Events

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Peter Flemings

The Mystery of Methane Hydrate: A film on the mission to core a methane hydrate reservoir and a talk about the science behind it by Dr. Peter Flemings, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: The Jackson School led a 2 month drilling expedition to collect core and measure in situ properties in a hydrate system in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico in the summer of ‘23. An international team of geobiologists, sedimentologists, petrophysicists, hydrologists, and geochemists is studying how hydrates form and how carbon is exchanged between the ocean and basin sediments.  The Jackson School of Geosciences recently released a short documentary about this mission. I will introduce methane hydrates, and discuss initial results. We will then show the video and have a short Q&A.

UTIG Seminar Series: Candidate talk

UTIG Seminar Series: Geeta Persad, UT Austin

Speaker: Geeta Persad, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, UT Austin Jackson School of Geosciences

Host: Danielle Touma

Title: Anthropogenic Aerosol as a Driver of Climate Risk

Abstract: Anthropogenic aerosol emissions are expected to change rapidly over the coming decades, driving strong, spatially complex trends in temperature, hydroclimate, and extreme events both near and far from emission sources. Under-resourced, highly populated regions often bear the brunt of aerosols’ climate and air quality effects, amplifying risk through heightened exposure and vulnerability. However, many policy-facing evaluations of near-term climate risk, including those in the latest IPCC assessment report, underrepresent aerosols’ complex and regionally diverse climate effects, reducing them to a globally averaged offset to greenhouse gas (GHG) driven warming. In this talk, I and my collaborators argue that this constitutes a major missing element in society’s ability to prepare for future climate change. I will share a series of case studies across regional climate modeling, heatwave hazard quantification, and agricultural impact analysis that highlight how the standard framework developed to estimate GHG-driven near-term climate risk fails for regional aerosol emissions, creating blind spots. Finally, I outline a pathway towards progress and call for greater interaction between the aerosol research, impact modeling, scenario development, and risk assessment communities.

UTIG Discussion Hour: Dr. Yangkang Chen (TSN)

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Arthur Stokreef

A path to sustainable mining: Low-carbon North American Nickel by Dr. Arthur Stokreef, Canada Nickel Company

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Simon Jowitt

The Minerals Industry and Climate Change Mitigation; a Vital Partnership by Dr. Simon Jowitt, the Arthur Brant Chair of Exploration Geology and Director of the Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and the University of Nevada Reno

Friends and Alumni Reception in Houston

UTIG Seminar Series: Ping Chang, Texas A&M University

Speaker: Ping Chang, Professor, Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University

Host: Yuko Okumura

Title: Recent Advances in High-Resolution Climate Simulations

Abstract: Through collaborations with NCAR and our international partners, significant advancements have been achieved in high-resolution climate simulations. We have recently completed an unprecedented set of high-resolution pre-industrial, historical, and future climate simulations, as well as climate sensitivity simulations, and a high-resolution decadal prediction ensemble. These simulations are based on a high-resolution configuration of the Community Earth System Model version 1.3 (CESM1.3) with atmosphere and land resolution at 0.25° and ocean and sea-ice resolution at 0.1°. At these resolutions, the model explicitly represents ocean mesoscale eddies and permits tropical cyclones. As such, these simulations offer excellent opportunities to assess the potential benefits and challenges of high-resolution climate modeling and prediction. An overview of the results from these simulations is provided by direct comparisons to an identical set of standard low-resolution (nominal 1°) CESM1.3 simulations and to available observations. Highlighting differences between high- and low-resolution simulations, our focus includes the model resolution impacts on simulations of Arctic Amplification, recent trends in the Southern Ocean and Tropical South Pacific, and future extreme precipitation changes. A key emerging conclusion from this study is that reducing dependence on parameterized physics in high resolution models can significantly enhance the fidelity of climate simulations, prediction, and projections.

Planetary Habitability Seminar Series

UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability Seminar Series. See website for speaker schedule and more details: View Events

Join remotely: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94052130734

In person: Classroom 15.216B, Physics, Math and Astronomy Bldg.

UT Austin, Department of Astronomy

2515 Speedway, Stop C1400

Austin, Texas 78712-1205

UTIG Discussion Hour: Pancake Day

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Matthew Becker

How Groundwater Impacts the people and ecosystems of the South Pacific Islands by Dr. Matthew Becker, Conrey Chair in Hydrogeology and Professor of Earth Sciences at California State University Long Beach

Abstract: The Pacific Ocean is host to more than 30,000 islands, the vast majority of which are small, remote, and vulnerable to climate variability. Groundwater plays an important role in the resilience of these isolated environments. We will see how groundwater was a critical resource for the first settlers of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), how it helps coral reefs flourish in a nutrient desert (Darwin’s Paradox), and the role it plays in terrestrial flora and fauna. Understanding of these interactions is hindered by the complexity of groundwater flow in coastal and offshore environments. Our recent investigations of the distribution of groundwater flow to fringing coral reefs sheds some light on these processes. Climate change and sea level rise will disrupt and potentially overwhelm these unique and biologically critical ecosystems. An improved understanding of hydrogeologic systems and their interactions with marine life surrounding Pacific islands will be essential for strategic adaptation to environmental stresses.

UTIG Discussion Hour: Dr. Alejandro Cardona (UTIG)

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Maureen Long

The weird and wonderful lowermost mantle: patterns and drivers of Deep mantle flow by Dr. Maureen Long, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Yale University

Abstract: Mantle convection and its surface manifestation, plate tectonics, are fundamental to Earth’s evolution. Observations of seismic anisotropy, or the directional dependence of seismic wave speeds, provide some of the most direct constraints on the pattern of convective flow in the Earth’s mantle. Seismic anisotropy analysis is routinely applied to study upper mantle processes, leading to fundamental discoveries about the patterns of flow in the upper mantle and the drivers of that flow. There is also convincing observational evidence for seismic anisotropy in the lowermost mantle; however, it has proven challenging to develop reliable frameworks for accurately measuring D” anisotropy and for interpreting these measurements in terms of mantle flow patterns. Despite the challenges, however, observations of lowermost mantle anisotropy have the potential to shed light on a number of fundamental unsolved problems relating to deep mantle structure and dynamics, including the origin and evolution of enigmatic structures such as large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) and ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs). This talk will describe a set of studies aimed at measuring and interpreting seismic anisotropy at the base of the mantle, using a combination of tools and approaches. The relationships between mantle flow (and its expression in seismic anisotropy) and structures such as LLVPs and ULVZs are of particular interest, given their potential to shed light on fundamental aspects of deep mantle dynamics.

UTIG Seminar Series: Shuo Zhang, UTIG

Speaker: Shuo Zhang, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics

Host: Mrinal Sen

Title: Spatial and temporal variations of the seismic velocity within the crust of Oklahoma

Abstract: Seismic velocities are essential physical properties for probing the interior structure of the Earth. Benefitting from the widely deployed seismometers, our investigations focus on assessing the spatiotemporal variations in seismic velocity within the crust of Oklahoma. Utilizing full waveform inversion, we construct a 3-D radially anisotropic elastic velocity model for the crust of Oklahoma. The inverted model reveals the spatial distributions of the geological units, as well as the potential geological deformation in the crust of Oklahoma. Additionally, we design synthetic tests to understand the impact of the seismic velocity on the earthquake source parameters. As such, the inverted models provide us an opportunity to re-investigate the induced earthquakes in Oklahoma. Furthermore, we integrate seismic noise cross-correlation functions and sensitivity kernels of coda-wave interferometry to estimate spatial and temporal changes of near-surface seismic velocity (dv/v) in central Oklahoma. Comparisons among dv/v, gravity, and groundwater level suggest a negative correlation between near-surface seismic velocity and terrestrial water storage. Considering higher temporal and spatial resolution, seismometers have potential for monitoring subsurface water distribution and migration.

Planetary Habitability Seminar Series

UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability Seminar Series. See website for speaker schedule and more details: View Events

Join remotely: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94052130734

In person: Classroom 15.216B, Physics, Math and Astronomy Bldg.

UT Austin, Department of Astronomy

2515 Speedway, Stop C1400

Austin, Texas 78712-1205

Planetary Habitability Seminar: Cayman Unterborn, SwRI

Speaker: Cayman Unterborn, Senior Research Scientist, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)

Host: Caroline Morley

Title: A matter of time: linking observations and models to test the temporal limits of exoplanet habitability

Abstract: The ideal exoplanets to search for life are those within a star’s habitable zone. Even within the habitable zone, however, planets can still develop uninhabitable climate states. Sustaining a temperate climate over geologic (?gigayear) timescales requires a planet to contain sufficient internal energy to power a planetary-scale carbon cycle. A major component of a rocky planet’s energy budget is the heat produced by the decay of the radioactive isotopes of U, Th and K. As the planet ages and these elements decay, their radiogenic energy source dwindles, slowing mantle degassing and potentially choking the carbon cycle off, potentially leading to a snowball state. Additionally, the rate of mantle degassing directly affects a planet’s ability to regulate atmospheric carbon abundances to the point where if rates are too high, a hothouse climate could emerge.

In this talk I will combine observational data from stars with galactic chemical evolution models to estimate the probability distribution of the amount of these heat-producing elements that enter into rocky exoplanets through Galactic history. I will then show the results of 1-D Monte Carlo thermal evolution models of mantle dynamics, melting and degassing to create pessimistic estimates of the lifetime a rocky, stagnant-lid exoplanet can support a global carbon cycle. These model results will show that estimating a host-star’s, and thus its planet’s, ages is a critical and underutilized piece of evidence in estimating a planet’s likely habitability today, when we observe it. Applying this framework to a sample of 17 likely rocky exoplanets with measured ages, I will show that few are likely to be actively degassing today, including those orbiting TRAPPIST-1, without the aid of tidal heating or their actively undergoing plate tectonics.

I will also outline the mission of the new NASA ICAR Tracing Rocky Exoplanet Compositions (TREC) team based at ASU and SwRI.

Biography: Dr. Cayman Unterborn is currently a senior research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and is based at Arizona State University. He is the Deputy-PI of the NASA ICAR Tracing Rocky Exoplanet Compositions (TREC) team. He received his Ph.D in 2016 in Geologic Sciences and B.S. in astronomy and physics in 2008 from the Ohio State University.

UTIG Special Seminar: Tyler Pelle, Scripps

Speaker: Tyler Pelle, Green Postdoctoral Scholar, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Title: From freshwater and saltwater: Investigating the 21st century evolution of the Aurora Subglacial Basin, East Antarctica, using coupled ice sheet modeling

Abstract: Recent studies have revealed the presence of a complex freshwater system underlying the Aurora Subglacial Basin (ASB), a region of East Antarctica that contains ~7 m of global sea level potential in ice that drains through thinning and retreating outlet glaciers. In many cases, this freshwater becomes channelized and flows hundreds of kilometers from the interior of the ice sheet to the coast, where it drains into ocean cavities underlying ice shelves that act to support these glaciers. Interaction of subglacial freshwater and oceanic saltwater can locally enhance ice shelf basal melting near critical grounding zones; however, contemporary ice sheet models have yet to account for these ice-ocean-subglacial hydrology interactions in century-scale projections due to both theoretical and computational limitations. In this talk, I will provide background on these coupled forcing processes and derive an efficient parameterization of ice shelf basal melting that resolves melt driven by both large-scale ocean circulation and localized subglacial discharge. I will then use this parameterization to execute coupled ice-ocean-subglacial hydrology model projections of a large sector of the ASB through 2100. In these projections, we find that subglacial freshwater interactions accelerate future retreat of ASB outlet glaciers and enhance their 2100 sea level contribution by up to 30% in high carbon emission scenarios, highlighting that Antarctic sea level assessments that do not take these interactions into account may be severely underestimating Antarctic Ice Sheet mass loss. Lastly, I will conclude with my vision for my future research plan and how I intend to utilize these numerical modeling techniques to supplement the wide breadth of polar and planetary research being conducted at UTIG.

UTIG Discussion Hour: LPSC Practice Presentations

Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) with Michael White, Nature

Do you have a fascinating and novel finding that seems like a potentially good match for a high impact journal – but are unsure how to craft the paper and navigate the review process? If so, come to an ask-me-anything with Michael White, Nature’s editor for climate science. Michael is ready to field your questions on writing style, messaging, cover letters, reviewer selection, revisions, rebuttals, appeals … and anything else! This meeting is specifically aimed at early-career researchers, postdocs, and students. Can’t make the session in person? Join remotely! (click View Event to open Zoom)

Michael’s AMA session will be followed by a special seminar at UTIG, at 3pm on the same day. See notices for more details.

Speaker: Michael White, Senior Editor, Climate Science, Springer Nature

Host: Ginny Catania

Location: Barrrow Family Conference Room, JGB 4.102, and Zoom.

Special UTIG Seminar: Michael White, Nature

Join us for a special seminar with Nature’s climate science editor, Michael White. Note: the special seminar will be held in the Bureau of Economic Geology’s VR Room (BEG 1.116C). Michael’s seminar will be preceded by an ‘ask-me-anything’ session at 10am on the same day in the Jackson School’s Barrow Family Conference Room (JGB 4.102).

Speaker: Michael White, Senior Editor, Climate Science, Springer Nature

Host: Ginny Catania

Title: Demystifying Nature

Abstract: The inner workings of high-profile journals can be mysterious. How do they decide what to publish, or even to send out to review? How is the process managed? What are the odds of getting published? Do they publish papers only in the interests of being controversial and getting press coverage? And who makes the decisions? Michael White — Nature’s editor for climate — discusses the overall journal processes and specific themes behind the climate science research published in Nature over the past 15 years.

DeFord Lecture | Francis Nimmo

How similar is Venus to Earth? by Francis Nimmo, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz

Abstract: Venus and the Earth are almost identical in size and bulk composition, but appear to have followed very different evolutionary paths. Why? And how different are they really? In this talk I will focus on two aspects. One is the recent claim that Venus possesses features similar to continents on Earth, perhaps even suggesting an ancient Venusian ocean that has now vanished. The second is the viscosity structure of Venus’s mantle, and how it compares with that of the Earth. I will suggest some predictions that can be tested with observations from forthcoming Venus spacecraft missions.