Mapping on EARTH Magazine

Piecing together the big picture of coral reef health

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 13:40:43 -0500

Reefscape from Koror State, Palau. Credit: Brian Zgliczynski, 100 Island Challenge (100IC), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps).

Today, news of damaged or devastated coral reefs has become commonplace. Reefs face many threats, including bleaching, disease, overfishing, pollution and even invasive species. While the fates of the reefs may seem almost universally bleak, some scientists think the future of these vital marine ecosystems could be more complicated — and perhaps even hopeful.

Wrangling the data to choose Mars landing sites

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 14:14:33 -0500

An ancient, water-carved delta in Jezero Crater — the landing site chosen for the Mars 2020 rover mission — is seen in this false color image taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/MSSS/Brown University.

NASA has sent four rovers to Mars, and the fifth — the Mars 2020 Rover — is slated to launch in summer 2020 for an early 2021 arrival. Selecting suitable landing sites is a critical and painstaking pre-launch step in ensuring both the technical and scientific success of these missions.

Comment: National Geological Surveys: The past, present and future

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 08:50:28 -0500

The most basic goal of national geological surveys is to map the geology of the country. This map, the first complete geological map of Britain, was published by William Smith in 1815, 20 years before the British Geological Survey — the world's first — was formed. Credit: William Smith, scan by the Library Foundation, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library.

The world’s oldest national geological survey is 183 years old; the youngest is 19. These two, and every other one out there, represent countries with vastly different needs — while some surveys are focused on overarching goals like natural resource sustainability, others are still working to map the fundamental geology of their lands. Yet there’s much that brings them together now and will continue to in the future.

Down to Earth With: John 'Jack' Reed Jr.

Wed, 23 May 2018 17:27:42 -0400

John "Jack" Reed Jr. Credit: Mountaineers Books

Geologist Jack Reed spent his career studying rocks the most strenuous way someone can — by climbing them. During much of his 47 years with the U.S. Geological Survey, Reed clung to rock faces in Alaska, Wyoming and Colorado, while creating geologic maps of North America’s tallest mountain ranges. Along the way, he published dozens of books for climbers and hikers on the geology of places like the Tetons in Wyoming, Seneca Rocks in West Virginia, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and, most recently, “Rocks Above the Clouds: A Climber’s Guide to Colorado Mountain Geology.” Shortly before his latest book hit the shelves, Reed took some time out of his busy retirement schedule to speak with EARTH contributor and fellow climber Mary Caperton Morton.

New map of Titan shows moon's hidden surface

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:01:33 -0400

Images of Titan captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft have been used to create a new global topographic map of the Saturnian moon. Credit: Corlies et al., Geophysical Research Letters, December 2017/Cornell University.

Before NASA’s Cassini mission, which ended in 2017 after 13 years orbiting Saturn, little was known about the surface of the planet’s largest moon, Titan, as most of its features lie obscured under a dense, opaque atmosphere composed mainly of nitrogen gas. However, thanks to special filters that enabled Cassini’s cameras to see through the haze, the spacecraft captured high-resolution images of about 9 percent of Titan’s surface, with 25 to 30 percent of the moon imaged in lower resolution. Researchers have now used an algorithm to interpolate the remainder of the moon’s surface and create the most complete global topographic map of Titan yet.

Unprecedented exploration of undersea volcano yields surprising results

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 11:14:14 -0400

Lava from the 2012 eruption of the Havre underwater volcano is shown in shades of red in this high-resolution model. Credit: University of Tasmania/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Underwater volcanic eruptions happen every day, but because of the vastness of the ocean and the great depth of water blocking the view, catching an active eruption is a game of chance. In fact, the largest-known underwater eruption of the past century was something of a fluke discovery. In July 2012, an airline passenger spotted a huge pumice raft floating in the South Pacific during a flight to Auckland, New Zealand. Upon landing, she alerted researchers, and scientists confirmed the 400-square-kilometer pumice raft near the Havre Seamount using NASA satellite imagery.

Benchmarks: April 4, 2011: Air France Flight 447 wreckage found using modern oceanography tools

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 14:32:27 -0400

On June 1, 2009, Air France flight 447 (AF447) from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near the mid-ocean ridge, killing all 228 passengers and crew aboard. Credit: BEA, France, bea.aero.

In the early morning hours of March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370), en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, lost communication with air traffic control during the transition between Malaysian and Vietnamese air space. It then disappeared, along with all 239 people aboard.

Ice (Re)Cap: March 2018

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 13:27:15 -0500

A new map shows the geothermal heat flux beneath Antarctica in detail. Credit: Martos et al., Geophysical Research Letters, November 2017.

From Antarctica to the Arctic; from polar caps, permafrost and glaciers to ocean-rafted sea ice; and from burly bears to cold-loving microbes, fascinating science is found in every nook and crevasse of Earth’s cryosphere, and new findings are announced often. Here are a few of the latest updates.

Fossil reefs show sea level rose in bursts

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 14:34:45 -0500

Off the coast of Texas, a collection of fossil coral reefs sits under 60 meters of water — relics from 20,000 years ago, when the sea surface was much lower than today. In a new study, researchers created high-resolution maps of the reefs that suggest they drowned as sea levels rose in rapid bursts — each lasting decades to centuries — instead of at a steady rate, as has long been assumed.

Nautical charts reveal coral decline around Florida Keys

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 14:31:40 -0500

Eighteenth-century British nautical charts — such as this one from 1774 (left), which shows the locations of coral reefs around Key West, Fla. — were compared to modern surveys of coral habitats in a new study. Credit: Loren McClenachan.

Coral reef cover is known to have decreased over the past few decades, but longer term estimates of coral cover have been difficult to reconstruct. In a new study, researchers used high-resolution historical nautical maps from the 18th century to determine changes to reefs in the Florida Keys.

Mapping Louisiana's disappearing shoreline

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 11:38:19 -0400

A new map of subsidence rates is helping scientists and policymakers chart land loss along the Louisiana coast. Credit: Nienhuis et al., GSA Today, June 2017.

Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost an area of coastal wetlands larger than the state of Delaware. A new map, published in GSA Today, charts the land loss from a combination of man-made and natural factors, including reduced sediment flow from the Mississippi River, land subsidence and sea-level rise.

New map of Arctic geology published

Thu, 14 Sep 2017 12:54:40 -0400

A new map of Arctic resources highlights diamond and metal deposits. Credit: Geological Survey of Norway.

At first glance, it might seem there’s little more to the Arctic than frozen tundra, ice and seawater, but the top of the world is home to some unique geology and an impressive array of mineral resources. A new project led by the Geological Survey of Norway (GSN) has compiled all existing geologic data about the Circum-Arctic region into a book, database and interactive map.

New global volcanic emissions map debuts

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 20:39:47 -0400

Volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions measured by the Aura satellite are shown in shades of orange in this map of Alaska's Aleutian Archipelago. Credit: Jesse Allen/NASA Earth Observatory.

Volcanoes may not always be erupting ash or lava, but that doesn’t mean they’re not venting other materials. Many, in fact, continuously spew gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the air. In a new study, volcanologists compiled data tracking such releases, collected by NASA’s Aura satellite, into the first global map of volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions.

Breakup of Pangea led to thicker oceanic crust

Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:09:41 -0400

This map, created by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, depicts the ages of ocean crust in millions of years before present (Ma). Warm shades represent younger crust and cool shades represent progressively older crust. Modern mid-ocean spreading ridges are indicated by yellow lines. Credit: Harm Van Avendonk.

Oceanic crust formed at mid-ocean spreading centers, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, is recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones. Aside from isolated chunks that might be even older, the oldest crust found on Earth today is thought to be about 200 million years old. This old crust, portions of which are found along the outer margins of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, is much thicker than the crust being produced today — in some places by almost 2 kilometers — according to a new study, a finding that may suggest that Earth’s supercontinent cycle affects how Earth’s interior cools.

Benchmarks: August 24, 1873: The Mount of the Holy Cross is found, photographed and mapped

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 10:42:22 -0400

The Mount of the Holy Cross in Colorado, as photographed by William Henry Jackson in 1873. Credit: USGS Photographic Library.

The rumors had persisted for decades, some said for centuries. Deep in the Colorado Rockies was a mystical mountain. Upon the face of a towering peak rose a massive cross, formed by snow accumulating in two huge cracks. In his 1868 book, “The Parks and Mountains of Colorado: A Summer Vacation in the Switzerland of America,” journalist Samuel Bowles wrote, “It is as if God has set His sign, His seal, His promise there — a beacon upon the very center and hight [sic] of the continent to all its people and all its generations.”

First global topographic map of Mercury released

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 16:31:58 -0400

Mercury’s surface is arid, gray and scarred by craters over much of its landscape. Given its close proximity to the sun, a manned trip to Mercury is out of the question — but now you can explore Mercury’s pockmarked surface in its entirety with the first global topographic map of the planet.

Illustrating Geology: Great images that transformed the field

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 17:09:04 -0400

William Smith's famous geologic map of England, Wales and southern Scotland, published in 1815, featuring a labeled cross section of strata at middle right. The original map measured 2.6 meters by 1.8 meters and was assembled from 15 sections. Credit: courtesy of the Geological Society of London.

Last year marked the 200th anniversary of the publication of what many consider the greatest geologic image ever produced: William Smith’s epic map, entitled “A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales with Part of Scotland.” In striking color, scale and detail, the 1815 map laid bare the region’s bedrock — from tilted layers of slate and fossil-rich marls and sandstones to Carboniferous coal seams and granite plugs — as none had before. The bicentennial of the map’s publication was commemorated in several sessions and displays at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Baltimore last October.

Comment: What's a map worth? The big cost and bigger benefit of three-dimensional elevation data

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 13:05:31 -0400

Map of the areal extent and quality of planned, in progress and existing publicly available lidar and InSAR/IfSAR data that meet the specifications of the 3DEP program. Credit: 3DEP.

High-resolution topographic data are critical for a number of tasks — from managing flood risks to ensuring aviation safety to mapping hiking trails. In the past, such data came from careful analysis of aerial photos, but today, researchers have at their fingertips a suite of remote sensing technologies that can record ground-surface elevation — even when the ground is obscured by thick summer foliage, winter snow and ice, or dense cloud cover.

Red Planet Roundup: July 2016

Thu, 16 Jun 2016 13:38:04 -0400

On the new gravity map of Mars — with warmer colors indicating higher gravity — white spots represent Mars' largest volcanoes, including Olympus Mons to the upper left, and the dark blue streak represents the gaping Valles Marineris canyon system. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Scientific Visualization Studio.

With two rovers patrolling the surface of Mars, five spacecraft orbiting above it, and scientists here on Earth studying the Red Planet from afar, new findings are announced often. Here are a few of the latest updates.

A new gravity map of Earth

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 12:08:01 -0400

This portion of the new whole-Earth gravity map shows gravity gradients in the North Atlantic. Credit: Johannes Bouman/TUM.

Gravity differs from place to place around Earth because of the uneven distribution of mass across and within the planet. Scientists can study the variation in gravitational pull by measuring the gravity field at different places on the surface of the planet. In a new study published in Scientific Reports, gravity field data collected over the entire planet between 2009 and 2013 by the European Space Agency’s Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite has been mapped, revealing many of Earth’s internal features, such as magmatic plumes welling up toward the surface.

Seeing the seafloor in high definition: Modern mapping offers increasing clarity on Earth's vast underwater landscape

Fri, 20 May 2016 16:03:01 -0400

In the 1950s, Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen, of what was then called the Lamont Geological Observatory, began creating seafloor maps based on single-beam sounding data from the U.S. Navy and other sources. Their compilation map of the global seafloor was published in 1977. Credit: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.

Gliding through pitch-black waters 50 meters off the ocean bottom, the “D. Allan B” can sense the seafloor below in striking clarity, despite the darkness. In its backyard off the California coast, the 5-meter-long, torpedo-shaped autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has surveyed submarine topography ranging from deep canyons incising the continental shelf to subtle scarps weaving through blankets of ocean-bottom sediments. Since entering operation about a decade ago, the AUV’s mapping prowess — it can distinguish features less than a meter wide and just 10 centimeters tall, a level of precision that rivals NASA’s Mars-mapping HiRISE camera — has become an integral tool in MBARI’s efforts to study Earth’s surface beneath the waves.

Comment: Assessing the threat from massive rock slope failures in the Norwegian fjordlands

Mon, 16 May 2016 11:44:29 -0400

Florence Magnin is installing temperature loggers at 1,400 meters above Loen Lake on an unstable slope at Hoggrenningsnibba Mountain. In the background across the lake, a rockslide scar can be seen at Ramnefjellet Mountain; it is the failure surface of two previous rockslides that caused displacement waves in 1905 and 1936 (with maximum wave runups of 40.5 and 74.2 meters), which killed 61 and 74 people, respectively. Credit: Reginald L. Hermanns.

All high-latitude coastlines with pronounced relief are characteristically incised by deep fjords — carved by repeated glacial cycles — reaching far into the mountain landscapes. What is not characteristic of all of these coastlines is settlements, as these landscapes tend to be quite inhospitable, not to mention dangerous, thanks to the likelihood of rockslides. Norway, however, with thousands of people living on and visiting its fjordlands, is a different story. In recent years, Norway’s geological community has worked to reduce the risks posed by landslides to fjordland communities.

First all-digital geologic map of Alaska released

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:36:16 -0400

The Anchorage area is shown in this portion of the new digital geologic map of Alaska. The full map is available at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

When it comes to natural beauty, Alaska’s rugged, massive landscape is an embarrassment of riches, with towering mountains and lush forests, countless islands and a seemingly endless coastline. Below the surface, it features a wealth of interesting geology and abundant resources. Now, policymakers, land managers, scientists and the public can all explore Alaska a little more deeply with the recent release of the first-ever fully digital geologic map of the entire state.

Down to Earth With: Tectonicist Eldridge Moores

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 18:00:05 -0400

Eldridge Moores at the Cordelia Fault, a branch of the San Andreas Fault in the northern Coast Ranges, on a field trip for the general public in March 2010. Credit: Judy Moores.

“When Eldridge Moores was 10 years old, his family lived in Crown King, Ariz., a tiny, remote mining settlement high in the rugged Yavapai Mountains northwest of Phoenix. Money was tight and his family rarely traveled, so Moores vividly remembers a holiday road trip to visit his father’s relatives near San Francisco. The Bay Area left a deep impression on Moores, and, at the end of the journey, upon reaching the first of four switchbacks on the narrow dirt track that led up to Crown King, Moores vehemently pronounced that he would do everything he could to get out of there.

Golden Gate ghost ships rediscovered

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 11:56:13 -0500

A new remote sensing survey of the seafloor off the coast of San Francisco revealed the 1863 wreck of the clipper ship Noonday as well as others. Credit: both: NOAA.

Just beyond San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is a shipwreck graveyard where as many as 300 vessels lie in silty underwater repose. A team of NOAA researchers conducting a two-year study to identify and map the long-forgotten ships in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the adjacent Golden Gate National Recreation Area has announced the discovery of three wrecks: the 1863 wreck of the clipper ship Noonday, the 1910 shipwreck SS Selja and an unidentified early steam tugboat wreck tagged the “mystery wreck” — all now obscured by mud and silt on the ocean floor.

On the Web: Personalizing drought data with digital tools

Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:25:31 -0400

The National Drought Mitigation Center works with federal agencies to produce a weekly map called the Drought Monitor, which displays the most recent data gathered on drought across the U.S.

One of the hardest parts of hazard mitigation is communicating risk to the public. With drought, people feel the heat while it’s happening but understanding how the current drought fits into past trends — and their implications for the future — is harder to grasp. Now, several online tools are available to help the public and decision-makers look at drought data.

Tackling "Boundary Faults" across the Alaska-Yukon border: A report from the field

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 13:44:09 -0400

The group examining the Ruby batholith along the Alaska Highway near Beaver Creek, Yukon. Melanie Werdon, DGGS

Our two dusty trucks roll across the airstrip, casting long, late-May shadows down the runway. We spot our colleagues from the Yukon Geological Survey and realize we’ve found the right place after an exhausting 12-hour drive from Anchorage punctuated by several U-turns to find the right unmarked access driveway off the Alaska Highway at the south end of Kluane Lake. The evening air is crisp, and the towering peaks to the south are capped with snow. It’s 8:30 p.m., an hour later than we think (we crossed a time zone at the Alaska-Yukon border) but still not dark, a benefit of being this far north in the late spring. We are happy to find pizza and, better yet, in the cooler, Yukon Gold beer.

Map provides clues to natural protection of U.S. coastal communities

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 19:38:57 -0400

Map of United States, indicating coastal areas of greatest exposure to future hazards as determined by the new study using a Hazard Index. Areas in blue are least exposed to hazards; areas in red are most exposed. The bar graph indicates the population highly exposed to hazard with protecting habitats present (black bars), and the increased population exposed to such hazards if coastal habitats were lost (white bars). Courtesy of Katie Arkema, in Nature Climate Change (2013)

Devastating storms like Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina have left many coastal residents wondering how to protect life and property from future catastrophes. In a study published this week in Nature Climate Change, researchers suggest the best protection from storms and rising sea levels in the U.S. may entail a combination of engineering and conservation.

Mobile mapping with lidar hits the road

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:13:55 -0400

Mobile lidar mapping unit. Courtesy of ELMF

Traditional lidar data are collected from airplanes or satellites. Mobile mapping using lidar can now be done from a car. Courtesy of WHPacific

Mobile mapping can be used in large cities to map everything from power lines to high-rise buildings to highways. Courtesy of Optech

Mobile mapping can also be done from a boat, such as while motoring down the Snake River in Hells Canyon along the border of Oregon and Idaho, as seen here. WHPacific mapped the waterway for Idaho Power for hydroelectric and water management purposes. Courtesy of WHPacific

About a decade ago, Light Detection and Ranging technology, also known as lidar, burst onto the geoscience scene. The tool was quickly adopted by researchers, from archaeologists and geomorphologists to seismologists and atmospheric scientists.

Cold case files: Forging forensic isoscapes

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

This isoscape - or isotope map - shows the distribution of the stable hydrogen isotope deuterium in precipitation across Europe. If researchers know what the correlation is between the deuterium isotopic values of human hair and the deuterium isotopic values of source water, in conjunction with a sequential analysis informed by the hair's growth rate, they can roughly trace a person's recent geographic trajectory. Gabe Bowen, Purdue University

Researchers at the Stable Isotope Forensic Laboratory examined strands of a John Doe's hair to determine where he had spent the last few months of his life to help identify him and solve his murder. Kemp and Meier-Augenstein

Helen Kemp, Wolfram Meier-Augenstein (pictured below) and other researchers at the Stable Isotope Forensic Laboratory at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland work to create isoscapes: maps that show spatial distributions of stable isotope ratios in different parts of the world. Kemp and Meier-Augenstein

In November 2006, someone left a badly beaten man at a hospital in Gwent, South Wales. The victim was severely injured and died shortly thereafter without revealing his identity. All the Gwent police knew about the John Doe was that he was Asian, or of Asian descent, and possibly Vietnamese. There was no record of him entering the country. His fingerprints provided no further information on his identity. The trail went cold.