Geoscientists have long thought that water helps to drive volcanoes to erupt. Now, thanks to new tools at Cornell, scientists show that carbon dioxide can induce explosive eruptions. Read more
As concerns about climate change intensify, researchers are exploring the potential for large-scale human intervention in the Earth’s climate system, a strategy sometimes referred to as geoengineering. Two leading researchers in the area discuss how their research in sunlight reflection methods fits into the bigger picture of potential climate solutions. Read more
How Earth’s inner core formed and evolved over time remains a mystery, one that a team of researchers is seeking to plumb with the help of earthquakes and a global nuclear monitoring system. Read more
A group of Cornell geologists – known as the Cornell Andes Project – came together in early June to celebrate 40 years of research in South America and their collective success in advancing the understanding of plate tectonics. Read more
Professor Geoffrey Abers will extend his term as chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences for one more year. Professor Natalie Mahowald will return from a sabbatical in July 2024 and begin a three-year term as chair. Read more
Student Project Teams are a big part of the Cornell experience for many undergraduates--there are 34 official teams with more than 1,400 student participants from across the university. But it has only been in the past couple of years that one of these teams is situated firmly in EAS. While many project teams focus on a competition of some sort, CU GeoData is different. And the difference is intentional. David Hysell--former chair of EAS and currently the Thomas R. Briggs Professor in Engineering—was there at the start. “Prior to 2020 I was chair of the department and at the time I identified... Read more
Megan Holycross, assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell Engineering, has received an NSF CAREER award to research the origins of the Earth’s continental crust. Read more
Time Magazine has named Britney Schmidt, associate professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences and Earth and atmospheric sciences in Cornell Engineering, to the 2023 list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Read more
Kappel earned her undergraduate degree in geology from Cornell in 1980 and her Ph.D. in marine geology and geophysics in 1985 from Columbia University. Her career includes twelve years as an associate director for the Ocean Drilling Programs at Joint Oceanographic Institutions, 24 years as founder and president of Geosciences Professional Services, Inc., and twenty years as editor of The Oceanography Society’s journal, Oceanography. In a recent conversation Kappel has said that she views the role of the EAS Advisory Council as one of support for the Chair and the department in their mission... Read more
The Icefin team’s observations revealed more than a century of geological processes beneath the Ross Ice Shelf near where it meets Kamb Ice Stream, and will inform models of sea-level rise. Read more
