Search: Natural Sciences
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Fung, Inez
Submitted by cmjones on March 16, 2007 - 1:39pm.Name of Person:
Inez Fung
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Department:
ESPM, Professor
Research Interests:
Climate and biogeochemical cycles. Geophysical fluid dynamics. Large scale numerical modeling. Remote sensing of earth systems. Atmosphere-ocean interactions, and atmosphere-biosphere interactions.
Achievements:
A principal research activity of Inez Fung is the carbon dioxide cycle. Fung’s lab uses details of the atmospheric CO2 distribution (e.g. the difference in hemispheric loading, the changes in the seasonal amplitude over time), together with atmospheric transport models to deduce the location of the carbon sink. Fung hypothesizes that the terrestrial biosphere of the northern hemisphere may be as important as the oceans as a repository for anthropogenic CO2. Another research focus is the dust cycle. Fine dust particles lofted from arid surfaces are transported long distances. While airborne, they reflect sunlight, but may, depending on their sizes and composition, absorb terrestrial radiation. When deposited to the surface oceans, the iron in the dust may be the critical limiting micronutrient for marine productivity in some ocean regions. To tackle this problem, she is combining mineralogic information about soil particles, satellite and in-situ observations, atmospheric circulation models and ocean biology models to gain an appreciation of the many roles of dust.
Berkeley Geochronology Center
Submitted by cmjones on February 23, 2007 - 2:13pm.Name of Research Center:
Berkeley Geochronology Center
Description:
The Berkeley Geochronology Center (BGC) is a non-profit scientific research institution dedicated to establishing the history of the Earth, its various inhabitants, and its interactions with the rest of our Solar System, throughout the 4.6 billion years of our Planet's existence. Using the most advanced technology available, BGC scientists determine the ages of rocks and other materials to date important events in geological and biological history. Through understanding such information in geologic context, BGC research provides key insights into such processes as continental drift, volcanism, mountain building, mass extinctions, climate change, and the evolution of humankind itself.
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Barnosky, Anthony D.
Submitted by cmjones on March 2, 2007 - 1:20pm.Name of Person:
Anthony D. Barnosky
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Department:
Integrative Biology, Professor
Research Interests:
Anthony Barnosky studies how changes in the physical environment (such as climate change and mountain building) contribute to the evolution of mammal species and faunas at varying temporal and geographic scales. Field aspects of the work include collecting fossils from long stratigraphic sequences that can be well-dated by biostratigraphic, paleomagnetic, or radioisotopic techniques. Lab analyses utilize database and GIS systems to identify faunal changes through space and time; the faunal patterns are then compared with independently identified changes in the physical environment to test various evolutionary and biogeographic predictions.
Boering, Kristie
Submitted by sprowles on April 3, 2008 - 3:53pm.Name of Person:
Kristie Boering
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Department:
Chemistry, Associate Professor
Earth and Planetary Science, Associate Professor
Research Interests:
We study through atmospheric observations, computer modeling, and laboratory experiments interesting couplings between atmospheric chemistry and climate and their implications for life on earth – from billions of years ago to the near future. We currently have two main foci: Measurements from NASA U2 spyplanes and high altitude balloons, coupled with modeling and analysis, allow us to better quantify the sources and sinks of important direct or indirect greenhouse gases such as CO2, N2O, CH4, and H2 in today's atmosphere. Laboratory experiments simulating the atmospheres of early Earth and Mars allow us to probe whether or not hydrocarbon ("soot") hazes may have provided an additional greenhouse effect or an "antigreenhouse" effect and thereby affected the surface temperatures and the stability of liquid water in the first 2 billion years of these planets' histories.
New Madagascar conservation map protects maximum number of species in biodiversity hot spot
Submitted by sprowles on April 14, 2008 - 1:36pm.Date Posted:
Apr 10 2008
Title of News:
New Madagascar conservation map protects maximum number of species in biodiversity hot spot
Summary:
An international team of researchers led by UC Berkeley biologists has developed a remarkable new roadmap for finding and protecting the best remaining holdouts for thousands of rare species that live only in Madagascar, an island nation considered one of the world's jewels of biodiversity. The new plan not only includes lemurs – those large-eyed, tree-hopping primates that have become poster children for conservation – but also species of ants, butterflies, frogs, geckos and plants.
Source:
UCB News Center
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Center for Sustainable Resource Development
Submitted by cmjones on February 23, 2007 - 2:22pm.Name of Research Center:
Center for Sustainable Resource Development
Description:
The Center for Sustainable Resource Development is located in the College of Natural Resources and brings together UC Berkeley's leading environmental and social scientists with other experts and stakeholders from industry, government, and environmental organizations to address complex resource-use issues such as global climate change, sustainable agriculture, water reliability, and population, poverty and the environment.
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Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve
Submitted by cmjones on February 27, 2007 - 12:01pm.Name of Research Center:
Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve
Description:
The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve protects a valuable remnant of coastal salt marsh habitats once common throughout Southern California estuaries. Despite major alterations to the surrounding land and water, this small, heart-shaped wetland at the northern edge of Mission Bay remains remarkably productive, providing rich intertidal habitats. Research at Kendall-Frost includes: The leptostraca of coastal California: A survey based on morphological and molecular evidence, The effect of different reproductive strategies on the genetic variation of eastern Pacific eelgrass taxa, and Final hosts (birds and mammals) as determinants of community structure of castrating trematodes in California horn snails.
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Introduction to Marine Geochemistry
Submitted by cmjones on March 6, 2007 - 12:46pm.Department:
EPS
Course Number:
103
Course Title:
Introduction to Marine Geochemistry
Description:
Introduction to marine
geochemistry: the global water cycle; major processes governing the
distribution of chemical species within the hydrosphere; mass balances,
fluxes, and reactions in the marine environment from global to submicron
scales; relationships to physical, biological, and geological processes;
geochemical tracers and tools.
Units:
3
Course Type:
Undergraduate
Environmental Measurements Laboratory
Submitted by cmjones on February 23, 2007 - 1:34pm.Name of Research Center:
Environmental Measurements Laboratory
Description:
The Environmental Measurement Laboratory (EML) is an EPA/California Department of Health Services certified analytical lab within the Earth Sciences Division (ESD) for researchers at DOE laboratories and the University of California. The EML has the capabilities to conduct a variety of analyses covering both organic and inorganic methods, including examination of water, soil, sediment, seawater, and waste water samples.
Thermal Hydraulics Research Group
Submitted by cmjones on May 7, 2007 - 1:30pm.Name:
Thermal Hydraulics Research Group
Description:
Focuses on problems in energy and environmental systems, including advanced light water reactors, inertial confinement fusion, and high level nuclear waste processing. Study how thermal-hydraulics phenomena affect the safety and performance of nuclear systems.