New research from the University of Texas and Georgia Tech has revealed humans are likely responsible for rapidly melting glaciers. The study, published July 13 in the journal The Cryosphere, used computer models to test how global warming impacted glaciers. The team said its research could help predict when major ice loss would occur and the impact it could have on Earth’s oceans and climate. The Georgia Tech researchers from the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences include John Christian, postdoctoral fellow, and Alex Robel, assistant professor. (The study was also covered at Phys.org.)
Glaciers are melting faster and humans are at fault, UT scientists finally prove
July 14, 2022We know that water is the key to life on Earth, but there are countless mysteries lurking in its depths. This "Oceans" episode of The Weather Channel's series The Earth Unlocked features an interview with Susan Lozier, Dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. (This video is a preview for the episode, which can be accessed via a TV-only streaming platform that has an on-demand feature.)
The Earth Unlocked: Oceans
July 3, 2022Each year, more days with extreme heat temperatures are recorded in Georgia. Alex Robel, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, explained to 34 Univision Atlanta reporter Rafael Olavarría what is expected for the coming years. (Spanish language broadcast.)
La ola de calor en Georgia “no es normal”
June 22, 2022A shallow earthquake tremored in southeastern Georgia early Saturday morning, and it was the state's strongest in years. It occurred just after 4 a.m. about 160 miles away from Atlanta. The epicenter was located in Candler County, about 7 miles east of Stillmore, GA. Originally, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) rated it a magnitude 4.2, but later re-evaluated it to be a shallow, magnitude 3.9 earthquake. And because of its location and shallow nature, it was felt hundreds of miles away. Andrew Newman, professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, told 11Alive that earthquakes of this magnitude occur in the state about every 3 to 5 years. But where those earthquakes occur are usually not in this part of the state. "Georgia definitely gets more earthquakes in the northwest corner of the state in the Ridge and Valley. That's where we have a well-defined seismic system," he said. "Up next is along the Fall Line, which runs from roughly Columbus to Macon to Augusta. We think those earthquakes are triggered by a change in the hydrological system."
Magnitude 3.9 earthquake in south Georgia felt in metro Atlanta: How rare is it for the state?
June 18, 2022Most large U.S. wildfires occur in the West. But the smoke doesn’t stay there. It travels eastward, affecting communities hundreds to thousands of kilometers away from the fires. In fact, the majority of asthma-related deaths and emergency room visits attributed to fire smoke in the United States occur in eastern cities, according to a study in the September 2021 GeoHealth. The big problem is fine particulate matter, tiny particles of ash, gases and other detritus suspended in smoke that are no more than 2.5 micrometers wide, small enough to lodge in the lungs and cause permanent damage. Nga Lee (Sally) Ng, professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and colleagues found that smoke particulate matter is more toxic than urban particulate matter, “inducing about five times higher cellular oxidative stress,” Ng says. Oxidative stress damages cells and DNA in the body.
Western wildfires’ health risks extend across the country
June 17, 2022Humans’ historical greenhouse gas emissions have caused the climate crisis the world is in today. But it’s the amount emitted now and in coming years that will determine whether humanity can avert catastrophic climate changes. That’s the main finding of a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on Monday, which says that even if the world cut emissions to zero today, there would still be a 42% chance of hitting 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels within a decade. That probability rises to 66% if the world waits until 2029 to reach zero emissions. “With respect to our ability to predict the timing and magnitude of peak warming, this paper shows that the devil is in the detail,” says Kim Cobb, Georgia Power Chair and ADVANCE Professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “That may seem fairly ‘in the weeds’, but when you’re talking about a few tenths of a degree Celsius, that’s a big deal in terms of global warming levels.” Cobb, also director of Georgia Tech's Global Change Program, was not involved in the study.
Historical emissions caused the climate crisis. But it’s what we do today that will make or break it, study shows
June 6, 2022How do we know what lands – or how much – to protect to maintain the current level of biodiversity? Jenny McGuire, an assistant professor with joint appointments in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Biological Sciences, and Benjamin Shipley, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Biological Sciences, share a byline for a Perspectives editorial in Science on that topic. In late 2021, McGuire received National Science Foundation and National Environment Research Council (NERC) funding to study the long-term relationships between Africa's large animals, their traits, and how they respond to changes in their environments. The goal is to use the data to forecast future changes and help inform conservation biology decisions for the continent.
Dynamic priorities for conserving species
June 6, 2022Abigail (Abbie) Johnson, who just received her Ph.D. in the Ocean Science and Engineering program of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, won first place in the student poster competition at AbSciCon 2022, held May 15-20 at Georgia Tech. AbSciCon 2022 featured guest lectures and workshops on the latest research in astrobiology, and was sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Program and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Johnson won first place for her poster, Bacterial Clathrate-Binding Proteins in the Deep Subsurface Biosphere: Implications for Gas Clathrate Stability and Habitability. (You can see the poster and hear Johnson's presentation here.)
Abigail (Abbie) Johnson Wins First in AbSciCon Student Poster Competition
May 31, 2022Headlines about climate change can leave many of us a bit paralyzed, while we try to determine which individual course of action is better than another. In episode four of the Innovations Uncovered series, WebsEdge Founder/CEO Stephen Horn interviews Susan Lozier, Dean of Georgia Tech's College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Lozier, a physical oceanographer and president of the American Geophysical Union, sheds light on the most impactful ways we could lessen our carbon footprint, and explains why she is so optimistic to move into the solution space of climate technology.
On The Edge, Episode 4: Climate Change
May 27, 2022"Hidden below the surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, there is a vast mass of liquid water generated by the heating of Earth and frictional melting." That's how Winnie Chu, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, begins her Perspectives editorial in Science with a look at a new study showing observations of saline groundwater saturating a sedimentary basin beneath the Whillans Ice Stream in West Antarctica. Chu, who is researching a potentially similar situation in Greenland, says the Antarctica reservoir is estimated to contain a water volume more than 10 times greater than that in the overlaying subglacial hydrologic system. "This finding highlights groundwater hydrology as a potentially critical piece in understanding the effect of water flow on Antarctic ice sheet dynamics," Chu writes.
Groundwater under Antarctica goes deep
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