The Earth Institute
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
MEDIA ADVISORY
AUG. 28, 2009
Upcoming Scientific Travel Opportunities
for Journalists
Earth Institute researchers work on every continent and every ocean to study the natural
forces of the planet. Journalists are encouraged to join expeditions, or cover work
remotely. Below: upcoming trips that may be of interest. Arrangements will be made on a
case-by-case basis; dates are approximate. Unless otherwise stated, projects originate
with our Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. To pursue a story, contact: Earth Institute
senior science writer Kevin Krajick kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu 212-854-9729; or science
writer Kim Martineau, kmartineau@ldeo.columbia.edu 845-365-8708. We will
periodically update this calendar.
International
Turning CO2 to Stone: Conference, Plant Startup and Field Trip, Reykjavik,
Iceland (Sept. 5-8, 2009) Many scientists believe that climate change mandates a
massive effort to capture and store carbon-dioxide emissions. Most schemes so far
involve pumping it from power plants to be stored underground, but some critics fear the
C02 could leak. To get around this, the Earth Institute and other institutions are set to do
the world’s first test of a system to turn excess CO2 into solid stone underground.
Following several years of construction, a geothermal power plant run by Reykjavik
Energy will pump CO2 into a massive basalt formation below, where natural reactions
are predicted to slowly turn it into a carbonate, similar to limestone. The $11 million pilot
is in conjunction with a 2-day conference on carbon sequestration, and opportunities to
visit and study geological features in this volcanically active area. Among speakers and
observers of the experiment: Lamont geochemist Wallace Broecker, an early pioneer of
global-warming studies; Klaus Lackner, director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable
Energy and leader of a project to create “artificial trees” to remove CO2 from the air; and
Lamont scientist Juerg Matter, who has been working on the Iceland project. (Matter and
others are starting similar projects elsewhere, including Oman.) More info:
http://www.or.is/English/Projects/CarbFix
Africa Ripping Apart: Geology and Seismology Fieldwork, Afar region, Ethiopia
(October 2009) Ever since many miles of the remote desert Afar region of Ethiopia
began splitting open in 2005 with a series of dramatic fissure openings, earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions, scientists have been observing intensely. This is one of only two
places on earth where a mid-ocean ridge—the basic engine that forms the crust—emerges
on land--and it is the first time scientists can observe such a volcanic rifting episode with
modern instruments including GPS and satellites. By directly watching a process
normally hidden in the deep sea, they may unlock secrets of how magma evolves
underneath, and creates, the earth’s surface. Getting in on the ground is a challenge—this
rugged landscape is dominated by armed nomadic clans and smugglers—but scientists
hope to install seismometers and other instruments that will help them better understand
what goes on during one of these episodes. A new volcanic eruption in late June 2009
signals that there may be interesting new features to observe; there are already many
visible fault traces and active volcanic spots. The specialized instruments, designed to be
buried, are currently being built at Lamont. Trip will probably involve strenuous foot
travel. Scientists, working with British colleagues, include Scott Nooner and Roger Buck.
More info: www.see.leeds.ac.uk/afar/
Next Great Mideast Quake? Research Cruise off Istanbul, Sea of Marmara (Oct.
10-15, 2009) In 1999, an earthquake along the North Anatolian fault killed some 30,000
people in western Turkey—possibly precursor to a much worse event that could hit the
densely populated metropolis of Istanbul along another segment of the fault. Scientists
from Lamont and Turkish colleagues are now intensively studying this fault--similar to
California’s San Andreas fault--where it runs under the Marmara Sea, near Istanbul,
because it is the only part of the 1,500-kilometer-long structure that has not ruptured in
the 20th century, and thus considered likely next in line. Departing from Istanbul, the
team will take a small research vessel into the Sea of Marmara to image the thick
undersea sediments overlying the fault, and the fault itself, by sending sound signals to
the bottom and reading the echoes. This process was used on a similar cruise last year,
producing exquisitely detailed pictures of this complex, hidden structure, now being
analyzed; the upcoming cruise will complete the survey. The researchers hope to predict
about how big the next quake or quakes might be, and help city planners prepare. In
addition to Turkish scientists, team includes Leonardo Seeber, Michael Steckler, Donna
Shillington. More info: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/TAMAM and
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/geology/turkey/,
http://www.ipgp.fr/~lacassin/WebTecto/rech/tectorecherche/IzmitWEB/IzmitUK.html
Predicting Sea-Level Rise: Ice Surveys From the Air, Chile/Antarctica (Oct. 15-Nov.
21, 2009) The potential melting of the great polar ice sheets is a major unknown in the
effect of climate change, and so glacial ice levels have been the subject of intense
observation by satellites in recent years. With the coming takedown of NASA’s major
ICESat satellite the agency has started Operation ICE Bridge: a 6-year campaign to do
yearly measurements of ice levels and other parameters with instruments flown in a big
DC-8 aircraft at low level. The first mission went this spring to Greenland. The upcoming
campaign focuses on western Antarctica, where ice shelves have undergone dramatic
collapses and glaciers are advancing rapidly toward the sea. Using Punta Arenas, Chile,
as a base, the aircraft will carry laser instruments to map the surface topography of
various ice masses to judge recent losses, while ground-penetrating radar and gravity
instruments will map bedrock and any liquid water underneath—critical factors in
determining how glaciers may act in the future. NASA’s science partners are the
University of Washington, University of Kansas and Columbia University’s LamontDoherty Earth Observatory. Under NASA’s lead, Lamont crew members Michael
Studinger and Nick Frearson will bring gravity instruments they recently used in a
separate program to map eastern Antarctica’s sub-ice Gamburtsev Mountains. Info:
http://www.espo.nasa.gov/oib/ and
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/greenland_flights.html
Trees, Plants, and CO2: Forest Research, New Zealand, Australia (November 2009January 2010) Plant physiologist Kevin Griffin studies how plants and trees in farflung
places take up carbon dioxide from the air—a basic worldwide process that exerts huge
influence on the global carbon cycle, and thus potentially on the course of climate
change. In turn, climate change may be alter plant ecology, so it is vital to understand
under the rate at which these processes occur, and the factors that could alter them. In a
continued long-term project, Griffin is studying the dynamics of an extraordinarily slowgrowing coastal forest on the south island of New Zealand. To do this, he investigates the
physiology of the trees, and uses instruments to make ongoing measurements of gases
that trees are taking in and giving off, as well as parameters like soil nutrients. This year,
he will expand the project to new sites in Australia. (Rest of the year, Griffin studies
tundra plants in Alaska, and generally faster-growing trees in the Hudson Valley, which
form comparisons.) More info: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/events/publiclectures/spring-2008/climate-changing-our-forests-and-plants-new-evidence-alaska-andour-own-backyard
Deep-Sea Drilling off Japan (Sept. 4-Nov. 4, 2009) and New Zealand (Nov. 4, 2009Jan. 4, 2010)
Japan: A mound of volcanic rock the size of California rises above the ocean floor 1,500
km off the coast of Japan, where three tectonic plates converge. Aboard the JOIDES
Resolution—one of the world’s two major deep-sea drilling ships--scientists will
penetrate basaltic rock, deep into Earth’s crust on the Shatsky Rise, to find out how this
giant plateau formed. Two theories have been proposed and scientists from both camps
will be on board to test their position. Under one scenario, mantle plumes deep below the
ocean floor erupt to create the plateau. In the other, shifting tectonic plates cause lava to
bubble up around the faults. Earlier measurements provide support for both sides;
scientists hope that fresh rock samples this time around will provide a definitive answer.
After the drill ship collects samples of rock and sediment, Lamont scientists Helen Evans
and Gerardo Iturrino will lower instruments into the drill hole to learn more about the
rock and sediment. Info: http://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/shatsky_rise.html
New Zealand: Knowing how sea levels rose in the past may help us predict what to
expect in the future. Drilling off the coast of South Island, in the Canterbury basin,
scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution will look at a massive sand deposit to
understand how sea levels rose and fell over the last 20 million years. The area they will
be studying is called a passive margin, where a thick band of sand has accumulated on
the ocean floor, swept there by ocean currents and the erosion of New Zealand’s
Southern Alps. Using a variety of techniques, scientists can date the layers of sand and
also approximate sea levels at that time. Lamont scientists Angela Slagle, Gilles Guerin
and Cecilia McHugh will be on board. Info:
http://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/canterbury_basin.html
Deep-Sea Quakes, Volcanoes and Black Smokers: Research Cruise, Eastern Pacific
Ocean (Dec. 16-30, 2009) Lamont marine geologists and others will sail on the research
vessel Atlantis for the East Pacific Rise, a mid-ocean ridge some 500 miles off Mexico, to
study magma eruptions at the bottom of the ocean. This is part of an interdisciplinary,
multi-year project to understand how much of earth’s crust is formed. On this cruise,
scientists will retrieve pressure sensors laid out three years ago to measure magma
accumulations beneath the seafloor, along a 60-mile stretch. They will also return to a
small area on the same corridor (9˚ 50’N) where in 2006, ocean floor seismometers
directly recorded an underwater eruption for the first time. A series of concrete slabs, or
“benchmarks,” have been laid down there, with pressure gauges, to measure magma
buildup. Team includes Spahr Webb, Scott Nooner, David Gassier and others. Research
scientist Tim Crone may join the cruise to investigate “black smokers”—vents where
volcanically superheated hot water and minerals arise from the seafloor. Much of the
intrigue around black smokers has focused on the exotic creatures that spring up around
them--but scientists are still trying to understand how the system works. Crone and
Gassier are designing an underwater camera able to film the erupting black smokers and
measure the speed of their flow. By figuring out how fast the fluid is moving, they hope
to decode other aspects of the system. More info:
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/research/marine-geology-geophysics/analysis9%C2%B050n-east-pacific-rise-seismicity-insight-hydrothermal-0
Tectonics of the Brahmaputra Delta: Seismic Fieldwork, Bangladesh (December
2009) Bangladesh, a low-lying and rapidly urbanizing country, faces multiple,
interconnected natural hazards: sea-level rise, floods, sinking land, arsenic pollution and
earthquakes. These are all controlled to some extent by the towering Himalayas, whose
rivers drain through the country, supplying vast loads of sediment, and whose continuing
tectonic creep threatens devastating quakes. Lamont seismologists Leonardo Seeber,
Michael Steckler and Won-Young Kim have worked here for a decade. Among the
questions being explored is what the sediment from the Himalayas may reveal about
regional tectonics. In this coming project, with Bangladeshi colleagues, they will drill a
series of bamboo wells along the Brahmaputra River to study layers of sand going back
some 60,000 years. This should allow them to trace the connections between tectonics
and past quakes, floods, and rises and falls of sea level, and thus assess future hazards.
The ultimate aim is to help Bangladesh plan building sites and standards that can
withstand likely coming disasters. More info: http://sha.dueo.googlepages.com/home
Asian Monsoon and Climate Change: Study of Ancient Trees, Myanmar, other
nations (December 2009-on) Scientists at Lamont’s tree-ring lab are running a longterm project to unravel the workings of the Asian monsoon—the seasonal rains that feed
half the world population—via the study of yearly growth rings from ancient trees. From
China to Indonesia, researchers have tracked down many trees 1,000 years old or more in
hundreds of generally remote sites, and removed cores for study. In December 2009,
Rosanne D’Arrigo and Kevin Anchukaitis will make a rare foray to take samples in
remote, mountainous parts of southern Myanmar, which has remained mostly closed to
outsiders for many years. At the same time, Brendan Buckley, based part-time in
Chiangmai, Thailand, will begin a four-year grant to study the human effects of climate
change on the Mekong Delta region. The work of Buckley and others already suggests
that ancient civilizations, including the now-vanished Angkor society and powerful
kingdoms of the 1700s may have been devastated by massive droughts, which climate
modelers fear could recur more often as the world warms. Sampling work will continue
in many Asian nations in coming years. More info:
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/fac/trl/
Coming 2010: Details as They Become Available
Long-term projects with farmers, regional government and others to study and
conserve water resources in India, Brazil and Mali: Ongoing work, Columbia Water
Center India office (PI: Upmanu Lall)
More info, videos: http://www.water.columbia.edu/
Icebreaker study of fast-retreating seasonal ice, Bering Sea off Alaska, and
implications for the marine ecosystem: April 2010 (Raymond Sambrotto)
Aircraft survey of Arctic waters and ice between Ellesmere Island and North Pole:
May 2010 (William Smethie)
Boat/land expedition, mountains of Patagonia, to recover and date rock samples
from glacial moraines and study climate change: March/April 2010 (Michael
Kaplan)
Alpine expedition to sample cores of the last remaining glacial ice in the western
Pacific tropics, top of Puncak Jaya, Indonesia: April/May 2010 (Dwi
Susanto/Lonnie Thompson, Ohio State U)
Planting of seismometers to study earthquakes generated by lurching glaciers,
eastern Greenland : July 2010 (Meredith Nettles)
Boat, foot and instrument survey of Siberian lakebed and surrounding areas in
search of possible meteorite fragments from 1909 Tunguska extraterrestrial impact:
July 2010 (Enrico Bonatti)
Migratory birds and climate change on the tundra, using visual and acoustical
surveys, Atigun Valley, northern Alaska: July 2010 (Natalie Boelman)
Surveys of arctic plants to determine CO2 uptake, Toolik Lake, northern Alaska:
summer 2010 (Kevin Griffin)
Geologic fieldwork to study evolution of the Galapagos mantle plume: various sites
in Panama, Costa Rica, Curacao: summer 2010 (Cornelia Class)
Tree-ring sampling along edge of northern treeline, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,
Alaska: summer 2010 (Rosanne D’Arrigo)
New York area
Past Climates and Human Impacts in the Hudson Valley (July-August 2009) In an
effort to understand regional climate change, Dorothy Peteet of the Goddard Institute for
Space Studies examines prehistoric rainfall and temperature patterns, and the impact of
people in the Hudson Valley region via deposits of ancient vegetation and soot. She and
colleagues do this by extracting sediments from bogs, marshes and swamps with handdriven corers that penetrate below the modern surface. This summer Peteet will lead
teams at New York City’s Iona Marsh, Sherman Creek, Jamaica Bay and the Harlem
Meer of Central Park. They will also explore the “Great Swamp” of Putnam County,
Piermont marsh, and ponds around Croton Point that may be cored during the winter.
(Peteet also works in Easter Island, Alaska and Siberia.) More info:
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/peteet
Earthquake Risk to New York (ongoing) Lamont scientists run the network of
seismometers that covers much of the northeastern United States. It picks up a surprising
number of small earthquakes in and around the New York metro area, New Jersey and
upstate New York, suggesting that the risk from larger events is substantial. There is a
vigorous ongoing effort to upgrade the network and learn more. The seismology staff
travels frequently to service instruments or install new ones at stations located from
Central Park to the Adirondack mountains. They also conduct experiments to measure
ground stability, and sometimes respond to relatively larger events by putting out
temporary arrays of instruments or investigating reports of property damage. Head of the
seismic network: Won-Young Kim. More info:
http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2235
Monitoring Hudson River Pollution (ongoing) In cooperation with the environmental
group Riverkeeper, Lamont geochemists are mapping the sources and fates of pollution
by sampling up and down the river from a small vessel. The boat ranges from above
Albany into New York harbor. This year, the project is expanding from sampling surface
water to deep water and sediments, to look for hidden pathogens. They will target
tributaries with particular contamination problems, including Sparkill Creek, near
Piermont, one of the river’s prime sources of sewage. Other scientists are doing
continuous sampling of water chemistry off the pier at Piermont, NY. Investigators:
Andrew Juhl, Greg O’Mullan, Raymond Sambrotto. More info:
http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2217
Green Roofs (ongoing) Stuart Gaffin, a scientist at NASA Goddard Institute for Space
Studies, is on a mission to vegetate New York City’s 40 square miles of rooftops—an
idea that he and other proponents say will cool the city in summer, insulate buildings in
winter and reduce water runoff to aging sewer systems—not to mention the amenities to
humans, birds and other creatures of having all those plants around. Gaffin and others are
working on a half-dozen experimental rooftops around the city, including one on a
Riverdale school planted with native grasses that are part of a threatened community. At
several sites he and Lamont scientist Wade McGillis are using instruments to record heat,
humidity, carbon uptake and other parameters to quantify the job the roofs are doing.
They are open to visitors. More info: http://ccsr.columbia.edu/researchers/gaffin.html