Our world is being transformed as population increases, the climate changes, and the needs for water, agricultural, energy, and mineral resources increase. To address societal issues related to this transformation, the Geology and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC), located in Denver, Colorado, conducts research on past climatic and environmental changes, the geologic framework of natural resources and hazards, and the interactions among geologic, biologic, and hydrologic systems at and near the Earth's surface. This work supports land and resource management decisions, the search for new sources of key materials, and the assessment of the environmental effects of climate change and human activities.
Science Center Director: Buddy Schweig
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The Geology and Environmental Change Science Center is part of the USGS Rocky Mountain Area. Our offices and laboratories are located primarily in Building 25 of the Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado. We also occupy offices and laboratories in Buildings 15, 21, and 56 of the Denver Federal Center and an office in Corvallis, Oregon. The GECSC includes federal employees, contract employees, and emeritus scientists.
Snowmass Fossil Site Provides Opportunity to Study Past Vegetation and Climate in Colorado
GEC scientists Tom Ager, Jeff Pigati, and Paul Carrara are studying about 22 feet of fossil-bearing sediments from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science excavation at Snowmass Village, Colorado—a fossil site that was uncovered while crews were enlarging the ski resort's reservoir. The sediment records at this major find appear to encompass more than 100,000 years of prehistoric time. Using pollen analyses and carbon-14 dating techniques, the scientists will help determine the age of the fossils and the environment in which the Columbian mammoths, mastodons, extinct bison, Ice Age deer, and 9-foot ground sloths lived.
Jeff Pigati describes his experiences working at the excavation as well as the importance of the findings in the USGS Podcast "Fossil Discovery Makes History: Studying a Prehistoric Climate and Ecosystem in Colorado".
The role of the Geology and Environmental Change Science Center is to use integrated studies of geology, biology, hydrology, and spatial analysis to understand the Earth's past and present changes. Our research activities have applications to a wide range of public policy concerns related to managing public lands, assessing the influence of climate change on the environment (past, present, and future), defining the geologic framework for groundwater-related problems, and identifying geologic and environmental hazards.
The Geology and Environmental Change Science Center publishes a variety of maps and scientific reports that present the findings of our research.
January 27, 2012
Congratulations to Ken Pierce, GECSC emeritus, who has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 American Quaternary Association (AMQUA) Distinguished Career Award. This award recognizes an outstanding Quaternary scientist who has contributed significantly and steadily to the advancement of the Quaternary sciences. Ken will be recognized at the 2012 Biennial Meeting, June 21-24 in Duluth, Minnesota.
January 26, 2012
Research geologist Dan Muhs was quoted extensively in the article "Swept From Africa to the Amazon: What the journey of a handful of dust tells us about our fragile planet," by Jeffrey Bartholet, that appears in the February issue of Scientific American. Dan discussed his research on dust from Africa that fertilizes the oceans and contributes nutrients to the Amazon rain forest, among other places.
January 20, 2012
Airborne electromagnetic imaging of discontinuous permafrost
By Burke Minsley, Jared Abraham, Bruce Smith, James Cannia, Clifford Voss, Torre Jorgenson, Michelle Walvoord, Bruce Wylie, Lesleigh Anderson (GECSC), Lyndsay Ball, Maryla Deszcz-Pan, Tristan Wellman, and Tom Ager (GECSC). Published in Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 39.
Details about the 3D-arrangement of permafrost at depth are lacking due to the difficulty in probing the subsurface over large areas. This paper, by USGS scientists of multiple disciplines, shows that remotely sensed airborne electromagnetic data can be used to identify the subsurface configuration of permafrost as well as infer the thermal legacy of surface water and groundwater in permafrost regions. Also contributing to this report was GECSC member Paco Van Sistine.
January 18, 2012
The Paleoclimate Variability of the American Southwest project has been added to the GECSC Research Activities web page. The goal of the project is to determine how climate conditions in general, and precipitation in particular, have changed over time in the American Southwest. Scientists on this project are tasked with reconstructing the paleoclimate from lake deposits, groundwater discharge deposits, and vegetation records. Geologic mapping is also used to gain understanding of the drainage-basin history of the region.
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Page Last Modified: Fri 27-Jan-2012 9:17:53 MST
