51ԹϺ Davis scientists from fields across earth and space science will present their work during the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, Dec. 14-18. about the meeting.
This tip sheet highlights a range of 51ԹϺ Davis research, from the origin of planets and Pluto, to the future of water in the West, to minerals in Earth's mantle.
Monday, Dec. 14:
8 a.m. (thharter@ucdavis.edu) looks at nitrate contamination in the Central Valley aquifer from 1945 until today.
8 a.m. (lockhart.katherine@gmail.com) estimates the contribution of manure, fertilizers, septic waste and natural sources to groundwater nitrate in the San Joaquin Valley, California.
10:50 a.m. (anclark@ucdavis.edu) examines the elastic properties of silicate melts to develop new interpretations of low velocity anomalies under hot spots and arcs.
1:40 p.m. (karredondo@ucdavis.edu) models deforming slabs in subduction zones.
1:40 p.m. (akhawkins@ucdavis.edu) investigates induced and triggered earthquakes at The Geysers geothermal field in California.
1:40 p.m. Quinn Norris (jqnorris@ucdavis.edu) discusses a simple model for understanding fracking and fracking-related earthquakes.
1:40 p.m. (jwoltjen@ucdavis.edu) presents a Web-based mapping platform named "BeefTracker” to provide beef cattle ranchers a tool to determine how cattle production fits within sustainable ecosystems.
1:40 p.m. (yoder@physics.ucdavis.edu) introduces Virtual Quake, a system for developing earthquake forecasts.
Tuesday, Dec. 15:
8 a.m. (mskang007@gmail.com) presents experimental results from tests of brine migration, a concern in long-term nuclear waste storage sites.
8 a.m. (mkrusor@gmail.co)m investigates mineralization within modern microbial mats.
8:15 a.m. (sts@ucdavis.edu) discusses planetary formation models and problems.
9 a.m. (mibillen@ucdavis.edu) describes an irregular feature in the Tonga Slab that suggests the slab is tearing in two.
9:05 a.m. (celesher@ucdavis.edu) presents new constraints on the mantle lithosphere beneath Greenland.
9:30 a.m. (jbrundle@ucdavis.edu) discusses methods to calculate probabilities of major earthquakes.
11:05 a.m. (meoskin@ucdavis.edu) shows how high-precision 3D imaging is revolutionizing information collection immediately following earthquakes.
1:40 p.m. (kishida@ucdavis.edu) tracks the ratio of snow to precipitation as it gradually decreases over three Northern California watersheds during the 21st century.
1:40 p.m. (sarahevelynmoffitt@gmail.com) examines changes in benthic ocean ecosystems during mid-Pleistocene climate change.
1:40 p.m. (aerubin@ucdavis.edu) investigates pre-eruptive processes in volcanoes.
2:40 p.m. (sujoy@ucdavis.edu) presents high-precision xenon measurements suggesting between five to eight mantle turnovers in Earth's history.
3:10 p.m. (slock@fas.harvard.edu) demonstrates a new model for the origin of the moon.
Wednesday, Dec. 16:
8 a.m. (cctrexler@ucdavis.edu) explores the role of subduction in generating the Greater Caucasus Mountains.
8 a.m. (slambart@ucdavis.edu) estimates the proportion of pyroxenites in the mantle, which affects buoyancy and could have geodynamic implications.
8 a.m. (lhkellogg@ucdavis.edu) models the onset of convection in planetary interiors.
8 a.m. (cdwill@ucdavis.edu) documents helium isotope variation along the global mid-ocean rift system.
11:51 a.m. (Npgriffis@ucdavis.edu) finds better time constraints for the late Paleozoic Ice Age in the Paraná Basin, Brazil.
1:40 p.m. (mweisfeiler@ucdavis.edu) discusses methods for estimating the surface temperature of exoplanets.
1:40 p.m. (jwitcover@ucdavis.edu) documents a shift towards a diverse mix of alternative fuels since California enacted the Low Carbon Fuel Standard in 2010.
2:40 p.m. (josuemedellin@gmail.com) reviews the impacts of California’s ongoing four-year drought and its importance for state water supply systems.
Thursday, Dec. 17:
8 a.m. (msdogan@ucdavis.edu) shows how sustainable groundwater management and climate change are likely to affect California’s water supply system.
8 a.m. (geobg@nf.au.dk) studies the metamorphic history of 1.8 billion-year-old rocks in West Greenland.
8 a.m. (skenders@ucdavis.edu) examines 40,000 years of nitrogen cycling as recorded in northeast Siberian permafrost.
8 a.m. (shrkhanna@ucdavis.edu) tracks invasive species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California.
8 am. (tjmackey@ucdavis.edu) discusses microbial mats in Lake Joyce, a perennially ice-covered lake of the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys.
9 a.m. (joportiz@ucdavis.edu) analyzes the economic effects of water management policies.
9:30 a.m. (kmcooper@ucdavis.edu) investigates the history of magma reservoirs through zircon crystals in plutons and volcanic rocks.
10:20 a.m. (deborahbrosnan@gmail.com) discusses applying science in the midst of disaster events during a special session on scientists and hazards.
10:35 a.m. (tswaldien@ucdavis.edu) documents complex patterns of exhumation in the Alaska Range along the Denali Fault System.
11:20 a.m. (gpast@ucdavis.edu) examines habitat restoration on the lower Yuba River, California, through sediment sluicing and natural floods.
11:50 a.m. (khmarkovich@ucdavis.edu) analyzes the declining alpine snowmelt runoff in California and Chile.
12:05 p.m. (cdcappa@ucdavis.edu) studies the complex relationships between sea spray aerosols, ocean water and phytoplankton. The aerosols scatter solar radiation and serve as cloud seeds.
1:40 p.m. (angelescasasp@gmail.com) maps habitat suitability for the black-backed woodpecker in the 2013 Rim Fire burn area in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
1:40 p.m. (alnichols@ucdavis.edu) looks at the effects of intentional levee breaches on the lower Cosumnes River, California.
1:40 p.m. (kwschultz@ucdavis.edu) combines tsunami modeling and earthquake simulations to develop better tsunami scenarios for the prototype Pacific Rim Tsunami Early Warning System.
1:55 p.m. (escowgill@ucdavis.edu) finds evidence of earthquake clustering in the paleoseismic record along the Altyn Tagh fault bordering the Tibetan Plateau.
4 p.m. (mlkavvas@ucdavis.edu) looks at future floods in the Cache Creek watershed, California, under various climate change scenarios.
Friday, Dec. 18:
8 a.m. (erikjdavies@gmail.com) proposes collision scenarios for the origin of Pluto and its moons.
8 a.m. (rwzhang@ucdavis.edu) finds a large-scale meteorological pattern during cold air outbreaks over the California Central Valley. The outbreaks can trigger multibillion dollar agricultural losses.
8 a.m. (mdweber@ucdavis.edu) documents topographic changes on the lower Yuba River, California, during flooding caused by atmospheric rivers.
8 a.m. (cycch@ucdavis.edu) tests a tropical cyclone model for the Northwestern Pacific.
8 a.m. (marielle.pinheiro@gmail.com) documents changes in water and energy during the life cycle of Hurricane Katrina.
9 a.m. (cvdavis@ucdavis.edu) probes the foraminifera paleothermometer at high latitudes.
9:15 a.m. (mnlubell@ucdavis.edu) provides an overview of several studies of how farmers make decisions about climate change adaptation and mitigation.
9:45 a.m. (slustin@ucdavis.edu) analyzes the impact and recovery of wetlands following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
1:40 p.m. (dysumner@ucdavis.edu) discusses the geologic history of rocks at the base of Aeolis Mons in Gale Crater, Mars.
1:40 p.m. explores the social and technical barriers to software attribution among the members of the geodynamics modeling community.
1:40 p.m. (biello@math.ucdavis.edu) reveals that midlatitude Rossby waves can generate convectively coupled Kelvin waves.
3:10 p.m. (alan.m.rhoades@gmail.com) forecasts future climate change impacts on water resources in the western United States.
4 p.m. (grotjahn@ucdavis.edu) studies how Californian Central Valley summer extreme hot spells develop.
4:30 p.m. (slustin@ucdavis.edu) co-authors an assessment of the potential impact of the 2015-2016 El Niño on the California Rim Fire burn scar.
Media Resources
Andy Fell, Research news (emphasis: biological and physical sciences, and engineering), 530-752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu
Kat Kerlin, 51ԹϺ Davis Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu
Becky Oskin, (530) 754-2222, bcoskin@ucdavis.edu