A series of “atmospheric river” storms have brought thirst-quenching rain to much of California, but much of that water is contributing to high - and in some cases dangerous, as seen with the Oroville Dam - levels of runoff. In the April comment for EARTH Magazine, Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center, provides timely insight into what he calls “a blessing and a challenge for California water managers. [Read More]

A recent air quality study from the University of Colorado Boulder has confirmed earlier laboratory experiments that show grass and crop fire smoke carries greater amounts of nitrogen-containing volatile organic compounds (NVOCs) than wood fire smoke. Different NVOCs emit unique wavelength “signatures,” so when scientists examine smoke plumes using a high-resolution mass spectrometer, they can pinpoint which NVOCs are present. With the spectrometer in tow, study author Matthew Coggon and his team drove in and around Boulder and Aspen, Colo. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) Workforce Program announces the release of the Status of Recent Geoscience Graduates 2016 report. This report details the results of the 2016 Geoscience Student Exit Survey, documenting trends in geoscience coursework, enrollment, student experiences, as well as a recent shift in hiring patterns for new graduates. The Geoscience Student Exit Survey received responses from 483 students at 156 geoscience schools or departments, comprising 333 bachelor’s graduates, 78 master’s graduates, and 70 doctoral graduates. [Read More]

Do you know the earthquake risk in your neighborhood? If not, that information is now available in the palm of your hand. Founded by two former U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) employees, Temblor is a free app that allows people to view interactive seismic hazard maps on their smartphones, tablets or computers. It also teaches U.S. homeowners to factor earthquake and landslide risk into their financial decisions, like where to live and what insurance to buy. [Read More]

It makes for a dramatic narrative: Roughly 252 million years ago, a mass extinction event killed up to 96% of marine life, earning an infamous name in the geologic record, “the Great Dying.” However, a new study suggests that this cataclysmic event has been overestimated. In the February issue of EARTH Magazine, read how a University of Hawaii paleontologist is improving our understanding of mass extinction events by exploring the effects of natural variability on background extinction levels, revealing a clearer signal in the noise. [Read More]

In April and May 2015, a bloom of toxic algae spanned more than a thousand miles of Pacific coastline, from Santa Barbara, Calif., to British Columbia. Marine organisms were poisoned throughout the food web, disrupting coastal ecosystems and economies for months. Similar events are expected to become more frequent as the oceans and atmosphere adjust to a warming climate. In the February issue of EARTH Magazine, read how scientists are working to better understand the 2015 Pacific bloom, hoping to apply lessons learned in responding to future events. [Read More]

The latest research suggests humans first arrived in the Americas as early as 16,000 years ago, but using which path remains controversial. Archaeologists and geologists are working to answer the question of how and when the first Americans arrived. In the January issue of EARTH Magazine, their work is showcased, reexamining the origins of our shared geoheritage in light of new evidence. As the world’s coastlines shifted after the end of the last ice age, the locations of artifacts left by the first Americans shifted with them. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA – The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that the theme of Earth Science Week 2017 is “Earth and Human Activity.” This year’s event, the 20th annual Earth Science Week celebration, promotes awareness of what geoscience tells us about human interaction with the planet’s natural systems and processes. Earth Science Week 2017 learning resources and activities are engaging young people and others in exploring the relationship between human activity and the geosphere (earth), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere (life). [Read More]

Slow-moving landslides, while not as dramatic as their faster-moving counterparts, can damage infrastructure and cause headaches for the communities they affect. Slow-moving slides are generally associated with rainfall or snowmelt, but a new study in Japan has shown that some of these slides may occur when a certain kind of clay is exposed to cold temperatures. In the January issue of EARTH Magazine, the link between ground temperature and slow slides is explored, including implications for the science of predicting similar landslides around the world. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - In November 1985, the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia resulted in the death of more than 23,000 people. Geoscientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, WA, moved to action. Having studied the warning signs and responded to the eruption of Mount St. Helens five years earlier, they knew that the Nevado del Ruiz disaster could have been prevented. Their advocacy paved the way for the formation of the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) in 1986. [Read More]