| Geosciences
Highlights |
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Total Listing: 24
(Listed by the order of record adding time, Descending)
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- The extinction of the mammoth and the clathrate gun (11/6/2007)
- Visiting a great lakes sand dune: The example of Mt. Pisgah in Holland, Michigan. The Great Lakes Geographer (4/18/2007)
- Evaluating riparian buffers for nonpoint source pollution control in an urban setting using the Riparian Ecosystem Management Model, REMM. (12/12/2006)
- Relationship between deformation bands and petroleum migration in an exhumed reservoir rock, Los Angeles Basin, California, USA (12/8/2006)
- The origin and extent of earth fissures in Escalante Valley, Southern Escalante Desert, Iron County, Utah (7/21/2006)
- Implications for Timing of Andean Uplift Based on Thermal Resetting of
Radiation-damaged Zircon in the Cordillera Huayhuash, Northern Pe (1/6/2006)
- A Reinterpretation of the Wagendrift Quarry, Estcourt, KwaZulu Natal Province, and its Implications for Karoo Basin Paleogeography (9/29/2005)
- Badly Burned? Effects of an Escaped Prescribed Burn on Social Acceptability of Wildland Fuels Treatments (9/29/2005)
- Population recovery and differential Heat Shock Protein Expression for the Corals, Agaricia agaricites and A. tenuifolia in Belize (9/29/2005)
- Petrography of Lower Cretaceous Sandstones on Spitsbergen (6/3/2005)
- Fire History of the Aiken Canyon Woodland-Grassland Ecotone in the Southern Foothills of the Colorado Front Range (6/3/2005)
- A Reconnaissance of Skeletal Crystallography in Rhombiferans, Diploporans, and Paracrinoids (6/3/2005)
- Detecting Important Categorical Land Changes while Accounting for Persistence (8/18/2004)
- Description and Interpretation of Sanctum laurentiensis, New Ichnogenus and Ichnospecies, a Domichnium Mined into Late Ordovician (Cincinnatian) Ramose Bryozoan Colonies (12/16/2003)
- Graphs of Essentially Equivalent Lattice Paths (12/16/2003)
- Deflation/Erosion Rates for the Parva Member, Dorsa Argentea, Formation and Implications for the South Polar Region of Mars (12/16/2003)
- Emplacement of Long Lava Flows Within a Graben Network in Radunitsa Labyrinthus, Carson quadrangle, Venus (12/15/2003)
- Carolina Thunder Revisited: Toward a Transcultural View of Winston Cup Racing (8/20/2003)
- Plio-Pleistocene Basalts from the Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires, Argentina: Evidence for Asthenospheric-lithospheric Interactions During Slab Window Magmatism (5/27/2003)
- Comparison of Satellite Altimetry to Tide Gauge Measurement of Sea Level: Predictions of Glacio-Isostatic Adjustment (5/16/2003)
- Pennsylvania State Plane Coordinate System: Converting to a Single Zone (10/1/2002)
- Stable Isotopes of Carbon as an Invaluable Stratigraphic Tool: An Example from the Cambrian of the Northern Appalachians (10/1/2002)
- Tornado Shelters in Mobile Home Parks in the United States, (3/25/2002)
- International Tourism Trends in Cuba (3/11/2002)
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| ( 1 )
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Recorded at: 11/6/2007 
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| Title |
The extinction of the mammoth and the clathrate gun |
| Journal |
Deposits, 2007;1:20-25, Ballard J, Bijkerk A
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| Description |
The cause of extinction of late Pleistocene megafauna, such as mammoth and giant ground sloths is still being debated, with hyperdisease, overhunting, and climate change as leading hypotheses. The authors present a new hypothesis linking climate change to extinction through massive methane hydrate releases off the coast of Norway and at the Amazon Fan in South America. They propose such catastrophic releases of methane hydrate (clathrate) would likely have induced major changes in oceanic circulation and affected climate through precipitation changes. The implications are enormous. This hypothesis could explain much about rapid climate change at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. The authors are currently working on the cause of the trigger of the clathrate gun.
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| Faculty |
Her advisor is Dr. Glenn Mason, Head of Geosciences at IUS
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| Student |
Joanne Ballard is a geoscience senior at Indiana University Southeast, graduating in May 2007. This has been an independent study project. Andre Bijkerk is an independent researcher, residing in Germany |
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| ( 2 )
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Recorded at: 4/18/2007
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| Title |
Visiting a great lakes sand dune: The example of Mt. Pisgah in Holland, Michigan. The Great Lakes Geographer |
| Journal |
, 2005;12(2):45-63, van Dijk D, Vink DR
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| Description |
The study investigated local claims that dune visitors were causing a decrease in the height of Mt. Pisgah, a large parabolic dune and local landmark in Holland on the east coast of Lake Michigan. The study mapped dune topography, collected information from dune visitors and local residents, and collected historical data. In summer 2005, Mt. Pisgah’s height above Lake Michigan was 8 meters lower than its previously-reported height. More than 3400 people (most of whom are not local residents) visit the dune in the summer. Visitor activities on Mt. Pisgah produce significant changes to dune topography, including lowering of the dune crest at a popular pathway. Management strategies were recommended to mitigate the impacts of the high numbers of visitors
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| Faculty |
Deanna van Dijk is an associate professor of geography at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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| Student |
Rob Vink is a geology major (graduating May 2007) who participated in this research the summer before his junior year |
| Fund |
The research was supported by a grant from the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission
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| ( 3 )
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Recorded at: 12/12/2006
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| Title |
Evaluating riparian buffers for nonpoint source pollution control in an urban setting using the Riparian Ecosystem Management Model, REMM. |
| Journal |
Proc Intnatl Conf Hydrology and Management of Forested Wetlands., 2006;129-137, Allison BE, Fatula S, Wolanski D
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| Description |
Riparian buffers are effective for treatment of runoff and nonpoint source ollution, but they are routinely designed for urban use based on criteria for agricultural buffers. The Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM) was evaluated as an environmental planning tool for designing urban riparian buffers based on site-specific data. REMM was useful in designing urban buffers, especially when different housing densities, multiple soils, and variable slopes were contained in a developed area
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| Faculty |
Bruce E. Allison is a professor of environmental science at Wesley College. David Wolanski is a watershed scientist at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Dover, Delaware
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| Student |
Stephen Fatula participated in this research during his senior year and is currently enrolled in the environmental law program at Rutgers University. |
| Fund |
The research was part of an independent research study supported in part by an NSF/EPSCoR grant and DNREC.
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| ( 4 )
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Recorded at: 12/8/2006
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| Title |
Relationship between deformation bands and petroleum migration in an exhumed reservoir rock, Los Angeles Basin, California, USA |
| Journal |
Geofluids, 2006;6:105-112., Sample JC, Woods S, Bender E, Loveall M
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| Description |
An oil-bearing sandstone unit within the Monterey Formation is exposed along the Newport-Inglewood fault zone in southern California. The unit preserves structures, some original fluids, and cements that record the local history of deformation, petroleum migration, and cementation. Field relationships demonstrate that petroleum migrated into the reservoir during at least three different phases after the fault had become active. The structure-fluid flow relationships exhibited here may help geologists understand oil migration in other settings
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| Faculty |
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| Student |
James C. Sample, Department of Geology, Northern Arizona University (formerly Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach). Sharon Woods assisted in field work and data collection for this project during Summer, 2002. At the time Woods was a second year student at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California |
| Fund |
She was participating in the G-DEP program at CSU, Long Beach, funded by NSF’s “Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences” program (GEO-0119891). Additional support was provided by NSF grant
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| ( 5 )
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Recorded at: 7/21/2006
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| Title |
The origin and extent of earth fissures in Escalante Valley, Southern Escalante Desert, Iron County, Utah |
| Journal |
Ut Geol Sur, 2005; Special Study 115, Lund WR, DuRoss CB, Kirby SM, McDonald GN, Hunt G, Vice GS
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| Description |
During the particularly wet spring of 2005, several large fissures developed near the town of Beryl in Escalante Valley, western Iron County, Utah. Gary Hunt was studying land subsidence due to ground water withdrawal in the area for his senior project and had already located the extant USGS Bench Marks in the area. With the sudden development of a fissure crossing a main highway and several more near structures, the Utah Geological Survey utilized his data and incorporated it into this larger publication that was done with state funds
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| Faculty |
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| Student |
Garret Vice collected GPS data and completed the GIS portion of the project. Gary will graduate from Southern Utah University in May and go to New Mexico State University to pursue a master’s degree. Garret graduated from Southern Utah University in May, 2005 and is pursuing a master's degree at University of Nevada, Reno |
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| ( 6 )
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Recorded at: 1/6/2006
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| Title |
Implications for Timing of Andean Uplift Based on Thermal Resetting of
Radiation-damaged Zircon in the Cordillera Huayhuash, Northern Pe |
| Journal |
Journal of Geology, 2005, 113, 117-138, J.I. Garver, P.R. Reiners, L.J. Walker, J.M. Ramage, S.E. Perry (Union College).
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| Description |
This research documents the age of rock cooling along the spine of the Andes and relates this cooling to the timing of uplift of the Andes. The research documents a period of intense heating at 10 Ma that is related to plutonic intrusion. This intrusion was followed by a significant amount of erosion that ultimately resulted in this spectacular mountain range with peaks of almost 7000 m (i.e. N. Yerupaja, featured in the recent movie "Into thin air"). Crystals dated were old radiation-damaged zircons, which allow dating of cooling though about 180°C.
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| Faculty |
J.I. Garver is Chair, Department of Geology, Union College.
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| Student |
. Lydia Walker, 2004 graduate, wrote her thesis on dating rocks in this transect. The fieldwork was completed as part of summer support though Union College, but the main research was completed as her Senior thesis. She is currently in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. S.E. Perry, also a 2004 graduate, wrote her thesis on similar rocks slightly to the north in Cordillera Blanca. Her fieldwork in this area and to the north was completed as part of summer support though Union College, but her main research was completed as her Senior thesis. She is currently in graduate school at SUNY Albany. |
| Fund |
Funding was through Union College Research fund (internal).
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| ( 7 )
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Recorded at: 9/29/2005
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| Title |
A Reinterpretation of the Wagendrift Quarry, Estcourt, KwaZulu Natal Province, and its Implications for Karoo Basin Paleogeography |
| Journal |
Journal of South African Geology, 2005, 108(3), 17-26, R. W. Selover, R. A. Gastaldo (Colby College).
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| Description |
Exposures near Estcourt, KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa, in the Karoo Basin originally were interpreted as part of the Beaufort Group, a continental sequence of deposits of fluvial origin. This project focused on the sedimentology, stratigraphy, and paleontology and demonstrated that the exposures do not represent river deposits but, rather, are deep-lake turbidites. Palynomorphs recovered from the rocks allow for assignment of these deposits to the Ecca Group, a unit beneath the Beaufort. This reassignment changes the paleogeography of the Karoo Basin, indicating that deep-water deposits persisted in the northeastern part of the basin.
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| Faculty |
R. A. Gastaldo is professor of geology.
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| Student |
Robert W. Selover '04 undertook this project as a second senior thesis, conducting field work during the summer 2003 in South Africa. Presently, Rob is a graduate student in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State University. |
| Fund |
This work was supported by NSF RUI - EAR 0417317, HHMI Grant to Colby College, and Department of Geology Bove Endowment.
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| ( 8 )
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Recorded at: 9/29/2005
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| Title |
Badly Burned? Effects of an Escaped Prescribed Burn on Social Acceptability of Wildland Fuels Treatments |
| Journal |
Journal of Forestry, 2005, 101(3), 134-138, Mark W. Brunson, Jessica Evans (Utah State University).
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| Description |
A 2003 “prescribed burn” set by managers of the Uinta National Forest escaped, costing nearly $3 million to extinguish while choking Utah cities with smoke for a week. When the incident drew harsh criticism from local officials and news media, wildland fire managers worried that prescribed fire would no longer be a viable land management tool in northern Utah. A survey of residents in three affected counties, based in part on a 2001 survey, found that prescribed fire remains an acceptable tool for some situations, however citizens increasingly doubt agencies’ ability to use it effectively.
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| Faculty |
Mark Brunson is a professor of environment and society at Utah State University.
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| Student |
Jessica designed and administered the survey in her junior year - her second year as a research assistant studying public attitudes toward wildfire management. She is now employed by a private foundation. |
| Fund |
Research was funded by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station.
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| ( 9 )
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Recorded at: 9/29/2005
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| Title |
Population recovery and differential Heat Shock Protein Expression for the Corals, Agaricia agaricites and A. tenuifolia in Belize |
| Journal |
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2004, 283: 151-160, Martha P. Robbart, Paulette Peckol, Stylianos P. Scordilis, H. Allen Curran, Jocelyn Brown-Saracino (Smith College).
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| Description |
The recovery of two populations of corals on reefs off the coast of Belize was studied following the 1997-1998 El Niño. A. agaricites and A. tenuifolia, showed different recovery patterns and heat shock protein expression. The ability to produce heat shock proteins may serve to protect against environmental stress due to significant thermal fluctuations.
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| Faculty |
Paulette Peckol is a professor of biological sciences, Stylianos P. Scordilis a professor of biological sciences and director of the biochemistry program, H. Allen Curran a professor of geology at Smith College.
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| Student |
Jocelyn Brown-Saracino participated in this work after her junior year and Martha Robbart, a Smith graduate, worked on this project as a Masters student at Smith College. Jocelyn is currently teaching in Teach for America and Martha is employed in industry. |
| Fund |
This research was supported by the Blakeslee Fund for Genetics Research, a Culpeper Foundation grant, the Smith College Summer Science Program and the B. Elizabeth Horner Fund.
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| ( 10 )
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Recorded at: 6/3/2005
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| Title |
Petrography of Lower Cretaceous Sandstones on Spitsbergen |
| Journal |
Polar Research, 2004, 23, 147-165, Harmon D. Maher, Jr., Troy Hays, Robert Shuster, Jeremy Mutrux (University of Nebraska at Omaha)
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| Description |
Study results indicate that during a Barremian-Aptian transgression a relatively abrupt change in sandstone composition from quartz arenites to sublitharenites and lithic arenites was due to the local arrival of marine sands that had a different source than underlying fluvial-deltaic strata. Shore-parallel transport of Aptian marine sands tapped a penecontemporaneous High Arctic large Igneous Province and Precambrian basement sources to the northeast, part of which is still well preserved on Franz Josef Land. The marine sandstone composition remained unchanged into the Albian.
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| Faculty |
Harmon Maher is a professor of geology and Robert Shuster is an associate professor of geology.
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| Student |
Troy Hays and Jeremy Mutrux participated in field work and subsequent laboratory work as part of their senior theses. Troy Hays is currently a graduate student at the University of Florida and Jeremy Mutrux is locally employed and finishing his senior thesis. |
| Fund |
The research was supported through ACS-PRF and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
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| ( 11 )
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Recorded at: 6/3/2005
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| Title |
Fire History of the Aiken Canyon Woodland-Grassland Ecotone in the Southern Foothills of the Colorado Front Range |
| Journal |
Southwestern Naturalist, 2004, 49, 239-243, William R. Wieder, Nathan W. Bower (Colorado College).
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| Description |
A fire history for SE Colorado was constructed for 1602-1999 using ponderosa pine. A relatively short median fire interval (MFI = 7.5 yrs) was obtained for the period 1753-1935. An unusually strong association was found between El Nino weather patterns and fires. A very short MFI was observed in the grasslands for 1872-1935, possibly due to pioneer railroads and/or ranching. These efforts help inform fire management in the region.
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| Faculty |
Nate Bower teaches chemistry and environmental science.
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| Student |
Will Wieder conducted this research in the summer following his sophomore year. He currently teaches Biology in Bangkok, Thailand. |
| Fund |
Will’s research was supported with matching grants from The Nature Conservancy and Colorado College.
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| ( 12 )
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Recorded at: 6/3/2005
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| Title |
A Reconnaissance of Skeletal Crystallography in Rhombiferans, Diploporans, and Paracrinoids |
| Journal |
Journal of Paleontology, 2004, 78, 1154-1162, Brian E. Bodenbender, Erik J. Hiemstra (Hope College)
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| Description |
This study examined orientations of crystallographic axes in the minerals that make up the skeletons of several groups of extinct echinoderms, relatives of modern crinoids (sea lilies). Diploporans differ from rhombiferans and paracrinoids in the directions their crystallographic axes point. Patterns of axis orientation shared by rhombiferans and fossil crinoids suggest that these two groups may have undergone similar processes of skeletal development.
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| Faculty |
Brian Bodenbender is an associate professor of geological and environmental sciences.
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| Student |
Erik Hiemstra is currently employed as a geologist in petroleum exploration. He worked on this project during summer research following his sophomore, junior, and senior years, including a summer of support by a CUR Summer Research Fellowship. |
| Fund |
The work was also supported by Hope College.
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| ( 13 )
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Recorded at: 8/18/2004
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| Title |
Detecting Important Categorical Land Changes while Accounting for Persistence |
| Journal |
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2004, 101(2-3), 251-268, R Gil Pontius, Jr., Emily Shusas, Menzie McEachern (Clark University)
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| Description |
Statistical formulas in order to assess the change of land categories between two points in time are derived. These methods enable scientists to focus on the strongest signals of systematic landscape transitions, which is necessary to link geographic patterns to processes. An example of change among four land categories in central Massachusetts illustrates the technique.
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| Faculty |
R Gil Pontius, Jr. is associate professor in the school of geography.
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| Student |
Emily Shusas undertook this research as part of her senior thesis while working as in the HERO (Human-Environment Regional Observatory) program. |
| Fund |
The research was funded by an NSF-REU award.
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| ( 14 )
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Recorded at: 12/16/2003
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| Title |
Description and Interpretation of Sanctum laurentiensis, New Ichnogenus and Ichnospecies, a Domichnium Mined into Late Ordovician (Cincinnatian) Ramose Bryozoan Colonies |
| Journal |
Journal of Paleontology, 2003, 75, 1002-1010, J. Mark Erickson, Tim Bouchard (St. Lawrence University)
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| Description |
A newly recognized Late Ordovician trace fossil represents the domicile of an organism that was responsible for tunneling through the interiors of bryozoan skeletons while those colonies lived on the carbonate flats of the Cincinnati region 475 million years ago. The organism responsible is unknown as yet, but its tunnels were pervasive and were likely to have had a deleterious effect on colony resistance to waves generated by large storms. By tunneling and by breakage of host skeletons, much bioclastic carbonate sediment resulted from production of Sanctum laurentiensis.
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| Faculty |
Mark Erickson is a professor of geology and mineralogy.
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| Student |
Tim Bouchard, while a sophomore, began a study of these unique trace fossils as an independent project. He is presently beginning graduate work in paleontology at the University of Alaska. |
| Fund |
This research was supported by St. Lawrence University.
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| ( 15 )
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Recorded at: 12/16/2003
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| Title |
Graphs of Essentially Equivalent Lattice Paths |
| Journal |
Geombinatorics, 2003, 13, 5-9, Marjorie Brewer, Adam Hughes, Lara Pudwell (Valparaiso University)
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| Description |
The elementary properties of the family of graphs with vertices consisting of the paths of a rectangular lattice and edges consisting of pairs of paths sharing more than k steps (essentially equivalent) are investigated. Connectivity and trees are completely characterized.
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| Faculty |
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| Student |
Adam, Margie, and Lara were a freshman, sophomore, and junior, respectively, when they worked on this paper under the direction of Rick Gillman. They were participating in the Department's ongoing undergraduate research program, and continued to be part of the program the following year. This year, Adam is pursuing his studies in music, Margie is preparing to do her student teaching, and Lara has begun graduate studies at Rutgers University. |
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| ( 16 )
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Recorded at: 12/16/2003
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| Title |
Deflation/Erosion Rates for the Parva Member, Dorsa Argentea, Formation and Implications for the South Polar Region of Mars |
| Journal |
Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets, 2003, 108, 5075, J. E. Bleacher, S.E.H. Sakimoto, J. B. Garvin, M. Wong, (Franklin and Marshall College/Goddard Space Flight Center)
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| Description |
The surficial materials near the south polar region of Mars are one of the younger units globally. In both image and topography data, they show apparent evidence for large scale removal. Using recently acquired topography data, we show that a type of preserved impact crater indicates unmistakably that the surface of part of the polar terrain was at one time higher, and has experienced deflation without destruction of the craters. Using the remaining impact craters as gauges, We estimate the deflation magnitude and rates, tie the materials to possible similar materials in surrounding terrains, and show that additional impact features are visible in the topography but thoroughly blanketed and subdued by the remaining materials.
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| Faculty |
Susan Sakimoto is a planetary scientist working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center with the Goddard Earth Science and Technology Center. James Garvin is the Mars Exploration Program Scientist (now at NASA/HQ)
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| Student |
Jacob Bleacher performed the work while an undergraduate at Franklin and Marshall College for his senior thesis, spending summer and break times at Goddard, and commuting regularly during the school year. He has gone on to Arizona State University and is in their PhD program in Geological Sciences. Martin Wong was a research assistant at Goddard for a year between his BS and PhD programs, and is now in the PhD program at the University of California Santa Barbara. |
| Fund |
Funding for this work was provided by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) science team, Franklin and Marshall and Goddard's Geodynamics Branch.
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| ( 17 )
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Recorded at: 12/15/2003
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| Title |
Emplacement of Long Lava Flows Within a Graben Network in Radunitsa Labyrinthus, Carson quadrangle, Venus |
| Journal |
Geophysical Research Letters, 2003, 30, 1908, Karen M. Kortz, Eric B. Grosfils, Susan E. H. Sakimoto. (Pomona College/Goddard Space Flight Center)
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| Description |
Radar bright lava flows in Radunitsa Labyrinthus traveled up to 200 km within a network of orthogonal grabens. Using a cooling model for basalt to evaluate the channelized lava flow emplacement process, we explore whether unusual eruption conditions or lava properties are required to promote the observed behavior, and conclude that neither are necessary. This raises questions about why similar channelization of lava flows is not more commonly observed on Venus.
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| Faculty |
Eric Grosfils is an associate professor of geology at Pomona College. Susan Sakimoto is a planetary scientist working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
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| Student |
Karen Kortz performed the research described here for her senior thesis project at Pomona College. She went on to get her Masters degree from Brown University, and has recently begun teaching at the Community College of Rhode Island. |
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| ( 18 )
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Recorded at: 8/20/2003
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| Title |
Carolina Thunder Revisited: Toward a Transcultural View of Winston Cup Racing |
| Journal |
The Professional Geographer, 2003, 55, 238-249, Alderman, Derek H., Preston W. Mitchell, Jeffrey T. Webb, and Derek Hanak (East Carolina University)
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| Description |
Contrary to previous research, the growing national popularity of stock car racing does not necessarily come at the cost of its strong historical connection with the American South. Rather, the sport is “transcultural,” embodying both tradition and transition as well as regional and national forces. This study documents major changes and continuities in Winston Cup racing and briefly examines two North Carolina cases (North Wikesboro and the Charlotte area) that provide contradictory views on the relationship between NASCAR and the South.
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| Faculty |
Derek Alderman is an assistant professor of geography.
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| Student |
The students performed the research as part of an independent student requirement. Preston Mitchell in enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program at East Carolina University. Jeffrey Webb is currently applying to graduate programs in geography. Derek Hanak is employed as a GIS technician. |
| Fund |
The project was supported by department funds.
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| ( 19 )
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Recorded at: 5/27/2003
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| Title |
Plio-Pleistocene Basalts from the Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires, Argentina: Evidence for Asthenospheric-lithospheric Interactions During Slab Window Magmatism |
| Journal |
Chemical Geology, 2003, 193, 215-235, Matthew Gorring, Brad Singer, Jason Gowers, Suzanne M. Kay. (Montclair State University)
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| Description |
The geochemistry of young (0.125 to 3.4 Ma) basaltic volcanics from the Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires (46.7ºS) in the backarc region of the southern Patagonian Andes were investigated in order to elucidate petrogenetic processes associated with ridge-trench collision and the development of asthenospheric slab windows. Geochemical data indicate contamination of OIB-like asthenosphere-derived slab window magmas with the EM1-type Patagonian continental lithospheric mantle. Results of the study suggest hot, upwelling slab window asthenosphere can cause significant thermo-mechanical erosion and thinning of the continental lithosphere and is an important process in slab window magma petrogenesis.
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| Faculty |
Matthew Gorring is an associate professor of geology. Brad Singer is an assistant professor of geology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Suzanne Kay is a professor of geology at Cornell University.
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| Student |
Jason Gowers participated in this research for his senior thesis project and is currently a graduate student in geoscience at Montclair State University. |
| Fund |
The research was supported through grants from Montclair State, NSF, and the Swiss NSF. Jason Gowers was supported through a GSA undergraduate research grant.
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| ( 20 )
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Recorded at: 5/16/2003
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| Title |
Comparison of Satellite Altimetry to Tide Gauge Measurement of Sea Level: Predictions of Glacio-Isostatic Adjustment |
| Journal |
Journal of Climate, 2002, 15, 3291-3300, James A. Clark, Paul E. Haidle, L. Nichole Cunningham. (Wheaton College, IL)
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| Description |
Sea level changes, possibly caused by global warming and melting of ice sheets, are monitored with tide gauges and satellite altimetry. Our predictions from a numerical model of a viscoelastic self-gravitating earth indicate that the tide gauge signal should differ from the satellite signal because tide gauges record the change between the earth’s solid surface and its geoid (i.e. sea level) whereas the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite measures only geoid changes. Both sea level signatures are predicted to be distinctly non-uniform with a fall in sea level occurring near the source of meltwater and enhanced sea level rise very distant from the source. Therefore the spatial gradient in the rate of sea level rise will point towards any source of meltwater.
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| Faculty |
James Clark is a professor of geology.
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| Student |
The research was done during the summer. Paul had just finished his junior year and Nikki was a senior. Paul Haidle is currently employed in industry. Nikki Cunningham is pursuing an environmental law degree at the University of Tennessee. |
| Fund |
The research was supported by a grant from NASA and with funds from Wheaton College.
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| ( 21 )
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Recorded at: 10/1/2002
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| Title |
Pennsylvania State Plane Coordinate System: Converting to a Single Zone |
| Journal |
Surveying and Land Information Systems, 2002, 62, 95-103, P.Hartzell, L. Strunk, C. Ghilani (Pennsylvania State University, Wilkes-Barre)
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| Description |
A single-zone map projection coordinate system for Pennsylvania will help meet the needs of state-wide surveying, mapping, and geospatial projects. Currently the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania uses a dual-zone state plane coordinate system (SPCS) based on the Lambert Conformal Conic Map Projection. The options available for the development of a new map projection coordinate system were considered, and a single-zone system based on the Lambert Conformal Conic Map Projection was proposed. This paper partially fulfilled the course requirements in SUR 262: Coordinate Systems in Map Projections in the Penn State Surveying program.
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| Faculty |
C. Chilani is the Chair of the surveying program.
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| Student |
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| ( 22 )
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Recorded at: 10/1/2002
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| Title |
Stable Isotopes of Carbon as an Invaluable Stratigraphic Tool: An Example from the Cambrian of the Northern Appalachians |
| Journal |
USA, Geology, 2002, 30, 563-566, Bosiljka Glumac, Malkah L. Spivak-Birndorf. (Smith College)
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| Description |
A detailed carbon isotope analysis of the lowermost Gorge Formation at Highgate Gorge in northwestern Vermont illustrated the usefulness of carbon isotopes in stratigraphic interpretations of poorly fossiliferous strata beyond the resolution possible by biostratigraphy. Previous age interpretations of the highly condensed continental-slope deposits of the Upper Cambrian lower Gorge Formation were based on information from two thin fossiliferous intervals, the occurrence of one of them being unconfirmed in a recent study. The carbon isotope results question the age for these strata and suggest the presence of a stratigraphic gap or a hiatus, which is greater than previously recognized.
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| Faculty |
Bosiljka Glumac is an assistant professor of geology.
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| Student |
Malkah Spivak-Birndorf spent one semester working on the project, and she currently teaches on a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. |
| Fund |
The work was supported by ACS-PRF and a Sigma Xi grant-in-aid of research.
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| ( 23 )
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Recorded at: 3/25/2002
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| Title |
Tornado Shelters in Mobile Home Parks in the United States, |
| Journal |
The American Society of Professional Emergency Managers (ASPEP) Journal, 2001, 1-15, Thomas W. Schmidlin, B. O. Hammer, Jodanna Knabe. (Kent State University)
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| Description |
A disproportionate number of mobile home residents are killed by tornadoes. Current safety recommendations state that mobile home residents should go to a sturdy shelter when a tornado warning is issued. We surveyed 480 mobile home parks (MHPs) to assess the availability and quality of tornado shelters in MHPs in 11 Southern and Central states. A 'shelter' was identified in 33% of MHPs. 20% of those shelters were below ground, most others were offices, laundry buildings, or pool houses of questionable sturdiness. There were strong regional differences with fewer shelters and poor quality in the South and more shelters of higher quality in the Plains. This was the first summary of tornado shelters in MHPs in the United States. Results may be useful in legislation requiring shelters in MHPs. The results also inform state and county emergency managers of the availability of shelters (or lack of) so that realistic storm safety recommendations can be provided to mobile home residents.
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| Faculty |
Thomas W. Schmidlin is Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography.
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| Student |
Jodanna Knabe is a senior majoring in Geography. She completed the work as a summer project funded by an NSF REU supplement to an NSF grant. |
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| ( 24 )
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Recorded at: 3/11/2002
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| Title |
International Tourism Trends in Cuba |
| Journal |
The Geographical Bulletin, 2001,43,47-58, David Aagesen and Jennifer Paluch
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| Description |
The history and current status of international tourism in Cuba, whose leaders have embraced the tourism industry since the collapse of the Soviet Union, was surveyed. The socioeconomic and environmental challenges associated with the development of Cuba's tourism industry are integrated and evaluated.
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| Faculty |
David Aagesen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the State University of New York - Geneseo.
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| Student |
Jennifer Paluch undertook the work during her senior year and is currently a graduate student at San Diego State University. |
| Fund |
Support was provided through a Geneseo Foundation Research Travel Grant.
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