NEWS SPOTLIGHT
The Earth, Oceans, and Atmospheric Science Department (EOAS) is thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievement of our Electron Microbeam and X-Ray Diffraction Facility (EMXDF) team, who recently competed in the renowned Reynold's Cup competition. In a highly competitive field of 99 teams, the EMXDF team secured 8th place, participating as the anonymous laboratory ‘P25’.
The Reynold's Cup, named in honor of Bob Reynolds for his pioneering work in clay mineralogy, has become a globally recognized event in the geosciences community. Established in 2000 by Douglas McCarty, Jan Srodon of ChevronTexaco, and Dennis Eberl of the US Geological Survey (USGS), the competition challenges teams to achieve the most accurate quantitative phase analysis using mixtures of pure standards that represent realistic sedimentary rock compositions. Unlike other round-robin events that focus on well-ordered minerals or unknown natural samples, the Reynold’s Cup tests the ability to analyze complex, real-world materials.
The Reynold’s Cup has grown significantly over the years, with the Clay Minerals Society (CMS) and the German-Austrian-Swiss Clay Group (DTTG) now supporting the event. This biennial competition attracts participants from commercial, industrial, government, and academic labs, providing a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of mineralogical analysis. This year’s competition saw teams from around the world, each using a variety of methods to solve challenging analysis problems.
In response to the EMXDF’s remarkable achievement, Interim Director Matthijs Smit and the oversight committee commented, "Such a phenomenal result. Anyone who has ever messed with clays knows about the Reynold's Cup. Coming 8th is a stellar endorsement of the lab's capabilities. Clays are notoriously difficult in X-ray diffraction for many reasons…recrystallization, orientation effects, etc. Differences among the top ten essentially come down to minute details. This is a stunning result, especially for a first-time contestant".
Congratulations the EMXDF team and their exceptional accomplishment at the Reynold's Cup!
By Christina Draeger, Ph.D. Candidate in Geophysics, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.
How does scientific research influence policy decisions? What can we, as scientists, do to ensure our work has a tangible impact on shaping political outcomes? How are major climate agreements negotiated, and what role do researchers play in this process? These were some of the key questions I had the chance to explore at COP29 (the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Baku, Azerbaijan, a global forum where countries come together to address the climate crisis and make commitments to collective action.
COP29 and me
At COP29, I volunteered as an Early Career Scientist (ECS) with the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), which highlights the critical role of the cryosphere – Earth’s snow and ice – in shaping global climate impacts. I helped staff the Cryosphere Pavilion in the Blue Zone, the U.N.-managed area behind security where negotiations take place. My tasks included introducing speakers, moderating side events, and engaging with visitors to help make cryosphere science more accessible. I also had the opportunity to present my own research, linking it to broader discussions on climate action. In addition to my role at the Pavilion, I had the chance to attend negotiation sessions and plenary meetings and gained valuable insight into how scientific knowledge is integrated – or sometimes overlooked – in the decision-making process.
COP29 was dubbed the “Finance COP” because the main focus was on finding ways to help developing countries fund their transition away from fossil fuels and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Even though developed countries are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions, it’s the developing countries that suffer the most from climate change. The negotiation process was slow and frustrating, with tedious discussions dragging on. It was especially concerning that leaders from major polluting countries were absent this year, while the fossil fuel lobby had more than 1,770 representatives there, making it the fourth-largest delegation at the conference. In the end, an agreement was reached, but the financial commitment for climate funds was far lower than what’s actually needed, leaving many developing countries feeling unheard and deeply disappointed.
I was lucky to be able to shadow some of ICCI’s senior members during the negotiations, who gave me a crash course on past COPs and the key players involved. They also helped me navigate the jungle of COP terminology. Otherwise, how would I have known that AOSIS isn't a Wonderwall revival, but the Alliance of Small Island States? Or that I could attend the Infs (Informal meetings), but not the Inf-Infs (Informal-Informals)?
The Cryosphere Pavilion: glaciers and our climate’s future
Most of my time at COP29 was spent in the Cryosphere Pavilion, where we shared the latest scientific updates on everything from ice sheets and sea-level rise to mountain glaciers, snow, permafrost, sea ice, and polar ocean processes. We presented these topics through three potential climate futures: (1) With current climate commitments, where we’re clearly headed for exceeding the higher Paris Agreement 2°C warming limit, (2) if emissions keep rising at current rates without fulfilling even the existing weak climate commitments, and (3) with an immediate and rapid course correction to meet the lower 1.5°C warming target set by the Paris Agreement.
As a graduate student in my final year of a PhD in geophysics, focusing on mountain glaciers and improving how we model their melting processes, this research really hit home. In Canada, current models predict that we’ll lose 80-95% of glacier ice if emissions continue at their current pace, and even if we meet the current climate commitments. However, if we act quickly to reduce emissions and keep global warming to 1.5°C, glaciers in Western Canada will not only preserve more ice, but may even see some regrowth in the next century.
Melting glaciers don't just affect sea level rise, they also have serious consequences for freshwater supplies, hydropower, agriculture, and tourism. In my presentations, I highlighted how glaciers are crucial for balancing the climate and water systems. When they melt, it disrupts the water cycle, threatens fresh water, and puts energy security at risk. These changes affect not only communities near glaciers but also millions of people living downstream. As the ICCI’s slogan for this year reminds us, especially with the COP marathon of negotiations: “We can’t negotiate with the melting point of ice!”
In the Cryosphere Pavilion, I had the chance to meet many partners from governments, NGOs, academic institutions, companies, and civil society, all working on cryosphere issues. It was a chance to learn how to explain my research in a way that's clear and accessible to everyone – not just fellow grad students in my group who can handle all the jargon. Beyond the usual scientific talks, we also held film screenings and ended each day with meditation sessions called “A Moment of Stillness in a World of Climate Change.” Because, let’s be honest, after a long day of intense climate talks, a little stillness is pretty necessary.
Exploring Azerbaijan: a land of rich history and breathtaking scenery
After the conference, I took a few days to explore Azerbaijan with its rich history and stunning landscapes. I saw cave carvings up to 20,000 years old, visited an ancient fire temple, and made a trip to the beautiful mountains in the North. I also visited the Candy Cane Mountains, where the rocks have bright pink stripes and other vibrant colours, thanks to groundwater that changes the iron in the rocks. Just outside of Baku, it’s clear that Azerbaijan is a major oil-producing country, with oil rigs visible everywhere. In fact, it was the first oil-producing region in the world, with oil production dating back to the mid-19th century, making it an interesting setting for COP, to say the least. Along with the oil fields comes a truly unique natural phenomenon: mud volcanoes, where bubbling mud erupts from the ground. Azerbaijan has the most of any country – 350 out of the world’s 700! Not quite as dramatic as my colleagues studying eruptions like Hunga Tonga in Hawaii or Sabancaya in Peru, but hey, small differences, right? At least I can say I stood on an active, erupting volcano, and even poked my finger in it!
All in all, I am truly grateful for the opportunity to experience COP29 and get a glimpse into the world of policy. I gained a wealth of information, and while COP is a tough grind, it’s inspiring to see so many dedicated people – public servants, campaigners, and academics – working long hours in tough negotiations to push global progress forward. It’s a reminder that we all need to step up and take action together, and that there are others out there who share the same vision, all working toward a brighter future. After all, we’re all trying to stop the melting point of ice from winning!
Sarah Lambros, a B.Sc. student majoring in Geophysics and minoring in Geology in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, recently won the “Most Accurate” category in the Visible Geology Student Challenge.
Sarah first learned about the Challenge while taking EOSC 323 Structural Geology with Dr. Lucy Porritt. Inspired by the opportunity, she decided to take on the Challenge, which involved creating a 3D model of a notable geological site in the USA or Canada using Visible Geology, a software developed by Seequent.
The model Sarah chose to build was Loder Peak on the eastern side of the Rockies in Kananaskis, Alberta. “I was born and raised in Calgary, so seeing that site of the very first mountains after the foothills is iconic and has a very special place in my heart,” said Sarah, “I also wanted to challenge myself by choosing something with folding, tilting, unconformities, and really see what I could do with Visible Geology.”
Congratulations Sarah!
Keep up with the Earth Oceans and Atmospheric Science researchers presenting and contributing at the upcoming AGU meeting.
This year over 20 EOAS members are headed to Washington, DC to share novel scientific research, as well as Earth Science education and science communication initiatives.
Follow their work with the schedule below!
Monday, 9 December 2024
Monday Morning Poster Sessions 8:30 – 12:20 (Hall B-C)
Lindsey Heagy, University of British Columbia, Geophysical Inversion Facility, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Doug Oldenburg, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Parth Pokar and Lindsey Justine Heagy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Cuiyi Fei1, Rachel H White1 and Ethan Raker2, (1)University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (2)University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology, Vancouver, Canada
Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Tuesday Morning Poster Sessions 8:30 – 12:20 (Hall B-C)
Dominique Weis, University of British Columbia, PCIGR, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Nicole Williamson, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Lauren N. Harrison, Colorado State University, Geosciences, Fort Collins, United States
Cansu Culha, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Alexandre Leonelli, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States, Mark Jellinek, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Eckart Heinz Meiburg, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Wednesday Morning Poster Sessions 8:30 – 12:20 (Hall B-C)
Dr. Johan Thiru Gilchrist, PhD, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Franck Donnadieu, Université Clermont-Auvergne, Clermont, France, Mark Jellinek, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean, Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Cyril Mergny, University of Paris-Sud 11, Planetary Science, Orsay, France, Eric Breard, University of Edinburgh, Department of Geosciences, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Colin R Rowell, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Josef Dufek, University of Oregon, Department of Earth Sciences, Eugene, OR, United States, Frédéric Peyrin, Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont, France and Thierry Latchimy, Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand, Aubière, France
Michael G Bostock1, Charles G Sammis1, Simon M Peacock1, Nicolás Estay2 and Aaron Wech3, (1)University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (2)Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile, (3)USGS, Anchorage, United States
Laura Lukes, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Heather A Fischer, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States, Elijah T Johnson, USGS, Reston, United States; USGS CASC, Reston, United States and Silvia Jessica Mostacedo Marasovic, Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES; University of Texas at Arlington, Higher Education, Adult Learning & Organizational Studies Department, Arlington, United States
Wednesday Afternoon Poster Session 13:40 – 17:30 (Hall B-C)
James S Scoates and Kenneth A Hickey, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Laura Lukes, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Alexandra Dolling, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Emma Betz and Laura Lukes, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Wednesday Afternoon Oral Session
- ED33GEducation Research in the Earth and Space Sciences: Theoretical Foundations, Methods, and Results II Oral 14:10 – 15:40 (Archives, Marriot Marquis)
Laura Lukes, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Heather A Fischer, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States, Elijah T Johnson, USGS, Reston, United States; USGS CASC, Reston, United States and Silvia Jessica Mostacedo Marasovic, Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES; University of Texas at Arlington, Higher Education, Adult Learning & Organizational Studies Department, Arlington, United States
- T33D-07Carbonation of Serpentinite in the San Andreas Fault Drives a Transition from Creeping to Locked Slip Behaviour 15:20 – 15:30 (Convention Center 206)
Matthew S Tarling, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Christie D Rowe, Nevada Seismological Laboratory, Reno, United States
- P34AMachine Learning and Data Science Methods for Planetary Science I Oral 16:00 – 17:30 (Liberty M, Marriot Marquis)
Abigail Azari, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Megan Ansdell, NASA Headquarters, Science Mission Directorate, Washington, United States, Hannah Rae Kerner, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States, Lior Rubanenko, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, Ramanakumar Sankar, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States and M Joseph Pasterski, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States
- ED34AEducation Research in the Earth and Space Sciences: Theoretical Foundations, Methods, and Results III Oral 16:00 – 17:30 (Archives, Marriot Marquis)
Laura Lukes, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Heather A Fischer, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States, Elijah T Johnson, USGS, Reston, United States; USGS CASC, Reston, United States and Silvia Jessica Mostacedo Marasovic, Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES; University of Texas at Arlington, Higher Education, Adult Learning & Organizational Studies Department, Arlington, United States
Thursday, 12 December 2024
Thursday Morning Poster Session 8:30 – 12:20 (Hall B-C)
John Weis and Lindsey Justine Heagy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Charles G Sammis and Michael G Bostock, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Cuiyi Fei and Rachel H White, University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Abigail Azari1, Catherine Johnson1,2, Santiago Soler1 and Lindsey Justine Heagy1, (1)University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (2)Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, United States
Abigail Azari, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Megan Ansdell, NASA Headquarters, Science Mission Directorate, Washington, United States, Hannah Rae Kerner, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States, Lior Rubanenko, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, Ramanakumar Sankar, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States and M Joseph Pasterski, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Thursday Afternoon Poster Session 8:30 – 12:20 (Hall B-C)
Charles G Sammis and Michael G Bostock, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Thursday Afternoon Oral Session 8:30 – 12:20
- NS43C-03A synthetic study investigating induced polarization effects on time-domain electromagnetic data for Sea-floor hydrothermal deposit. 14:40 – 14:50 (146 A, Convention Center)
Mr. Masayuki Motoori, University of British Columbia, Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, Seafloor Mineral Resources, Tokyo, Japan and Lindsey Justine Heagy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Friday, 13 December 2024
Friday Morning Poster Session 18:30 – 12:20 (Hall B-C)
Emma Betz1, Harold John Bradbury1, Marghaleray Amini1, Dominique Weis1 and Kendra Chritz2, (1)University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (2)University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, Canada
Joseph Janssen, Ardalan Tootchi and Ali Ameli, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Majid Bayati, Joseph Janssen and Ali Ameli, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Cansu Culha, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Stephen Sebestyen, USDA, Grand Rapids, United States, Jonas Eschenfelder, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, Nina K. Lany, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Durham, NH, United States and James W Kirchner, ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Zurich, Switzerland
Friday Afternoon Oral Sessions
14:10 – 14:25 (Independence A-C, Marriot Marquis)
ED53A-01New Tools to Support Instructors Re/Designing Field Courses
Laura Lukes1, Silvia Mazabel2, Nina Hewitt3, Denise Gabriel4, Maite Maldonado2, Warren Cardinal-McTeague5, James S Scoates6, Sam Filipenko7 and Tara Ivanochko8, (1)University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (2)University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, (3)University of British Columbia, Department of Geography, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (4)University of British Columbia, Integrated Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (5)University of British Columbia, Forestry, Vancouver, Canada, (6)Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (7)University of British Columbia, Indigenous Research Support Initiative, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (8)University of British Columbia, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
iPoster Gallery (Dec 9-13)
Searching for Functional Simplicity of Stormflow Generation
Ali Ameli, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Hamed Sharif, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
H06-44Mountain Groundwater Affects Down-valley River Storage-Discharge Function
Ali Ameli and Hongyi Li, University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Alessandro Ielpi1, Madeline Norman2 and Andrea Demers2, (1)The University of British Columbia, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Kelowna, BC, Canada, (2)Laurentian University, Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Sudbury, ON, Canada
H06-114Interpretable Machine Learning to Understand Wetland Hydrology Across Prairie Pothole Region
Javad Rahmani1, Ali Ameli1 and Chaopeng Shen2, (1)University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (2)Pennsylvania State University Main Campus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University Park, United States
To achieve the global climate objectives set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change asserts 10 GtCO2 will need to be captured annually between now and 2050, in addition to halting current emissions. One promising approach to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is to speed up natural carbon sequestering processes…cue Tilly and Eddy.
Tilly and Eddy are two autonomous rovers working tirelessly to crush mine tailings on Mt. Keith, a nickel mine in the Western Australian desert. Nickel is mined from ultra-mafic rock that is rich in iron and magnesium minerals that, when exposed to air, react with carbon dioxide to form solid carbonates. During natural weathering and erosion processes, these reactions remove carbon from the atmosphere and lock it up in rock where it stays for millennia. Arca, a UBC spin-out company, is using Tilly and Eddy to accelerate this natural process. Tilly’s job is to till the mine tailings into a fine sand to maximize surface area for carbonate reactions. Eddy follows Tilly and uses eddy-covariance methods to monitor carbon dioxide drawdown rates. To-date, Arca’s pilot project at Mt. Keith is already sequestering carbon at a rate of 40,000 tons carbon dioxide per year, representing 11% of the mine’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Nickel is a critical component of electric vehicle batteries. As we transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicle-based transportation, nickel mining is expected to expand drastically. This presents a serious sustainability challenge as nickel mining itself is environmentally intensive and involves fossil fuel emissions. Arca hopes to offset those emissions with its carbon capture technology. Given the extent of global mining operations and the fields of ultra-mafic mining tailings that already exist, there is significant potential for Arca to scale their operations to meet significant carbon sequestration objectives. The company is already one of 20 finalist teams competing for the Musk Foundation's $50 million grand prize, which will be awarded to a group that can permanently sequester 1,000 tones of carbon in a year and prove their potential to capture 1 billion tons per year.
Arca was founded three years ago through the entrepreneurship@UBC program by UBC Earth Oceans and Atmospheric Science Professor Dr. Greg Dipple and geologists Bethany Ladds and Peter Scheuermann. Since then, the company has won several prestigious awards including Startup of the Year in Foresight’s BC Cleantech awards and was labeled one of Canada’s 50 Most Investible Cleantech Ventures by Foresight Canada.
Geosciences encompasses an immense diversity of research fields studying Earth and other planetary processes. The diverse disciplines under the geosciences umbrella are united by geochemistry, which provides the analytical tools to examine past and present geological phenomena, quantify reservoir exchanges and establish absolute ages. Since its initial publication, The Treatise on Geochemistry has been an invaluable resource for academics and researchers. In the 10 years since the release of The Treatise on Geochemistry second edition, geochemistry has been reckoning with two fundamental developments in the field. First, the discovery of thousands of potentially habitable Earth-like exoplanets. Second, the scientific consensus is that we are now in the Anthropocene, a new era defined by humans’ dominant influence on the environment. These developments bring pressing new relevance to questions regarding the formation and evolution of habitable planets and the sensitivity of our own planet and others to human activity. The latest edition of The Treatise on Geochemistry, co-edited by UBC professor and director of the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research Dominique Weis, has been entirely rewritten to incorporate the latest developments and to look ahead to the coming decade of innovation. With 145 chapters, the new edition is a comprehensive guide on the ”state-of-the-art" of geochemistry today.
In addition to Dominique Weis, three UBC EOAS members contributed to the latest edition as chapter co-authors. Shaun Barker, director of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit, co-authored the chapter 'Fluid-rock interaction: A mineral deposits perspective'. Anette von der Handt, a research associate at EOAS and Electron Microprobe specialist, co-authored the chapter 'Scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, and electron backscatter diffraction in the geological sciences'. EOAS faculty Kendra Chritz authored the chapter 'Geochemical explorations of trophic interactions in the past and present: Beyond “who’s eating whom”. In addition to serving as the chief editor, Dominque Weis co-authored a chapter titled 'The geochemistry of metal contaminants in the environment'.
Access the full new edition of The Treatise on Geochemistry here, via the UBC library.
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Meet Dorothy, our 80 million year old Elasmosaurs — a 13-metre-long majestic marine reptile who once swam through the Western Interior Seaway of North America. This permanent installation in the Earth Sciences Building was made possible with the generous support of Wheaton Precious Metals.
