News: EAS

drought

Ault: Future droughts may ‘eclipse’ those of the past

By: Blaine Friedlander

“Droughts of the future may eclipse those of past centuries in their duration, severity and frequency,” said Toby Ault, associate professor of earth and atmospheric science, in a paper, “ On the Essentials of Drought in a Changing Climate,” published April 17 in Science. Read more

Wind turbine

Supercomputing future wind power rise

The study co-authored by Cornell EAS Professor, Sara Pryor, and Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor, Rebecca Barthelmie, investigated plausible scenarios for how the expansion of wind turbines can be achieved without the use of additional land. "This research is the first detailed study designed to develop scenarios for how wind energy can expand from the current levels of seven percent of the U.S. electricity supply to achieve the 20 percent by 2030 goal outlined by the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory," said study co-author Sara Pryor... Read more

Lastarria Volcano

For grounded forecast of volcanic unrest, spy from above

By: Blaine Friedlander

To better predict explosive, fiery volcanic activity, Kevin Reath, postdoctoral researcher and Matthew Prichard, Professor in EAS, have proposed a new classification system to discern the stages of a volcano’s unrest – as seen from smart, perceptive satellites. Read more

Emily First

Cornell linked to three 51 Pegasi b astronomy postdocs

By: Alisha Gupta

Emily First, a winner of the Pegasi b Fellowship in Planetary Astronomy, will be joining Cornell for three years of postdoctoral work under the mentorship of Esebtan Gazel from Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. First will gather a wide variety of rock types, representative of those on rocky planets across the solar system. She will measure how the rocks absorb and emit light and synthesize these findings into an accessible catalog. Read more

Two EAS grad students were awarded an OPSA

Paula Burgi and Paul Morgan, two graduate students in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, received Outstanding Student Presentation Awards at the Fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union held in San Francisco in December 2019. This is the largest professional meeting in the field of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences with about 25,000 attendees. This award is typically given to the top 2-5% of presenters in each section. Read more

Mark Wysocki

Professor Mark Wysocki quoted in the New York Times on Climate Change

By: Anne Barnard

Mark Wysocki, Professor in EAS, was quoted in the New York Times on the effect climate change has on the volatility of snowfall in NYC. “When you can have no snow within a five-year period or you could have record-setting snow, how do I plan a budget for a city like that with this kind of volatility?" Mr. Wysocki said. “Some years you save. Some years you go overboard.” Read more