It has been a landmark weekend here in Bloomington: @iuearth.bsky.social has released the first-ever weather balloons at IU! Part of our contribution, led by Prof. Travis O'Brien, to the Atmospheric River Reconnaissance project to better understand extreme rainfall in the U.S.

Students: it's happening! Coming in the second half of this semester, for the first time at IU, weather balloon launches! Course flyer attached -- although registration for course credit is not required to participate. (Reach out to us if you'd like to participate but outside of the course.)

New research by graduate student and lead author @ncperdomo.bsky.social, integrating multiple published satellite GPS datasets to map crustal deformation and strain rates across the entire Alpine-Himalayan Belt. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Strain Rates Along the Alpine‐Himalayan Belt From a Comprehensive GNSS Velocity Field

We build a comprehensive GNSS velocity field for the Alpine-Himalayan belt, including over 11,000 horizontal velocities We estimate strain rates and posterior uncertainties in the eastern Mediter...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

In the news at IU: Dr. Brian Yanites (@geomorphyuggs.bsky.social) is a principal investigator in the new Center for Land Surface Hazards, sponsored by NSF. Press release and more details: news.iu.edu/live/news/46...

Research on cascading natural disaster hazards helps communities plan ahead for weather threats

As natural disasters increase in frequency and strength, so does a phenomenon known as cascading hazards. Brian Yanites studies these hazards in order to ...

news.iu.edu

New in @science.org: Natural hazards aren’t “one and done.” They alter the landscape, changing the likelihood of follow-on events. We argue there’s an urgent opportunity for geomorphologists—working with other disciplines—to better understand and forecast cascading hazards.

Cascading land surface hazards as a nexus in the Earth system

This Review synthesizes progress and outlines a new framework for understanding how land surface hazards interact and propagate as sediment cascades across Earth’s surface, influenced by interactions ...

science.org

We're in @science.org! Prof. @geomorphyuggs.bsky.social and colleagues with a review paper on the processes that influence sequences of "cascading" natural hazards (such as debris flows and flooding after a fire), which compound the risk to life and property. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Cascading land surface hazards as a nexus in the Earth system

This Review synthesizes progress and outlines a new framework for understanding how land surface hazards interact and propagate as sediment cascades across Earth’s surface, influenced by interactions ...

science.org

Recent research from newly-defended Dr. Kwesi Quagraine, Profs. Travis O'Brien and Ben Kravitz, and colleagues: how might atmospheric rivers and their impacts be altered as a result of changes in solar radiation? iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Assessing changes in atmospheric rivers under stratospheric aerosol injection using ARISE-SAI-1.5 - IOPscience

Assessing changes in atmospheric rivers under stratospheric aerosol injection using ARISE-SAI-1.5, Quagraine, Kwesi Twentwewa, O'Brien, Travis Allen, Quagraine, Kwesi A, Kravitz, Ben, Tilmes, Simone

iopscience.iop.org

Recently featured in "News at IU": Dr. Jackson Njau and colleagues, and their field work to study the origins of human life at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. news.iu.edu/live/news/45...

Professor’s African dig uncovers bone tools that offer insights on early human life

For two decades, Jackson Njau has been conducting paleoanthropologist research at the Olduvai Gorge. His recent bone tool discovery has pushed back histor...

news.iu.edu

On Monday, please join us for our annual Owen Award Lecture, by Dr. David Bottjer from the University of Southern California: "Extinction: Past, Present, and Future." Speaker bio, talk abstract, and location info available at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

EAS Colloquium Series: Owen Award, Dr. David Bottjer, USC

Join us for talks and discussions on topics in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

events.iu.edu

Feeling humbled by this award and wanted to share the story from IU News. Im grateful to my @iuearth.bsky.social colleagues and all the students that have worked with me over the years. news.iu.edu/live/news/45...

IU earth scientist’s research into rivers and flooding earns him prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship

Douglas Edmonds, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, was selected for the 100th class of Guggenheim Fellows. He was one of tw...

news.iu.edu

Congratulations to my colleagues Douglas Edmonds (sedimentologist at IU Bloomington) and Larisa DeSantis (vert paleontologist at Vanderbilt) on receiving Guggenheim Fellowships this year. www.gf.org/stories/anno...

Announcing the 2025 Guggenheim Fellows — Guggenheim Fellowships: Supporting Artists, Scholars, & Scientists

Since 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has given Fellowships to exceptional artists, writers, scholars, and scientists, empowering them to pursue meaningful work under the freest possible conditions.

gf.org

In the news this week: Prof. @hoosierriver.bsky.social, grad student Garrett O’Hara, and colleagues, measuring the impact of recent floods on Indiana farmland. Story below, from @wthrcom.bsky.social. www.wthr.com/article/news...

IU studies impact of major flooding on topsoil erosion

One researcher says some areas in flood plain have lost a foot of topsoil in the last decade.

wthr.com

Please join us this afternoon for a colloquium by Dr. Zhiying Li of IU's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, speaking on "Assessing Water Resources in a Changing Climate." Speaker bio, talk abstract, and location info available at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

EAS Colloquium Series: Dr. Zhiying Li, IU Bloomington

Join us for talks and discussions on topics in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

events.iu.edu

A year ago today, we were treated to a total solar eclipse here in Bloomington. Photos from our big day, from graduate student @paleodanny.bsky.social (1), faculty member @codykirkp.bsky.social (2,3), and an instrumented tower set up by the Indiana Geological and Water Survey (4).

Please join us on Monday (7th) for our annual Tudor Lecture, featuring Dr. Diego Melgar from the University of Oregon. He'll speak about the modeling and paleoseismology of Cascadia earthquakes. Abstract, speaker bio, and location info at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

EAS Tudor Lecture: Dr. Diego Melgar, University of Oregon

Join us for talks and discussions on topics in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

events.iu.edu

New paper from Sierra Lopezalles of the Polly Lab group: Lopezalles SM. Leveraging functional morphology to increase accuracy of body-mass estimation: a study using canids. Paleobiology. Published online 2025:1-13. doi:10.1017/pab.2025.1 doi.org/10.1017/pab....

Our paper on how landscape evolution impacts the trajectory of life is out in @science.org! Work by two great post-docs in @iuearth.bsky.social and collaboration with the brilliant Tara Smiley of Stony Brook resulted in this. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Direct effects of mountain uplift and topography on biodiversity

Biodiversity hotspots in Earth’s mountain ranges suggest a strong connection between topographic development and biological processes. However, it remains unclear whether high biodiversity in mountain...

science.org

This week is spring break on the Bloomington campus, but do plan to join us on Monday (24th) for our next colloquium. Dr. Luke Parsons will speak to us on: "Higher Past and Future Temperatures in Socially Vulnerable US Communities." Talk abstract and location info at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

EAS Colloquium Series: Dr. Luke Parsons, The Nature Conservancy

Join us for talks and discussions on topics in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

events.iu.edu

Need a new geoscience podcast? Check out my interview with the host of @earthontherocks.bsky.social to learn more and find an episode! speakingofgeoscience.org/2025/03/03/e...

Earth on the Rocks: Hear the Passion Behind the Research

What is geoscience? With only two states requiring an earth or environmental science course to graduate high school, most people either don’t know or think it’s just about rocks. “How can we, as a …

speakingofgeoscience.org

Join us *this afternoon* for our colloquium speaker, Dr. Anastasia Pilouras, of Penn State: "The Role of Arctic Deltas in Controlling Land-Ocean Fluxes." Location info, talk abstract, and more at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

Join us for our colloquium on Monday (March 3rd), with Dr. Mike Eddy from Purdue: "Hunting for Fossil Silicic Magma Reservoirs in the Geologic Record." Talk abstract, speaker bio, and location info available at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

IU students, the fall '25 schedule has been published. If you're looking for a 100-level "gen ed" science course, we have eight scheduled. We have in-person and online options (and upper-division electives, not shown below). Come learn about earth, its environment, and its atmosphere!

New paper by grad student Caitlin Sifuentes, recent graduate Harrison Martin, and Prof. Doug Edmonds and colleagues: numerical modeling of how river channels and floodplains evolve, and how they can affect the underlying rock: pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/jsedres...

In our regular colloquium slot on Monday (24th), we'll have almost 20 graduate students share updates on their work in a series of 1-2 minute lightning talks. Come join us: location info and speaker list available at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

New paper by Prof. Travis O'Brien and colleagues: a perspective on how we can build trust in artificial intelligence (AI) models. gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/...

Moving beyond post hoc explainable artificial intelligence: a perspective paper on lessons learned from dynamical climate modeling

Abstract. AI models are criticized as being black boxes, potentially subjecting climate science to greater uncertainty. Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) has been proposed to probe AI models a...

gmd.copernicus.org

In the news at IU: Fulbright Scholar and Prof. Juergen Schieber talks about his research collaboration with the Institute of Marine Sciences in Milano, Italy. news.iu.edu/live/news/43...

Fulbright Spotlight: Digging deeper with geologist Juergen Schieber

An ongoing collaboration stemming from Juergen Schieber’s Fulbright will help answer questions about the role of sedimentary rocks as hydrocarbon source...

news.iu.edu

Join us on Monday (17th) for a colloquium by Dr. Tim Gallagher from Kent State. Abstract, bio, and location details available at events.iu.edu/eas/event/17...

Recently in the news at IU: From the Caribbean to East Africa: Prof. Claudia Johnson facilitates student exploration through fieldwork news.iu.edu/college/live...

From the Caribbean to East Africa: IU geologist Claudia Johnson facilitates student exploration through fieldwork

As a professor in the Department Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) within the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, Claudia John...

news.iu.edu