Alexandria, VA – The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that the theme of Earth Science Week 2013 will be “Mapping Our World.” This year’s event will promote awareness of the many exciting uses of maps and mapping technologies in the geosciences. Earth Science Week 2013 materials and activities will engage young people and others in learning how geoscientists, geographers, and other mapping professionals use maps to represent land formations, natural resource deposits, bodies of water, fault lines, volcanic activity, weather patterns, travel routes, parks, businesses, population distribution, our shared geologic heritage, and more. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - Dr. Wayne D. Pennington, AGI Past-President, recently concluded a successful tour for the new Science, Technology and Innovation Expert Partnership (STIEP) speaker series. Part of the U.S. Department of State’s Targets of Opportunity Program, the STIEP speaker series promotes science diplomacy abroad by connecting traveling scientists with local embassies and other community networks in the region. Participants have the opportunity to exponentially increase the reach of their research while simultaneously promoting key issues for science diplomacy, including the importance of innovation, the scientific peer review process, and promoting women in STEM fields. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Maeve Boland as AGI’s new Director of Geoscience Policy. AGI’s Geoscience Policy program serves as a link between the geosciences community and policymakers by sustaining communication, ensuring quality information flow, and representing the voices of AGI Member Societies. Boland has a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies surrounding geoscience policy. She has extensive experience in industry, academia, and policy settings. [Read More]

The size and type of earthquakes a given fault system may produce remain poorly understood for most major fault systems. Recent superquakes, such as the March 2011 magnitude-9 off Japan and the December 2004 magnitude-9-plus off Sumatra, have been far larger than what most scientists expected those faults to produce. The problem is that current models rely on short historical records, and even shorter instrumental records. Today, scientists are working to rewrite these models based on new paleoseismic and paleotsunami data to create a more comprehensive picture of earthquake activity through time. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — In 1859, the largest recorded coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun, known as the Carrington Event, disrupted what little electrical technology was used at the time. Back then, that meant the temporary disruption of the telegraph system. Today, without an effective warning mechanism in place, a solar storm of that magnitude could wreak havoc on our technology-dependent world. And with the solar maximum predicted to occur later this year, scientists and policymakers are scrambling to prepare us for when the next big solar storm hits. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - For more than 35 years, scientists from the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) program have been scouring glacial landscapes in search of meteorites. Since 1976, teams of physicists, meteorite specialists, and mountaineers have recovered thousands of untouched specimens from meteoroids, the moon and even Mars. Despite subzero temperatures and razor-sharp winds, scientists are lining up for the chance to experience the ultimate hunt for alien objects in the alien environment. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has changed the energy landscape. We can now affordably produce natural gas from previously inaccessible rock formations, which has led to increasing natural gas consumption. Thanks to its low prices and abundant domestic supply, natural gas may have a chance to overtake coal as the primary energy source for electricity in the United States. Natural gas has been a part of our energy economy for more than a century; however, it wasn’t until recently that it started to play a key role. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — We have entered an era of stark realization. Although Earth’s resources once seemed abundant and resilient, we have come to understand the limitations of a planet as small and crowded as our own. In Dawn of the Anthropocene: Humanity’s Defining Moment, author George A. Seielstad explores the challenges associated with building a sustainable future in a world struggling to meet society’s needs. The technology and innovation that have allowed humanity to manipulate the planet on a massive scale have also been accompanied by repercussions. [Read More]

Considered individually, 2012’s record high temperatures, droughts, wildfires, storms, and diminished snowpack are not necessarily alarming. But combined, the fact that the first seven months of 2012 were hotter than the hottest on record, more than half of the U.S. counties were declared disaster areas due to drought, and the snowpacks were at all-time lows, these indicators are much more significant from a climate standpoint. Two questions then remain: Will we see the same thing in 2013? [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — Big science often requires big tools. Until recently, earth scientists have been using relatively small-scale instruments to unlock some of our planet’s biggest mysteries. Now, geoscientists across the country are teaming up to use an “Earth Telescope” capable of peering deep into the planet with unprecedented resolution. This new technology called USArray is helping us learn more about how the deep Earth works. Part of the NSF-funded EarthScope project, USArray consists of an expansive grid of individual seismometers moving across the entire United States. [Read More]