June 06, 2018
In a recently published article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Geophysical Sciences postdoc Patrick Boehnke, Geophysical Sciences Professor Andrew Davis, Geophysical Sciences Research Prof. Thomas Stephan and former GeoSci postdoctoral scholar Reto Trappitsch reveal that they have discovered a way to analyze bits of the earliest continental crust found in tiny flecks of apatite using CHILI: GeoSci's one of a kind instrument that analyzes isotopic and chemical composition. Their discovery provides evidence that the Earth’s continental crust could have formed hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, and life along with it.
May 25, 2018
Geophysical Science Professor Noboru Nakamura and his former GeoSci graduate student Clare Huang have come up with an unorthodox approach to understanding a persistent meteorological phenomenon. In a recently published article in Science Nakamura and Huang argue that the best way to understand 'blocking patterns' in the jet stream is to use mathematical models that describe traffic jams. Understanding that the jet stream has a 'speed limit' that, if exceeded, can cause congestion could help forecasters understand and model blocking patterns in the future.
May 24, 2018
Geophysical Sciences Professor Doug MacAyeal and Geophysical Sciences graduate student Grant Macdonald were recently interviewed about their recent research paper on supraglacial lakes. Understanding the role that supraglacial lakes play in the melting and thinning of glaciers, made famous by the disintegration of the Larsen B Ice Shelf in Antartctica in 2002, is essential for understanding the future of ice shelves in a warming climate.