ons wisely and eff ecti vely. ... As New York State’s Land Grant University with a Cooperati ve Extension system that links research acti viti es to the public, Cornell can and should assist the state’s populati on to integrate the new energy system knowledge into their decisions and acti ons.”

MMarcellus -- the rocksarcellus -- the rocks

Teresa Jordan Photos

Left : M.S. student Ceren Karaca, supervised by Terry Jordan, is exam-ining in detail the vari-ability of the Marcellus shale, observed and sampled in the walls of quarries located near the northern ends of the Finger Lakes. Her objec-ti ve is to relate the vari-able properti es of the shale to its sequence strati graphy. Studies such as this help refi ne our knowledge of geol-ogy, which can then be applied to evaluati ng the resource and the risks.Right: Ceren prepares samples in the lab.

Dan Katz CALS ‘11 completed a senior thesis, “Pore Structure and Gas Storage Mechanisms in the Marcellus Shale,” in May 2011. Supervised by Larry Cathles, Dan’s thesis relied on observati ons made with the cutti ng-edge nanoscale imaging faciliti es available on campus. Katz investi gated nanoscale porosity within the bitumen matrix of the shale. He found that the surface area of the pores in the bitumen is correlated to the amount of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) as long as the TOC is relati vely large, but that in samples with litt le TOC the pores seem to have been squeezed shut.

In this new research directi on, academic researchers need to communicate closely with the experts from industry, regulatory agencies, environmental advocacy groups, and communiti es, to incorporate state-of-the-art knowledge into the research program. Alumni and friends in industry have helped greatly with basic educati on, including campus visits by Richard Chuchla (ExxonMobil) BA ‘78, Bill Langin (Shell) PhD ‘03, Lindell Bridges (EQT), Kevin Bohacs (ExxonMobil), John Marti n (NYSERDA)6

Marcellus -- the environmental challengesMarcellus --

Page 7: EAS NEWS 2011

Impacts on water resources that are certain, (planned for), as well as impacts that are un-certain (accidents), must be addressed through risk assessment, preventati ve practi c-es, and reporti ng and monitoring structures. The NYS Water Resources Insti tute’s Direc-tor, Susan Riha and postdoc, Brian Rahm, have illustrated a framework for assessing water resource impacts from shale gas drilling. They state that disti nguishing between certain and uncertain events is important from both a public policy and communicati ons perspecti ve. Their recommendati ons can be found on the WRI web site at: htt p://wri.eas.cornell.edu. /gas_wells.html.

“Unfortunately, events having negati ve impacts on water resources will occur. New York has an opportunity to plan for and miti gate these im-pacts, as well as an obligati on to communicate to residents both the risks and responsibiliti es inherent in gas development and its regulati on. Industry and regulators can employ methods that address and manage the range of possible negati ve impacts on water resources associ-ated with shale gas drilling, as well as develop transparent monitoring and reporti ng systems that assure the public that shale gas drilling is occurring in a manner that protects our water resources.“ - Riha and Rahm

Left : Director of The Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Frank DiSalvo (right) pres-ents a fi rst prize award to Profs. Al George (left ) and Terry Jordan (center) for their post-er submission ti tled, “A Systems Research Approach to Regional Energy Transiti ons: The Case of Marcellus Shale Gas Development.” The ACSF hosted the Sustainability Com-mitt ee of the Cornell Council for a poster exhibit and competi ti on in October 2010.

In the Fall 2010

s e m e s t e r , s t u d e n t s in EAS 4 0 1 0 / 5 0 1 0

Fundamentals of Energy and Mineral Resources, taught by Larry Cathles, conducted a study comparing wind, solar,nuclear, and Marcellus gas as a cleaner and more sustainablereplacement for the AES Cayuga coal burning power plant.Criteria for the evaluati on were: capital input, electrical cost, land use, renewability, social/politi cal feasibility, externaliti es and suitability. The Finger Lakes Energy Choicesweb site includes student presentati ons and additi onal informati on: htt p://sites.google.com/site/fi ngerlakesenergy-choices/. In the 2011 class, updates to the study will compare road use, maintenance, etc. for the above opti ons. Cathles will speak at the Tompkins County Climate Protecti on Initi ati ve (TCCPI) meeti ng in October.

Rob Ross, EAS adjunct and associate director for outreach at the Paleontological Research Insti tuti on, has teamed

with Cornell’s Cooperati ve Extension to provide outreach as part of an award from the Nati onal Science Foundati on. Ross’s group designed, wrote, and is distributi ng pamphlets for the public on topics including: “Why the Geology Matt ers,” “Making the Earth Shake: Understanding Induced Seismicity,” “Understanding Naturally Occurring Radioacti ve Material in the Marcellus Shale,” “Jointi ng and Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale,” and “Understanding Life Cycle Assessments.” See PRI’s outreach informati on at:http://www.museumoftheearth.org /outreach.php?page=92387.

Larry Brown, PhD ‘76, is conducti ng pilot studies of microseismicity, gathering data on the background level of seismic acti vity against which one can compare changes that might be induced by drilling acti vity. Rick Allmendinger, BA ‘75, recognized the public’s need for a set of illustrati ons of the shale distributi on that is visually easy to grasp, and has made a slide set available on the internet.

For fl owback water from hydrofracking of Uranium-rich black shales like the Marcellus, Bob Kay is counti ng gamma radiati on associated with Radium 226 decay (1600 year half life). With the low-background Snee Hall gamma spectrometers and energy and acti vity calibrati ons using certi fi ed gamma sources, he can determine the absolute acti vity using the 352 Kev gamma peak (from Pb214, a daughter of Ra226). The purpose is to determine the concentrati on of Radium in the fl owback water; high concentrati ons have been reported. Additi onally, the values for a ti me series of fl owback samples bear directly on the pathways of the fracking fl uid.

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CALS Science of Earth Systems senior Ben Currens is in the midst of a study of the trace elements in the Marcellus shale (Derry and Jordan, supervisors). The trace elements (graphs at right show some data) contribute to the risks of shale gas development with current technologies, and are a tracer of the interacti ons of the injected fl uids with the shale.

Marcellus -- the environmental challengesthe environmental challenges

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Professor Susan Riha with students on EAS 3010 fi eld trip.

Page 8: EAS NEWS 2011

The third editi on of Stati sti cal Methods in the Atmospheric Sciences, by Professor

Dan Wilks, was published this spring. Wilks’ work involves applicati on of stati sti cal methods to quanti fy uncertainty in meteorological and

climatological data and forecasts in a variety of contexts.

Sr. Lecturer Mark Wysocki was chosen to receive one of four 2011 Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial

Advising Awards. The award recognizes “sustained and disti nguished contributi ons of professorial faculty and senior lecturers to undergraduate advising.”

The 15 Cyclone Workshop was held March 27 - April 1, 2011 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Monterey, CA.

Professor Steve Colucci spoke at a session on “anti cyclones”- fair weather high pressure systems - during the workshop. Colucci presented his recent research showing how “block-ing” anti cyclones near the earth’s surface can interact with the atmospheric circulati on farther aloft to prolong the block-ing eff ect of the anti cyclone. The ti tle of his presentati on was “Stratosphere-troposphere interacti ons during tropospheric anti cyclogenesis”. For his talk Steve wore an “I H” t-shirt that one of his students bought him. The graphic indicates windcirculati ng around the H as if it were an anti cyclone.

The 19th U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes Operati onal Meteorol-ogy Workshop (GLOM) was held at Cornell in Bradfi eld Hall

March 21-23, 2011. Hosts included the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and the Nati onal Weather Service Forecast Offi ces at Binghamton and Buff alo, NY. The GLOM workshops are designed to bring forecasters of all experience levels together to address the challenges of forecasti ng in the Great Lakes area, and to share knowledge, experience and techniques.

CCAMS, Cornell Chapter of the American Meteorological Society, welcomed alums to the Ninth Annual Alumni

Weekend April 29 and 30, 2011. Events included a welcome recepti on, panel discussion, outdoor games and a barbeque. CCAMS has also launched a new website: htt p://ccams.eas.cornell.edu. Their informati ve newslett er, Ithacati on, can be accessed from the website!

Daniel Rothenberg ‘11 has been named the 2011 winner of the American Meteorological Society’s Macelwane

Award, annually presented in recogniti on of an outstanding undergraduate research paper in the atmospheric sciences. Daniel’s award-winning paper, “Volcano impacts on climate and biogeochemistry“, was writt en as a senior honors thesis in CALS under the directi on of Professor Natalie Mahowald. This is the third consecuti ve year, and fourth ti me in the last fi ve years, that a Cornell student has won this award. The previous award winners were Eowyn Connolly-Brown ‘10, Leon Nguyen ‘09 and Owen Shieh ‘07.

Liz Colucci Photo

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Page 9: EAS NEWS 2011

Working with collaborators from the University of Alaska Working with collaborators from the University of Alaska Anchorage, a team from EAS/Cornell university has Anchorage, a team from EAS/Cornell university has deployed a new radar station in Homer, Alaska. The purpose deployed a new radar station in Homer, Alaska. The purpose of the station is to observe VHF backscatter from the of the station is to observe VHF backscatter from the aurora during geomagnetically disturbed periods. Along aurora during geomagnetically disturbed periods. Along with optical signatures, the aurora also has features which with optical signatures, the aurora also has features which can be observed by radar, the so-called “radio aurora.” can be observed by radar, the so-called “radio aurora.” The radar echoes thus obtained contain information The radar echoes thus obtained contain information about ionospheric plasma waves and instabilities driven about ionospheric plasma waves and instabilities driven by auroral currents, their intensity, drifts, and about by auroral currents, their intensity, drifts, and about associated plasma turbulence. We study the aurora to associated plasma turbulence. We study the aurora to better understand the coupling between the Earth’s better understand the coupling between the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere and the solar wind and ionosphere and magnetosphere and the solar wind and the sun, paying close attention to effects on human activity the sun, paying close attention to effects on human activity caused by solar activity and the resulting “space weather”.caused by solar activity and the resulting “space weather”.

The radar in question and the algorithms used for data The radar in question and the algorithms used for data analysis were developed at Cornell. The radar employs analysis were developed at Cornell. The radar employs software-defined receivers and solid-state transmitters software-defined receivers and solid-state transmitters and can be operated remotely and autonomously over the and can be operated remotely and autonomously over the internet. The radar uses multiple, spaced antennas for re-internet. The radar uses multiple, spaced antennas for re-ception and utilizes aperture synthesis imaging techniques ception and utilizes aperture synthesis imaging techniques familiar to radio astronomers to create three-dimensional familiar to radio astronomers to create three-dimensional images of the auroral scatterers. Animated sequences of images of the auroral scatterers. Animated sequences of images give a vivid account of auroral dynamics which images give a vivid account of auroral dynamics which can be combined with optical images and other in situ can be combined with optical images and other in situ and remote sensing datasets, yielding an incisive picture and remote sensing datasets, yielding an incisive picture of auroral phenomenology. The radar is situated in Homer of auroral phenomenology. The radar is situated in Homer so as to share a common volume with another large radar so as to share a common volume with another large radar deployed by NSF near Fairbanks and with the Poker Flat deployed by NSF near Fairbanks and with the Poker Flat Research Range, a University of Alaska Fairbanks facility Research Range, a University of Alaska Fairbanks facility from which NASA sounding rockets are regularly launched.from which NASA sounding rockets are regularly launched.

Engaged in the research are Cornell graduate students Engaged in the research are Cornell graduate students Rob Miceli and Eliana Nossa and PI David Hysell. Together Rob Miceli and Eliana Nossa and PI David Hysell. Together with colleagues and students at UAA, they will undertake with colleagues and students at UAA, they will undertake regular observations of natural and artificially-generated regular observations of natural and artificially-generated auroral plasma irregularities beginning this August.

New Radar Station Deployed in AlaskaNew Radar Station Deployed in Alaska

auroral phenomenology auroral phenomenology observedobserved

Submitted by David Hysell

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Page 10: EAS NEWS 2011

Quake Chasers: Students study aftershocks of Quake Chasers: Students study aftershocks of the August 23, 2011 M5.8 Earthquake in Virginiathe August 23, 2011 M5.8 Earthquake in VirginiaSubmitt ed by Larry Brown

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EAS acti viti es on August 23rd of this year were brought to a virtual standsti ll when seismic waves from an unusually large earthquake in central Virgin-ia arrived at the Cornell campus to remind everyone that California is not the only state with an earth-quake problem. Although the Virginia earthquake occurred in a region that has experienced small shocks in the past, this was the largest event to occur in the east-central US since instrumental recordings have been available. More signifi cantly, this earth-quake provided an unprecedented opportunity to study the phenomena of “intraplate seismicity”, that is, those earthquakes that are not explained by the central principals of plate tectonics, which hold that most earthquakes occur along well defi ned plate boundaries such as the San Andreas fault. The cause of intraplate earthquakes remains a fundamental mystery and the cause of such earthquakes in the central and eastern US, far from any modern plate boundary, are a special problem. This is because the earth’s crust in this region is far more effi cient at propagati ng seismic waves than that west of the Rocky Mountains, so that even a moderately large earthquake can be felt over a much larger region than a similar sized event in the west. Moreover, due in part to their rarity, it has been diffi cult to as-sociate earthquakes in the east with specifi c faults in the earth.

The Virginia event is of special interest to scien-ti sts at Cornell because it occurs within the Appa-lachians, the topographic remnant of an ancient collision between superconti nents that culminated over 200 million years ago. Cornell’s COCORP project pioneered in the study of the deep structure of the Appalachian’s in the 1970’s, leading to a model for the formati on of the Appalachian crust that is key to understanding its possible reacti vati on in the form of modern seismicity.

Because of this background, the proximity of the epicenter to Ithaca, and our current interest in nov-el methods of using earthquakes to image crustal structure, Cornell faculty members Rowena Lohman, Matt Pritchard and myself , together with a group of intrepid graduate students and undergraduate

students led by Bill Barnhart, Diego Quiros, Chen Chen and Kieran Dunne decided to mount a seat-of-the -pants eff ort to record aft ershocks using a novel deployment of seismic instruments that had not yet been used for this purpose. Our goal was to dem-onstrate how a dense array of seismographs could not only provide much more accurate locati on of af-tershocks to delineate the acti ve fault involved, but how these aft ershocks could be used like acousti c “fl ashbulbs” to provide images of crustal structure related to such faulti ng.

With ti me of the essence, Cornell grads left for Vir-ginia two days aft er the mainshock, to meet up with students from Virginia Tech to deploy the seismic grid before the aft ershocks ceased and before the arrival of the impending hurricane Irene made deployment impossible. The fi rst group of seismometers was put in the ground just as the edge of Irene hit the study area. This network was expanded a few days later to record additi onal data that is criti cal to understand-ing the impact of this earthquake on the nearby nu-clear power stati on at North Anna, Virginia.

We are now working with scienti sts from Virgin-ia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey to ana-lyze what we feel is a unique earthquake data-set, one which may change the way in which all earthquakes are studied in the future. Although we began this eff ort with no clear funding, we were subsequently successful in getti ng a RAPID proposal funded by the NSF to cover the acquisi-ti on costs, and look forward to additi onal fund-ing to carry out the novel processing that we are beginning to apply.

While the full impact of our experiment on the science of earthquake seismology and our un-derstanding of intraplate earthquakes is not yet clear, it is clear that this potenti ally ground-breaking experiment would not have been possi-ble without the enthusiasm and hard work of our students and the ti mely encouragement of one of our alumni (Walter Mooney of the USGS).

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Page 11: EAS NEWS 2011

D. Hysell Photos

Cornell graduate student Diego Quiros digs a hole in Virginia soil where one of the team’s seismometers is to be positi oned.

Pres. Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes and Emeritus Professor Muawia Barazangi examine the seismograph’s earthquake readings soon aft er the quake.

Rowena Lohman is interviewed by one of the area’s many news crews who came to Snee Hall following the East coast earthquake. Later, Lohman poses next to the seismograph.

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Collapsed carport photo taken by graduate student Bill Barnhart who was the fi rst Cornell student to arrive in VA aft er the earthquake.

Bill Barnhart Photo

Page 12: EAS NEWS 2011

Photos courtesy of Scott Henderson and Eva Golos12

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Page 13: EAS NEWS 2011

Starting in 1996, Cornell University and the University of

Buenos Aires (UBA) in Argentina partnered in a unique educational experience: a bilingual course in fi eld geology that had a “classroom” in western Argentina showing arguably the world’s widest range of text-book geologic features and history within 150 miles. At its fi fteenth birthday and with questions about the future evolution of the course, we review some of the course’s many highlights.

The Cornell portion of the course is called EAS 4170: Geological Field Course in the Andean Mountains of Argentina and has been taught by Prof. Suzanne Kay through the Cornell summer program. The University of Buenos Aires portion was until recently headed by Prof. Victor Ramos, long time collaborator with Cornell’s Geological Sciences faculty, and is now in the hands of Prof. Graciela Vujovich and Dr. Daniel Perez who have both participated since the course’s inception in Argentina. Other UBA faculty have participated including Ernesto Cristallini, a former Cornell postdoc. Matt Gorring, now an associate professor of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State University, participated as a Cornell PhD student. Over the years, several Argentine and Cornell graduate students have served as teaching assistants for the course, taught during winter break for the UBA in Argentina.

The fi eld course involves a series of distinct fi eld projects spanning the Precambrian to Recent record of a transect of the Argentine Andean mountains in the provinces of

San Juan and Mendoza. The fi eld exercises start near the city of San Juan where the students study the Paleozoic and Precambrian ductilly deformed rocks of the Laramide style Pie de Palo uplift and the fault scarp from the 1944 earthquake that devasted the city and helped propel Juan Peron and his wife Evita to international fame. The students then map a cross section of the Precordillera of a thin-skinned fold and thrust belt along the San Juan River, and study the transition from thin to thick skinned thrusting and change in fault vergence. The area is world-famous as a modern analogue to the Tertiary Laramide shallow subduction zone and how the Rocky Mountains were formed in the western U.S. and as the region of the Cuyania terrane (sometimes called the Precordillera terrane) that is thought to have separated from the southern Appalachians and Ouachitas in the earliest Paleozoic. Exposures include Ordovician ophiolites, a complete ignimbrite and Tertiary foreland basin deposits. Several exercises then focus on a complex series of deformational events including the Triassic rifting preceding the break-up of the Pangea supercontinent, terrane collision, and modern Andes mountain building. The students then travel west into the heart of the Frontal and Main Andes Cordillera where they can view among other features the Andean foreland basin, the fold and thrust belt and magmatism that lifted Aconcagua to be the highest peak in the western hemisphere.

The fi eld course forces students to become careful observers in the fi eld and to grapple with confl icting data to unravel the geological history of a

region. These skills are highly prized by graduate schools and employers, especially in the hydrocarbon industry. In fact, the Shell Oil Company has provided fi nancial support for the fi eld course and Prof. Suzanne Kay has been recognized as an outstanding educator from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for her work in the fi eld course. The course also serves as a study abroad opportunity where students learn about a different culture and educational system and have an opportunity to really use their foreign language skills if they have studied Spanish.

Since 1996 the fi eld course has been offered through Cornell twelve times and involved almost 400 students - about 75 Cornell students and teaching assistants, 75 U.S. students from more than 30 other U.S. universities (with the most coming from Harvard) enrolled in the Cornell summer school, and ~250 Argentine students (mostly from the University of Buenos Aires, but also the University of San Juan and other Argentine universities as well as from Brazil and Uruguay). A number of non-regular Cornell students and Argentine students who have attended the fi eld course have applied to Cornell for graduate school with several matriculating over the years.

The joint Cornell-UBA Argentine fi eld course has been a rewarding experience for students -- several have set up web pages devoted to the course and all have forged fond lifetime memories and friendships.

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Page 14: EAS NEWS 2011

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Oceanography Professor Chuck Greene helped kick off the third annual Sustainable Earth, En-ergy, and Environmental Sys-tems series with a talk focused on “Getting to 350”, which refers to stabilizing atmospheric CO

2 con-

centration at 350 parts per mil-lion (ppm), a target that scientists agree we need to achieve by the end of this century if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change. “Because of the climate system’s memory, the time window is rela-tively narrow for society to fi nd solutions that avoid dangerous and largely irreversible rises in tem-perature, sea level, and the inci-dence of extreme weather events.”

In his talk, Greene discussed how the world’s best scientifi c thinkers are attempting to come up with workable solutions to the challenge of replacing fossil carbon-based energy with more sustainable alternatives, such as algal bioenergy. Greene empha-sized that to reach the 350 goal, society will need to develop geo-engineering techniques that capture CO

2 directly from the at-

mosphere. His conceptual model incorporates energy derived from algae to generate the power that would be necessary. This ambi-tious approach would require a

billion-dollar investment to im-plement at a commercial scale. Greene stated that “society can only be successful in getting to 350 by century’s end if it supple-ments aggressive greenhouse gas emission reductions with CO2 removal from the atmosphere and subsequent sequestration”.

“Tour de Frac”, a cycling event in Ithaca, NY, was held on

September 24th associated with the Moving Planet acti viti es being

organized by350.org.

www.tourdefrac.org

Jay Hart topographic art

Getting to 350:Stabilizing Atmospheric CO2 Concentration

Students return from hydroacoustic studies of humpback whales in the Conservation Oceanography course taught by Chuck Greene in EAS’s Earth & Environmental Systems Sustainability Semester in Hawaii.

Impact of Mesoscale Ocean Eddies on Global Ocean Productivity

Oceanographers in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (Drs. Bruce Monger and Nelson Hogg) are working on a NASA spon-sored project aimed at better understanding the impact of mesoscale ocean eddies on global ocean primary production. Mesoscale ocean eddies are ubiquitous throughout the global ocean. Vertical motions driven by dynamics within the center of mesoscale eddies have been strongly implicated as an important mechanism for the delivery of plant nutrients to the euphotic zone of the upper ocean and the subse-quent enhancement of global ocean primary production. Addition-ally, horizontal divergence of the ocean surface layer this is forced by the action of surface wind stress over the center of ocean eddies is also suspected to make an important contribution to vertical mo-tions, and associated nutrient fl ux, within the center of ocean eddies.Drs. Monger and Hogg are merging global satellite data collected over a ten year period from three separate orbiting satellites to more fully examine the response of ocean productivity to the com-bined actions of mesoscale eddy dynamics and ocean wind forc-ing. Ocean color measurements derived from the SeaWiFS satellite sensor was used to estimate surface ocean chlorophyll concentra-tion and ocean primary production. Global imagery of sea surface height, derived from a constellation of orbiting satellite altimeters, was used to identify the mesoscale ocean eddy fi eld. Global pat-terns of surface vector wind stress were derived from data col-lected by the orbiting QuickScat scatterometer. The movements of individual eddies were tracked throughout the lifetime of each respective eddy by another group of oceanographers at Oregon State University and shared with the EAS oceanographers (Figure 1). Drs. Monger and Hogg have combined the globally-tracked eddy information (location, spatial diameter and sea surface height) with satellite-derived observations of surface chlorophyll concentration, primary production, and vector winds to conduct a Lagrangian study of the biological response to eddy-wind interactions throughout the lifetime of each individual eddy. The study examined tens of thou-sands of individually tracked eddies that formed between 1998 and 2009. Due to the high number of eddies examined in this study have thus far been able for the fi rst time to largely confi rm our ba-sic understanding of eddy-wind impact on ocean biology with a high level of statistical confi dence. Ongoing work aims to refi ne our understanding of spatial and temporal variations in the strength of the primary production response to eddy-wind interactions.

of tracked eddy diameters and strengths. Eddy diameters are to scale, Eddy strength is depicted by the relative height of the central cone. Taller cones de-pict greater strength. White fi gures are anticyclonic (clockwise spinning) ed-dies and black fi gures are cyclonic (counter clockwise spinning) eddies.

Tour de Frac

MOVING PLANET

Page 15: EAS NEWS 2011

Chris Duncan received his

Ph.D. in Geologi-cal Sciences from Cornell Univer-sity in 1997 af-ter earning his B.A. in Geology and Physics from Middlebury Col-lege. At Middle-bury, he took an Earth systems

course that really changed his view of the planet. An inspiring instructor prompted him to consider broadening his major (Physics). With that advice, Chris explored other opti ons and became a joint Geology-Physics major.

In the years between his undergraduate and graduate educati on, Duncan’s interest in computers led him to employment for several years as a soft ware project leader at a medical and scienti fi c company where he worked on soft ware developing medical imaging systems, and then had a short sti nt at Microsoft before considering graduate school.

West coast schools were on Chris’ radar initi ally, but Cornell was inviti ng because of its diff erent opti ons of support, the geog-raphy, and, among other things, a welcom-ing vibe. Duncan liked the “big thinking” of the faculty. He felt that more than at other insti tuti ons he visited, Cornell faculty liked to step back and take a look at the systems and the big picture. With strong interest in fi eld geology and his computer background, some of the Cornell professors parti cularly caught Chris’ att enti on. One was Rick All-

mendinger, a fi eld geologist who did a lot of coding and modeling as well. Chris talked with Muawia Barazangi and also his future advisor, Bryan Isacks who worked with digital imaging and was tuned in to NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth (putti ng up new earth-imaging satellites). The work was intriguing to Chris and they needed the help, so he chose Cornell. He found that the people in the Geological Sciences de-partment were very accessible and visible which was very sti mulati ng to him. Being a lover of outdoors and a self professed rock hound type of kid, Duncan sti ll misses the geography of Ithaca – especially its gorges.

Aft er Cornell, Duncan joined the faculty at the University of Massachusett s, Amherst. From 1998 - 2004 he taught courses in GIS and remote sensing - tools and methodolo-gies he had acquired during his graduate studies at Cornell - and seminars in geomor-phology, topography, and tectonics.

In 2004, Chris embarked on a new venture. With his combined computer experti se and GIS and remote sensing background, he started a consulti ng business called GISmat-ters. Their specialti es include GIS, map-ping, business intelligence, remote sensing image processing, database development and programming, and web-based map ap-plicati on development. While focusing on geoscience-related applicati ons, they also do work for businesses such as site selec-ti on, market analysis, and developing web-based business informati on systems. Chris has found his Cornell connecti ons a valuable part of his current career. He’s worked for alum Weldon Beauchamp producing high resoluti on digital elevati on models and sur-

face cover maps derived from multi -spectral satellite imagery for Beauchamp’s oil and gas ventures. He’s also done work for Ben Brooks, a researcher at the Hawai’i Insti tute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, reviving and updati ng a fault-work computer model developed with Jeff Masek (NASA) while at Cornell. Chris tapped alumnus, Jon Pelleti er, now a pro-fessor in Geosciencs at the University of Ari-zona, for help with fl ood modeling as part of a multi -hazard analysis GISmatt ers was con-tracted to perform for several hundred U.S. Department of State embassies and consul-ates aft er the 2004 Indonesian earthquake and tsunami. Duncan’s business is success-ful, but he would like to do even more. He is acti vely looking for opportuniti es to partner with leading research and business insti tu-ti ons to develop new products and services leveraging his experti se in implement-ing soft ware soluti ons related to mapping and imaging, earth systems, informati on and visualizati on technology, and the web.

Refl ecti ng on the recent passing of icon Steve Jobs, Duncan off ered his own take on stepping out of one’s comfort zone: “Don’t put limits on yourself – let life set those. Don’t be steered into certain path-ways just because it seems easier; get out there and really push in the directi on you want to go. Take the ti me to identi fy the things you want to do and then do them without fear and without second guess-ing or worrying about the outcome.”

Chris and his wife live in Amherst, Massa-chusett s with their four children.

Warren Allmon enjoys the opportunity to share his passion with audiences like the ones pictured above. Allmon, an EAS professor and Director of the Paleontological Research Insti tuti on, is keen to establish even closer ti es between PRI and Cornell in areas of educati on, research, and outreach. He gave his talk: “How Paleontology Can Save the

World” to visiti ng alumni both in Snee Hall and at the PRI’s Museum of the Earth during Reunion 2011 week. EAS and PRI now share a combined booth in Barton Hall which showcases specimens brought from the Museum along with minerals and a mini seismograph from Snee Hall during Reunion week and also during New Student Check-In each fall.

Warren Allmon presents special lecture to Alums during Reunion 2011 week:How Paleontology Can Save the World

“Terremoti, tsunami, uragani e altre catastrofi”EAS Prof. Bill White presented a special lecture on Saturday of Cornell’s Reunion 2011 week. He gave his talk ti tled, “Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other catastrophies”. White also delivered this as a public talk during “Festi val delle Scienze 2011: Istruzioni per l’uso” in Rome in January. Though Bill gave it in English, the following is a link to the translati on audio recording done simultaneously: htt p://www.auditorium.com/eventi /4987382

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ry

Page 16: EAS NEWS 2011

Programs Coordinator, Savannah Sawyer, provides helpful information to SES majors at an orientation meeting in August 2011.

AWARDSUNDERGRADUATEChester Buchanan Memorial Award - Andrew ZuzaMichael W. Mitchell Prize - Catherine Kim, Molly Moynihan, Nathan WilliamsFrank H.T. Rhodes Award - Patrick Nadeau

Additi onal Undergraduate Awards:

Atmospheric Science:Daniel Rothenberg - CALS Academic Excellence Award; AMS: Richard and Helen Hagemeyer ScholarshipJonathan Kirk - Forecasti ng Award, 3rd Place

Science of Earth Systems:Andreas Mavrommati s - Engineering Learning Initi ati ves Undergraduate Research AwardMolly Moynihan - Chinese Government Scholarship; Woods Hole Summer Fellowship; Engineering Global FellowPatrick Nadeau - CALS Academic Excellence in a Double Major AwardElizabeth Petsios - S. Ann and Robert R. Morley Student Research Grant; The Geological Society of America Northeastern Secti on Undergraduate Research GrantNathan Williams - Irwin and Joan Jacobs Scholarship; George Alfred Kiersch and Jane Keith Kiersch ScholarshipAndrew Zuza - CALS Academic Excellence Award; Engineering Learning Initi ati ves Undergraduate Research Award: Keck-ExxonMobil Enhanced Grant

GRADUATEEstwing Award - Chao ShiThe Bryan Isacks Excellence in Teaching Award - Kyle TrostleDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Excellence in Research Award - Bill BarnhartMeyer Bender Memorial Scholarship - Chen Chen

PhD recipients Chao Shi, Herdis Schopka, and Joey Rosario

Science of Earth Systems Undergraduates at Snee Hall’s Commencement ceremony

Lee Bender presents the Meyer Bender Memorial Scholarship to Chen Chen (CC)

Students at work in (left) EAS 4760 and (center) EAS 4780 classes held in Snee Hall. Right: Students from the EAS 1420 Fall 2011 Freshman Writing Seminar being taught by Deborah Sills, visited the Lake Source CoolingFacility in Ithaca. The Cornell University Facilities Services Energy and Sustainability website provides more in-formation about the facility: http://energyandsustainability.fs.cornell.edu/util/cooling/production/lsc/default.cfm.

Atmospheric Science Undergraduates at Bradfi eld Hall’s Commencement ceremony

16

Atmospheric Science students and faculty at their pre-commencement picnic

New Geological Sciences graduate students are welcomed at Bill White’s annual picnic and pool party.

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Page 17: EAS NEWS 2011

).

2011 Awards in the EAS CommunitySuzanne M. Kay was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Natalie Mahowald was named a fellow of the AmericanMeteorological Society.

Mark Wysocki received a Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial Advising Award (see more on page 6).

Postdoc Jasper Kok received an NSF Atmospheric andGeospace Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.

CongratulationsSteve Gallow received recognition this year for 30 years of service to Cornell. His 30years have all been with EAS. Finance co-ordinator Amy Colvin also received recog-

nition this year for 20 years of service to Cornell.

Lee Tryhorn and her husband, Hugh, welcomed a babyboy, Archer Kenneth Tryhorn Whalan on October 21, 2011. Archer was born at 1:22 a.m., weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces. Tryhorn is a Research Associate with the Northeast Re-gional Climate Center and Water Resources Institute.

Geological Sciences graduate student, Chen Chen (CC), and Yuan Qui were married in May, 2011.

Area Elementary Students Learn About Thunderstorms and Storm Safety On September 30th, the students of Groton Elementary School in Groton, New York held a day-long service event to raise awareness and fundraise to assist victims of the recent fl ood-ing in the Southern Tier of New York. Dan Zarrow ‘06,a researcher at the Northeast Regional Climate Center and AMS certifi ed broadcast meteorologist, volunteered toshare his meteorology expertise as a guest presenter for the event. Dan’s lesson informed students of the dangersof thunderstorms and included demonstrations includingsimulating thunder with a paper bag and explaining pres-sure gradient wind acceleration using a balloon. Dan alsoshowed his hail size kit, and explained how meteorolo-gists and storm chasers compare hail stones to commonobjects such as coins and sport balls to gauge their size.

Dan was quoted in the local Groton Independent news-paper: “My main objective was to stress safety. If ev-eryone here today now knows how important it is to goinside during a thunderstorm, it was time well spent.”

The students, ranging from Kindergarten to 5th grade,said they really enjoyed Dan’s presentation, and saidthey learned a lot about thunderstorms and weath-er. By the end of the day, Groton Elementary studentsraised over $1,300 to benefi t fl ooding victims, in addi-tion to bundles of donated winter gear and comfort items.

More Shocks and RocksTwenty-two sixth grade students from the Ithaca Youth Bu-reau visited Snee Hall this summer to learn more about earthquakes and to see the rocks, minerals, and fossils on display. The student visit was organized by Cornell’s Biol-ogy Department as part of their outreach to local students.

Graduate student Veronica Prush spoke with the group about earthquakes and explained how the seismograph records earthquake activitiy from around the world. Emeri-tus Prof. Bill Bassett volunteered to chat with the stu-dents about rocks and minerals. Initially, the students said that “rocks were boring”, but after about15 minutes with Bassett they had changed their minds. The students had lots of questions andnothing but positive comments after their visit.

New Zealand earthquake incites paperInSAR and Optical Constraints on Fault Slip duringthe 2010-2011 New Zealand Earthquake Sequence has just been published by Geoscience World. The paper appears in the Seismological Research Letters, a special focused issue on the earthquake. Graduate student, Bill Barnhart was lead author with co-authorsMike Willis, Rowena Lohman, and Andrew Melkonian.

Atmospheric Science Alum’s Debut Album ReleasedSaxophone player and recent Cornell Atmospheric Science graduate, Tony Craddock, Jr., B.S. ‘10, has just released his debut album, “Christmas In The Air”. The album fea-tures ten traditional and contemporary Christmas classics with very upbeat and creative arrangements. The concept behind the album title is centered around meteorology and enjoying the wintry weather that we associate with Christ-mastime, which is also refl ected in the album’s artwork.While at Cornell, Tony was the saxophonist for Cornell’s “Chosen Generation Gospel Choir” and also founded the instrumental ensemble “After Six”, which became a registered student organization under his leadership.The album can be downloaded and purchased online:http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-in-the-air/id476164634 and at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tonycrad-dockjr

Join us on Linked In!EAS now has a group on Linked In, the professional net-working site, under: “Earth and Atmospheric Sciences”. If you’re not a member yet, please join! http://www.linkedin.com/

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Kodjopa Attoh March 29, 1944 - February 7, 2011

Kodjopa Attoh, Sr. Research Associate in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, died peacefully in his home surrounded by family and friends on February 7, 2011 after a long battle with stomach cancer. Born in Ghana, he completed his secondary education at the prestigious Achimota College. He then went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science, Masters of Science, and a Ph.D. all in Geology from the University of Ghana, University of Cincinnati, and Northwestern University, respectively. After serving as a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana from 1974 - 1978, Kodjo moved to Ottawa, Canada, and began a post-doctoral fellowship at the Geological Survey of Canada. Two years later he accepted a position at Hope College in Holland, Michigan where he met his wife, Sandra. Kodjo enjoyed hosting African foreign students enrolled at Hope College and at the theological seminary in town. He also enjoyed leading students on fi eld trips throughout North America and West Africa, pointing out how to read the rocky landscape. In 1993, the family moved to Ithaca where Kodjo worked fi rst as an associate professor and later as a senior research associate. He returned to the University of Ghana in 2002 for two years on a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship where he taught geology. Kodjo will be remembered by so many for his strength, compassion, and love of geology.

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Page 19: EAS NEWS 2011

EAS Professor Emeritus, Jack Oliver, is fondly remembered by his former colleagues and friends. Well respect-ed by all in his fi eld and friend to so many, Jack visited Snee Hall regularly through the fall of 2010. He loved to talk about geology and football. Short-ly before his death, Jack entertained a group of EAS friends and family at Kendal of Ithaca where he shared many treasured stories from his past.

Many of his former students sent their condolences and his words of wisdom to them as they remembered:

“...As my advisor he had, and continues to have, a big infl uence on the work I do.” ~ Bill Keach, Research Scientist, Energy and Geoscience Institute, University of Utah

“Dr. Oliver was my adviser while I was an undergraduate at Cornell. The undergraduate program was small then and overshadowed by the Master’s and PhD programs and by the very energized COCORP program. Dr. Oliver, however, always had time to talk to his undergraduate advisees. At that time, I had no idea how prominent a fi gure Dr. Oliver was. My fi rst semester freshman year was a disappointment academically. During the following spring semester,

I was accepted into a mining school out West and planned to transfer. Based on Dr. Oliver’s encouragement, I stayed atCornell. During my junior year, I quit college for reasons unrelated to academics and moved to Houma, Louisiana, to work as a laborer, never expecting to return. I spoke with Dr. Oliver while I was away and, based on his encouragement, returned to Cornell. I only saw Dr. Oliver three or four times again after I graduated. As I look back now, Dr. Oliver stands out as one of the greatest infl uences in my life.” ~ Jim McDonnell, Chief

Operating Offi cer, Avalon Energy Services, LLC, Washington D.C. Metro Area.

“He certainly made a mark on all our lives.” ~ Chris Stephens, Manager, National Strong Motion Project Data Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA

“He told me ‘Mike, don’t let classes get in the way of your education!’ I have always told my students the same thing. Another piece of Jack’s wisdom - he said something like this: When you compare observations with theory, you can compare the raw measurements with the best fi t theoretical values, curves or surfaces, or you can show how well the theory matches some processed or highly ‘reduced’ form of the data. Whenever possible do the former. Always try to keep a clear distinction between measurements and theory, and recognize that transformed or reduced data has often become a mixture of real measurement and theory. In which case the stark contrast between theory and observation has been lost.Sometimes I received Jack’s advice via his old student and my teacher, Bryan Isacks, who liked to pass on the best of Jack’s scientifi c philosophy along with his own. For me, the most valuable of their shared insights is this one: if you really want to understand a natural

phenomenon, fi gure out where in the world that phenomenon is most clearly and most vigorously manifested, and go there to study it! I have always followed that approach in my career, and in turn I have passed this nugget of wisdom onto others...”~ Mike Bevis, Professor and Eminent Scholar, Ohio State University

“Most people saw Jack as a seismologist. To me, Jack was an explorer, in the best scientifi c sense of the word. He never lost his boyish enthusiasm for probing new areas and topics. No visit to my offi ce- no matter how brief- failed to include Jack proposing some new idea to test or some new observation to make, and always ended with an exhortation to ‘always work on the big problems’. Jack was always seeking the grand mysteries. Thus it came as no surprise to me when a mutual colleague reported that during a phone call just last week, Jack was actually excited about fi nally fi nding out what was ‘on the other side’. An explorer to the end.. and beyond. The grace of his exit is only matched by the memory of an always inspirational personality. A chat with Jack never failed to lift one’s spirits and to re-infuse one with a bit of his boundless optimism and curiosity.”~ Larry Brown, Sidney Kaufman Professor in Geophysics and EAS Department Chair, Cornell University

Jack E. Oliver September 26, 1923 - January 5, 2011

Jack Oliver, a pioneering researcher, instiga-tor of major national and international obser-vational programs, and an inspiring mentor for numerous graduate students and young re-searchers, died peacefully in his Ithaca, N.Y., home on 5 January 2011. He was 87 years old. Jack’s early work on surface waves, his monumental contributions to plate tectonics in the late 1960s, and his pioneering work on seismic refl ection profi ling of the continental crust earned him numerous awards and hon-ors, including the Harry Fielding Reid Medal of the Seismological Society of America, the Virgil Kauffmann Gold Medal of the Soci-ety of Exploration Geophysicists, the Penrose Medal of the Geological Society of America, the AGU Walter H. Bucher Medal, and elec-tion to the National Academy of Sciences.

Citation: Isacks (2011), John E. “Jack” Oliver (1923–2011), Eos Trans. AGU, 92, , doi:10.1029/2011EO240003

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Please send all Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

inquiries and contact information changes to:

[email protected] Snee Hall 607-255-3474 Bradfi eld Hall 607-255-3034

Earth and Atmospheric SciencesSnee Hall and 11th Floor Bradfi eld HallCornell UniversityIthaca, New York 14853

Co-sponsored by EAS and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable FutureAugust29 Getti ng to 350; The Power of Earth Art Chuck Greene and Jay HartSeptember12 Cornell Climate Acti on Plan: In Principal and in Practi ce Tim Fahey and Lanny Joyce19 Break the Nerd Loop: Communicati ng Science Broadly Randy OlsenOctober 3 Understanding Our Fossil Fuel Addicti on; Community Roundtable on Hydrofracking Rick Allmendinger17 Climate Change and the Spread of Infecti ous Diseases; Impacts of Elevated CO2 on the Ocean Laura Harrington and Bruce MongerNovember 7 Ethical Issues Arising from Global Change Sara Pritchard and Sandra Steingraber21 POSTERS: Soluti ons by EAS 1420 Students

A speaker series designed especially for undergraduatesFall 2011Mon. 7:30 - 9 p.m.155 Olin Hall

August24 Bess Koffman, University of Maine 31 Sarah Aciego, University of MichiganSeptember7 Adam Carr, Cornell - Energy Institute14 Julie Elliot, Cornell - EAS21 Brian Anderson, West Virginia University28 *Roberta Rudnick, University of Maryland October5 Fan-Chi Lin, California Institute of Technology12 Kristen Corbosiero, UCLA19 Chris Forest, Penn State26 Valier Galy, WHOINovember2 John Higgins, Princeton9 Andone Lavery, WHOI16 Meghan Miller, University of Southern California30 Brendan Meade, Harvard

Seminars are held in 2146 Snee Hall, Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.*Oliver Visiting Professor