January 27, 2011

Capture and Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide to Mitigate Global Warming

Is Sequestration Necessary? Can We Do It at an Acceptable Total Cost?

• Combustion of fossil fuels currently releases approximately 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere annually
• Increased anthropogenic emissions have dramatically raised atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the last 100 years
• There is broad scientific consensus that global warming, and resulting climate changes, are caused mainly by increases in atmospheric CO2
• Geochemistry of CO2 sequestration: Recent results and remaining major technical and environmental challenges for successful geologic storage

Flyer: jan11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

February 24, 2011

Is Our Coast in Jeopardy?

-predicting the impact of extreme storms on the California Coast

• Extreme storms are expected to become more frequent and intense as a result of climate change
• The USGS has developed the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) for predicting the impact of extreme storms hitting the California Coast
• CoSMoS provides an increased understanding and prediction of coastal flooding, erosion, wave heights, current strength, and cliff failure along the California coastline
• Ultimately, the model could contribute to real-time warning system used by emergency managers, lifeline operators, and recource managers

Flyer: feb11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

March 31, 2011

Unraveling the Mystery of Avian Navigation

New research indicates that birds are listening to the landscape to find their way

• For nearly 40 years, biologists have been unable to agree on how birds find their way over great distances during homing or migrational flights
• Do birds use their olfactory senses, the Earth's magnetic field, or low-frequency acoustic (infrasonic) signals to navigate by?
• New findings indicate that birds use infrasonic signals radiated from the land surface for navigational purposes during their journeys
• Perplexing behavior by birds observed during experimental releases can be readily explained by the influences of topography and atmospheric variations on the propagation of infrasound

Flyer: mar11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

April 28, 2011

"Predictable Earthquakes"
--updating earthquake prediction--fact vs. fiction

• Although scientists were optimistic about earthquake prediction in the 1970s, reliable short-term prediction has remained an elusive goal
• What have seismologists learned from recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and Japan?
• Great strides have been made in earthquake forecasting, and to a large extent damaging earthquakes are predictable
• Active fault zones have been identified where damaging earthquakes are inevitable -- possibly within our lifetimes

Flyer: april11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

May 26, 2011

The Future of Rare Earth Elements
--Will these high-tech industry elements continue in short supply?

• Rare earth elements provide critical material for flat-panel display screens, cell phones, electric cars, windmills, etc.
• Although relatively abundant in nature, deposits of rare earth elements that are economic to mine are uncommon
• China produces 96% of the world's rare earth elements but severely restricts their export
• Can new exploration and development meet future high-tech industry needs for these materials?

Flyer: may11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

June 30, 2011

Exploring California's Amazing Seafloor

--the visionary California Seafloor Mapping Program

• California Seafloor Mapping Program
• California's Ocean faces unprecedented challenges from climate change, ecosystem degradation, coastal development, and geologic hazards
• The collaborative California Seafloor Mapping Program is providing the resources and scientific expertise for an exciting new phase of multidisciplinary research and a comprehensive high-resolution,bathymetric, geologic, and habitat base map for all of California's coastal waters
• New mapping technology is being used to delineate areas for marine ecosystem protection and restoration, refine nautical charts, develop models of sediment dynamics, improve natural hazard assessments, and evaluate sites for offshore energy
• Can new exploration and development meet future high-tech industry needs for these materials?

Flyer: june11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

July 28, 2011

How is San Francisco Bay Doing?
discoveries from 4 decades of studies

• San Francisco Bay is in a continual state of change.
• Drivers of change include:
  • residiual effects of the Gold Mining era
  • the 1972 Clean Water Act
  • urbanization of the landscape
  • transoceanic shipping
  • damming of rivers
  • a 1999 climate shift across the North Pacific

Flyer: july11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

August 25, 2011

Through the Lens of Time
Repeat Photography in an Era of Global Change

• Repeat photography remains an essential and cost-effective technique for scientists and researchers working to track and study changing environmental conditions
• Scientists worldwide are exploring methods to apply this technique in various important research areas in the natural sciences
• Studies of global change using repeat photography include many diverse areas such as geomorphology, ecosystems and landscapes, as well as demographics and land-use practices

Flyer: aug11flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

September 22, 2011

Tracking the Nation's Groundwater Reserves
--issues facing current and future water supplies

• Ground water is among the Nation's most important natural resources, providing half of our drinking water as well as being essential to agriculture and industry, and the health of ecosystems throughout the country
• During the past 50 years, groundwater depletion has spread from isolated pockets to large areas in many countries throughout the world
• What are the issues involved, how much groundwater do we have left, and are we running out?
• Scientists are discovering more about where our Nation's groundwater resources are most stressed, and where they are most available for future supply

October 27, 2011

Understanding Migratory Connectivity in a Changing Climate

• Scientists are studying global migratory animal movements throughout their annual cycles to improve conservation efforts
• Changing climate conditions have accentuated this need, as species movements and their ranges are fluctuating every year
• Technology being used to study the migratory patterns ranges from leg bands to satellite telemetry and isotopic markers
• The USGS and the Smithsonian Institution have partnered to form the Migratory Connectivity Project to address this issue

November 3, 2011

USGS Science for a Changing Bay Area
-- a special USGS public lecture celebrating the inaugural Bay Area Science Festival

• USGS scientists will be speaking about current Bay Area research, including recent discoveries beneath Bay waters and the latest on earthquake research. The scientists will be presenting information in non-technical terms for the general public. Following the speakers, a "video theatre" will feature two award-winning USGS products, "Delta Revival" and "Wetland Revival", on scientists working to restore San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystems

November 17, 2011

Colorado River High-Flow Experiments
- a story of Grand Canyon geology, water, and biology

• New insights from recent Glen Canyon Dam high-flow experiments on the Colorado River
• Are these high flows doing more than building large sand bars in Grand Canyon National Park?
• The challenge of adaptively managing a highly regulated river
• USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: www.gcmrc.gov

December 8, 2011

Tracking Ongoing Kilauea Eruptions
--fissures...fountains...and flows

• Spectacular Kilauea eruptions have produced a summit lava lake, roiling for several years, and a flank eruption recently sending lava flows downslope to threaten residential areas
• How do USGS scientists monitor and track subsurface molten rock movement, measure the state of volcanic unrest, and forecast eruptions?
• Hawaiian volcano "plumbing systems" force deep molten magma into subsurface reservoirs, through eruptive fissures, and onto the surface to form large lava flows