EarthWorks, April 25, 2008
Submit items to Lauren Bivona or Norm Meader at enews@email.arizona.edu preferably by 5:00 pm Wednesday of each week. Please include "EarthWorks" in the subject line.
On-line version available at http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/enewsletter/EarthWorks-04-25-08.html (for Pine and webmail users).
In This Issue:
Departmental News
• From the Head
• On-line Meet the Speaker Sign-up
• Landsat Imagery to Become Free Starting in July
• Rabid Bobcat Attacks Two Local Hikers -- Namely Rich Thompson and His Wife
Geosciences Publications
• Publication in Geology by Pullen, Kapp, Gehrels, et al,
• Publication in Journal of Physical Chemistry by Downs, et al.
Geosciences in the Media
• Overpeck, Russell and Betancourt Quoted in Arizona Daily Star Series on Global Warming
• UA News Article on Vance Haynes (Joint Professor with Geosciences)
University News
• Holiday Schedule FY 07/08 through FY09/10
• Credential Files Through UA Career Services
Course Announcements
• Newly Revised: ATMO 421/521: Mechanisms of Climate Change (Fall ’08)
Funding/Job/Intern Opportunities
• Summer Internship at the WRRC
• US/UK Collaboration: Science Bridges Program - Up to $3 Million Over 3 Years
• Job Opportunities with NPX Metals
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Job: Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometrist
• Looking for Geology Grads for Mudlogging Positions
Professional Organizations
• AESE Call for Abstracts
Upcoming Talks (Geosciences)
• Department of Geosciences Colloquium (Thursday)
Upcoming Talks (UA)
• Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research Seminar (Wednesday)
• Hydrology and Water Resources Seminar (Wednesday)
Upcoming Talks (Elsewhere)
• Biosphere 2 Institute MARS! Lecture Series - Final Lecture
• Biosphere 2 Institute Science Saturdays
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
From the Head
Congratulations to Sharon Bouck, Gayle Zizzo and Joaquin Ruiz for their 20, 30 and 30 years, respectively, of employment at the UA. Time flies when you’re having fun!
Faculty, as the end of the semester approaches, so does the summer. Please let Enedina know of your whereabouts over the summer: when you’ll be gone, when you’ll be back, and how to get a hold of you if we need to do so.
I’m off to Ensenada Sunday through Tuesday for the annual meeting of the California Estuarine Research Society. No such thing as the Arizona Estuarine Research Society, so I’ve gotta hang out with Californians (alta y baja).
Karl W. Flessa
Professor and Head
On-line Meet the Speaker Sign-up
Now signing up to meet with our weekly Colloquium speaker just got easier. Please go to http://www.geo.arizona.edu/meetthespeaker/ to sign up for your half-hour slot at the beginning of the week. Have questions or need help, just call Enedina Cervantes at 621-6000 or email at enedina@email.arizona.edu.
Landsat Imagery to Become Free Starting in July
Imagery for Everyone…
Timeline Set to Release Entire USGS Landsat Archive at No Charge.
RESTON, VA – The USGS Landsat archive is an unequaled 35-year record of the Earth’s surface that is valuable for a broad range of uses, ranging from climate change science to forest management to emergency response, plus countless other user applications. Under a transition toward a National Land Imaging Program sponsored by the Secretary of the Interior, the USGS is pursuing an aggressive schedule to provide users with electronic access to any Landsat scene held in the USGS-managed national archive of global scenes dating back to Landsat 1, launched in 1972. By February 2009, any archive scene selected by a user – with no restriction on cloud cover – will be processed automatically to a standard product recipe, using such parameters as the Universe Transverse Mercator projection, and staged for electronic retrieval. In addition, newly acquired scenes meeting a cloud cover threshold of 20% or below will be processed to the standard recipe and placed on line for at least six months, after which they will remain available for selection from the archive.
Newly acquired, minimally cloudy Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data covering North America and Africa are already being distributed by the USGS over the Internet at no charge, with expansion to full global coverage of incoming Landsat 7 data to be completed by July 2008 (see timeline below). The full archive of historical Landsat 7 ETM+ data acquired by the USGS since launch in 1999 will become available for selection and downloading by the end of September 2008. At that time, all Landsat 7 data purchasing options from the USGS, wherein users pay for on-demand processing to various parameters will be discontinued.
By the end of December of 2008, both incoming Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) data and all Landsat 5 TM data acquired by the USGS since launch (1984) will become available, with all Landsat 4 TM (1982-1985) and Landsat 1-5 Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS) (1972-1994) data becoming available by the end of January 2009. All Landsat data purchasing options from the USGS will be discontinued by February 2009, once the entire Landsat archive can be accessed at no charge.
Landsat scenes can be previewed and downloaded using the USGS Global Visualization Viewer at http://glovis.usgs.gov [under “Select Collection” choose Landsat archive: L7 SLC-off (2003-present)]. Scenes can also be selected using the USGS Earth Explorer tool at http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov [under “Select Your Dataset” choose Landsat Archive: L7 SLC-off (2003-present)]. For further information on Landsat satellites and products, see http://landsat.usgs.gov.
Rabid Bobcat Attacks Two Local Hikers -- Namely Rich Thompson and His Wife
The two University of Arizona scientists first spotted the eyes. It was a bobcat, staring at Katrina Mangin and Rich Thompson as they hiked Saturday through one of their favorite spots in the Santa Rita Mountains. Thompson immediately knew he and his wife were in trouble...
Read the complete article in yesterday's Tucson Citizen: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/83387.php.
Follow-up to the rapid bobcat story, Friday, April 25, is at: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/opinion/83491.php.
GEOSCIENCES PUBLICATIONS
Publication in Geology by Pullen, Kapp, Gehrels, et al.
Alex Pullen, Paul Kapp, George E. Gehrels, Jeff D. Vervoort, and Lin Ding. Triassic continental subduction in central Tibet and Mediterranean-style closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean. Geology v. 36, issue 11 (May 2008), pages 351-354.
Abstract available at: http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1130%2FG24435A.1.
The on-line version that will be available through GeoScienceWorld and the UofA Library's subscription has not been posted yet but should be soon:
http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/archive/.
Publication in Journal of Physical Chemistry by Downs, et al.
Gibbs G V, Downs R T, Cox D F, Ross N L, Boisen M B, Rosso K M (2008). Shared and closed-shell O-O interactions in silicates. Journal of Physical Chemistry A 112, 3693-3699.
Link: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/xtal/group/pdf/JPCA112_3693.pdf.
GEOSCIENCES IN THE MEDIA
Geosciences Faculty Jonathan Overpeck and Joellen Russell and Adjunct Faculty Julio Betancourt Quoted in Arizona Daily Star Series on Global Warming
Sunday: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/235062.php
Monday: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/235060.php
Tuesday: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/235388.php
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UA News Article on Vance Haynes (Joint Professor with Geosciences)
What Happened to the Megafauna?
C. Vance Haynes Jr., a Regents’ Professor of anthropology and geosciences at the UA, analyzed nearly 100 archaeological sites to understand how an organic layer of soil deposited across North America 10,900 years ago marked the extinction of the giant animals.
His just-published work also looks at how the period changed the lives of the prehistoric people who hunted them.
More at: http://uanews.org/node/19409.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Holiday Schedule FY 07/08 through FY09/10
In an effort to make the UA Holiday Schedule easier to read and use, it is
now a rolling three-year chart published on the Human Resources website at
http://www.hr.arizona.edu/04_cb/comp/holiday/Holiday_Schedule_2007-2010.pdf.
The schedule currently spans fiscal years 2008 through 2010.
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Credential Files Through UA Career Services
Until recently, UA Career Services has maintained credential files for Ph.D. candidates seeking academic positions. We have now partnered with Interfolio, Inc. for the online management of credentials and letters of recommendation. This partnership also allows us broaden our services to accommodate students applying to graduate/professional schools. Interfolio is well established as the premier online credentials management service for candidates applying for academic, K-12 teaching or administrative positions, or graduate/professional schools and is utilized by many institutions across the country.
This service allows students and alumni to create and manage their credentials, including confidential and non-confidential letters of recommendation, teacher evaluations, writing samples, CVs, dissertation abstracts, and more. This 24/7 electronic system is also easier for recommendation writers.
We think you and your students will be very pleased with the services Interfolio has to offer. To learn more, or to open a free writer’s account, please go to: http://www.interfolio.com/recommendationwriters/ or call toll free: (877) 77-FOLIO. You may also refer students interested in setting up a file to our website at: www.career.arizona.edu/Students/?interfolio.
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COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Newly Revised: ATMO 421/521: Mechanisms of Climate Change (Fall ’08)
This course takes a quantitative approach towards the understanding of the physical and dynamical processes that govern Earth’s climate and climate change. The course will cover energy balance, the hydrological cycle, the roles of atmospheric and oceanic circulations, and both natural and anthropogenic causes of climatic variability. Using fundamental physical principles, students will develop quantitative energy balance models of the climate system and perform simple climate change experiments with these models to provide a deep, insightful understanding of the mechanics of climate variability. In particular, the influences of solar variability, trace gas concentrations, atmospheric aerosol, and cloud systems will be emphasized. Graduate-level requirements include an independent research project.
Supplementary information: This course is intended to complement more comprehensive, phenomenological climate courses offered at the UA. Readings include Dennis Hartmann’s Global Physical Climatology, the IPCC’s Climate Change Report (The Physical Science Basis), Piexoto and Oort’s Physics of Climate, and distributed class notes. Prerequisites comprise PHYS 142, CHEM 103A, and MATH 129 (or equivalents), or consent of instructor.
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FUNDING/JOB/INTERN OPPORTUNITIES
REMINDER – Application deadline for the Montgomery & Associates Summer Internship at the WRRC for an Environmental/Water Writer is Friday, April 25.
An application form and instructions can be found on the WRRC website, http://cals.arizona.edu/azwater/events.php?rcd_id=61.
US/UK Collaboration: Science Bridges Program - Up to $3 Million Over 3 Years
Awards in innovation for UK links at Institutional level with USA, China and India. Closing date for outline proposals: Thursday 15th May.
Link: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/international/sciencebridges.htm.
Job Opportunities with NPX Metals
NPX Metals is seeking to hire an exploration geologist for work in Arizona and Nevada. This is a ground-breaking opportunity to help build a mining exploration company. Principal responsibilities are to provide production geological input for reserve development studies and field development plans. This includes providing a range of quantified geological scenarios for risk analysis, reserve prediction, and well-engineering support.
For more complete information see: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/enewsletter/files/NPX_Metals_Opportunity.pdf.
Applicants should send resumes to Mark Goodman at NPX Metals, contact information below.
Mark Goodman, NPX Metals
3266 W. Galveston Drive #107
Apache Junction, AZ 85220
Phone: (480) 288-5630
Fax: (480) 288-6532
Email: mgoodman@npxmetals.com
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Job: Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometrist
The Chemical and Isotope Mass Spectrometry Group of the Chemical Sciences Division at ORNL invites applications for a Chemist, Radiochemist or Geochemist to provide scientific expertise for multiple chemistry, geochemistry, forensics, nuclear non-proliferation and homeland security projects involving isotope ratio mass spectrometry, ranging from routine analysis to highly complex research and development. The candidate’s primary responsibility will be the development and utilization of multi-collector (MC)-ICP-MS and MC-TIMS for isotope ratio analyses. The successful candidate will be expected to:
- Participate in operation of the MC-ICP-MS (two ThermoFisher Neptune instruments) and MC-TIMS (ThermoFisher Triton) laboratories within the group and analyses of samples for a variety of programs.
- Independently plan, design and execute experiments.
- Collaborate with other scientists and technical personnel in a fast-paced, flexible work environment.
- Maintain effective communications concerning scientific efforts internal and external to the laboratory, including publication of results in peer-reviewed journals and presentation of results at scientific meetings.
- Collaborate in the development of new analytical methodologies and analytical instrumentation (not limited to ICP-MS).
- Participate in the initiation of new research directions and development of research proposals to compete for internal and external funding.
For more information and to apply for this position, please visit http://jobs.ornl.gov/, View Open Positions, Keyword: 2850.
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Looking for Geology Grads for Mudlogging Positions
Selman & Associates, Ltd. is searching for interested candidates for mudlogging positions. As graduation is coming soon, we would like to get our name out to your students for employment consideration. In view of this, I am sending our flyer and an info sheet in hopes that it will be put on display on your department's information board. We hope for favorable responses to our flyer and are looking forward to working with you. Resumes may be e-mailed to employment@selmanlog.com or faxed to 1-800-642-4789.
You can link to the Selman job opportunity at http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/enewsletter/files/Selman_job_opportunity.pdf.
Liz Huckabee
Administrative Assistant
Selman & Associates
URL: http://selmanlog.com
Email: lhuckabee@selmanlog.com
(432) 563-0084
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PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
*CALL FOR ABSTRACTS*
*Association of Earth Science Editors*
Deadline: Monday, July 28, 2008
The 2008 AESE Annual Meeting will be held at the Radisson Woodlands Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, September 21–24, 2008. Registration is open to all those with an interest in earth science publishing. The AESE Annual Meeting will be held concurrently with the AIPG Annual Meeting as well as the Arizona Hydrological Society and the 3rd International Professional Geology Conference. The reception will be a joint event. There will be numerous professional and technical sessions, outstanding field trips, and evening social events available to everyone who attends.
Abstracts should be submitted via e-mail to Tom Overton, AESE vice president, toverton@gia.edu, by July 28.
*Session Chairs Still Needed*
To register for the conference, visit the joint conference web site:
http://www.aipg.org/source/Meetings/cMeetingFunctionDetail.cfm?section=unknown&product_major=2008ANN
An all-day field trip to the Grand Canyon will take place on September 24. Participation is included with the conference registration price.
*Contact Information*
For information about the AESE technical program or to suggest topics, contact AESE Vice President Tom Overton (toverton@gia.edu). For general information on the conference, contact Wendy Davidson (wjd@aipg.org) or visit the joint conference web site.
UPCOMING TALKS (GEOSCIENCES)
Department of Geosciences Colloquium
Who: Doug Jerolmack, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania
What: Nonlinear Dynamics and Network Formation in River Deltas
When: Thursday, May 1, 4:00-5:00 pm
Where: Koffler Building (CBS) Room 216
Semester Schedule: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/colloquium.htm
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UPCOMING TALKS (UA)
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research Seminar (Wednesday)
Who: Christine Hallman, Graduate Associate, University of Arizona, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
Title: Unraveling Environmental Factors that Affect Ancient Pinus Longaeva Growth in the White Mts., CA: a work in
progress
When: Wednesday, April 30, 12:00 noon
Where: Tree-Ring West Room 20 (Math Annex/Old Purchasing and Stores)
Semester Schedule: http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/events.html
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Hydrology and Water Resources Seminar (Wednesday)
Who: Dave Clow, U.S.G.S., Denver, Colorado
Title: Changes in the Timing of Snowmelt Onset in the Colorado Rocky Mountains
When: Wednesday, April 30, 4:00 pm
Where: Harshbarger Building Room 206
For abstract, see: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/enewsletter/files/Clow_Abstract.pdf.
Semester Schedule: http://aegir.hwr.arizona.edu/calendar/Seminars/Seminars%202008/HWR%20-%20Fall%202007%20Schedule%20-%202.htm
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UPCOMING TALKS (ELSEWHERE)
Biosphere 2 Institute MARS! Lecture Series - Final Lecture
Who: Alfred McEwen, Department of Planetary Sciences/Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona
What: Mars!: Spying on Mars from Orbit with HiRISE
When: Saturday, April 26, 11:00 am
Where: Biosphere 2 Theater
Additional Information: http://www.b2science.org/b2institutemars.html.
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Biosphere 2 Institute Science Saturdays
Who: David Breshears, School of Natural Resources, University of Arizona
What: Hot Times and Dead Trees: Change in the West
When: Saturday, April 26, 1:00 pm
Where: Biosphere 2 Theater
Admission to the talk is included with the cost of admission to Biosphere 2, and a 50% discount is offered to you and your direct family upon presentation of your CatCard. You may also consider our membership program, which offers unlimited annual visits to Biosphere 2 as well as additional benefits.
Additional Information: http://www.b2science.org/b2institute.html.