Making Sense of Hurricane Sandy?

Image from NASA

There is no better time for this. We are just starting the topic of hurricanes and severe weather in our “EES 113: Natural Hazards and Natural Disasters” class and we got a perfect storm for case study.  Following are some resources that has been compiled to help understand why hurricane Sandy is so powerful and so feared.

  1. How do hurricanes form? – a nice BBC video clip that explains the basics
  2. Hurricane Sandy from Space – Incredible time-series animations of evolution of Sandy from Wired Science
  3. Full moon and Frankenstorm – how moon affects storm surge?
  4. Live – Hurricane track with various hazards marked map
  5. Why Sandy is so dangerous (nice video that goes over good details)
  6. Havoc as storms come ashore – NYT article with lots of photos
  7. Map showing wind speeds along Sandy’s path
  8. NPR News – All things considered
  9. Science of Sandy (NPR piece, not really science that you may be looking for)
  10. Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change – nice article from Huffington Post
  11. Hurricane Sandy swallows presidential campaign
  12. Sandy’s impact on election is uncertain
  13. Obama and Romney respond to Sandy
  14. New York State – a declared major disaster area

Feel free to contact Dr. Suresh Muthukrishnan with any questions or comments.

75th Anniversary Meeting of the Carolina Geological Society held in Greenville

HollandPhoto to the left: Wilbur C. Holland circa 1930, founding father of the Carolina Geological Society.

It was 75 years ago, in 1937, that Wilbur C. Holland, then Geology Professor at Furman University, founded the Carolina Geological Society (CGS) to create an active community of geologists in the area. The main purpose of the society is to promote the Geosciences, encourage the study of Earth Science, promote spirit of friendship and cooperation, and encourage research and publication. At the time of its founding, Holland envisioned a full day meeting with presentations of papers in a morning session and field trip in the afternoon. Currently, the meeting is held over three days, starting with a reception on the first evening, followed by a day and a half of field trips to various localities.

As a tribute to the 75th anniversary of CGS, Furman Earth and Environmental Sciences professors Dr. Bill Ranson, Dr. Jack Garihan, and Dr. Suresh Muthukrishnan conducted the meeting in Greenville. Field trips showcased the geology, geomorphology and landslide hazards in Upstate of South Carolina. A special celebration was held at the Table Rock State Park Pavilion on Saturday evening.

Collages

Students Brooks Bailey, Claire Campbell, Stephen Campbell, Katharine Compton, Elizabeth Johnston, and Ryan Richardson assisted the leaders during the planning stages and during the field trips, ensuring the safety of participants along congested roadways. Apart from these student assistants, 15 other Furman students attended the conference. A total of 156 total participants were present making it a successful event. The edited volume of the field guide in electronic format will be available from CGS website.

2012-10-14_CGS Meeting

The department wishes to thank all the student assistants and especially Ms. Nina Anthony for their tireless efforts and help over the last several months. We also thank our recent graduate Jay Bridgeman (‘12) for leading a part of the field trip to the Salem ultramafic body on Saturday.

Click here for photos from Carolina Geological Society annual meeting, 12-14, October 2012, Greenville, South Carolina.

Prof. Angela Halfacre Publishes Her Book “A Delicate Balance: Constructing a Conservation Culture in the South Carolina Lowcountry”

halfacre-book-cover1

Description from the University of South Carolina Press: Sustainability of the natural environment and of our society has become one of the most urgent challenges facing modern Americans. Communities across the country are seeking a viable pattern of growth that promotes prosperity, protects the environment, and preserves the distinctive quality of life and cultural heritage of their regions. The coastal zone of South Carolina is one of the most endangered, culturally complex regions in the state and perhaps in all of the American South. A Delicate Balance examines how a multilayered culture of environmental conservation and sustainable development has emerged in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Angela C. Halfacre, a political scientist, describes how sprawl shock, natural disaster, climate change, and other factors spawned and sustain—but at times also threaten and hinder—the culture of conservation.

Since Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the coastal region of South Carolina has experienced unprecedented increases in residential and commercial development. A Delicate Balance uses interdisciplinary literature and ethnographic, historical, and spatial methods to show how growing numbers of lowcountry residents, bolstered by substantial political, corporate, and media support, have sought to maintain the region’s distinctive sense of place as well as its fragile ecology.

A Delicate Balance deftly illustrates that a resilient culture of conservation that wields growing influence in the lowcountry has become an important regional model for conservation efforts across the nation.

Congratulations Dr. Halfacre! 

Dr. Halfacre can be reached at: angela.halfacre@furman.edu

Garihan et al., publish the Geologic Map of Campobello Quadrangle, SC

The South Carolina Geological Survey recently published the Geologic map of Campobello, South Carolina (GQM 51). It is available to the public at:

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/publications.htm#gqm

This publication is the result of geologic mapping done in Summer 2010 by Earth and Environmental Sciences majors Alyssa Wickard and Rhonda Chan Soo, supervised by Dr. Ranson and Dr. Garihan.  This research was funded by Furman Advantage Research Fellowship and logistical support was provided by SC Geological Survey. The students spent the summer time mapping the geology and structure in this area including tracing of the extent of the known brittle faults eastward within this quadrangle. In addition, Alyssa Wickard and JMG have submitted a manuscript to South Carolina Geology with emphasis on the polyphase folding in Campobello and its relationship to folding in the Inner Piedmont.

Extreme Science: Meteorite Impact on the Atlantic Coast

2011-04-04_Extreme Science Talk HortonAbout 35 million years ago, an asteroid or comet nucleus collided with Earth at the present mouth of Chesapeake Bay. The product of this environmental catastrophe, known as the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, is now concealed beneath sediments on the Atlantic continental margin. This 53-mile-wide feature is one of Earth’s largest and best-preserved examples of an impact crater that formed in a near-shore marine environment. It has profound influence on modern ground-water quality, notably salinity, in one of the fastest growing urban centers on the east coast. Drilling a mile-deep core hole and studies in geology, hydrology, geophysical imaging, computer modeling, and deep-biosphere microbiology provide insight into this catastrophic event, its consequences for life, ground-water resources, hazard implications, and significance for other planetary bodies.

This was the synopsis of the presentation made by Dr. Wright Horton, who graduated from Furman in 1972 and later earned a Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill.  He has spent most of his career as a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  His interests include geology of the Appalachian Piedmont and Mountains, rocks buried under the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and meteorite impact craters.  In connection with this talk, he served as project chief of the USGS Chesapeake Bay impact crater project and co-principal investigator of a related international deep drilling project. 

This event was sponsored by Bartram Society and the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. 

More photos here.

Sustainability Science Curriculum

Sustainability_Science_Brochure_P1The EES department has released a brochure that contains all necessary information regarding the new degree program in Sustainability Science.  Students interested in pursuing B.S. degree in Sustainability Science are advised to meet with one of the faculty advisors in the EES department at the earliest convenient time.  Depending on the individual’s interest, the faculty advisor can provide critical advice on course selection and long-term career plans of the students.   Click on the link below to download the brochure.

PDF Brochure: Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Science

For more details, please visit the department web page: http://ees.furman.edu

New degree in “Sustainability Science” within EES

Sustainability ScienceLast week, in an unanimous vote, Furman faculty approved addition of a new degree program in Sustainability Science within the Earth and Environmental Sciences department.  Furman is one of a handful of schools that offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary science degree in sustainability area in the country. 

The Sustainability Science major focuses on the critical linkages between global environmental, human, and social systems. The Sustainability Science focuses on how humans and the environment affect one another on a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and how changes in one system affect others. For example, what social changes need to be made to address Global Warming, and how will implementing those changes affect various communities both culturally and economically? This model highlights the centrality of complex systems analysis, which will be emphasized in the curriculum of the major.

Thus, Sustainability Science integrates social, economic, and governance systems into the analyses of environmental change and resource availability and acknowledges that feedbacks in both natural and social systems play an important role in either accelerating or slowing change. This core skill of thinking about complex systems is valuable to all disciplines, and is absolutely necessary to Sustainability Science and will be emphasized within the major.

Students pursuing this degree will take one introductory course, four core courses, five upper level elective courses that are distributed across disciplines, MTH 150, and complete a senior thesis. Because of the degree of potential overlap of electives between Sustainability Science major and Earth and Environmental Science major, students will not be allowed to double major in both EES and SUS.

Dr. Lisa Pratt to talk on “Seeking Signs of Life on Mars”

LisaOn October 7th, Dr. Lisa Pratt of Indiana University Geological Sciences department will give a presentation on Seeking Signs of Life on Mars at 5.30pm in Patrick Lecture Hall, Townes Science Center.  This event is presented by The Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholars program, and a reception following the talk sponsored by the Beta Beta Beta and the Bartram Society is also planned.

This event is open to all.

Watch out for “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” on PBS starting September 27th

Ken Burns: The National Parks: America's Best Idea DVD & Book - Bonus CD Soundtrack FREE! - shopPBS.orgFilmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature’s most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska — THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. It is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration – set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.

More information and preview at:  http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/