Department of Geosciences at UMass Amherst
Coastal Habitats Can Weather Sea-Level Rise If There is Enough Sediment
Salt marshes: critical habitats threatened by rapid sea-level rise, may in fact thrive despite higher water levels. The key factor that determines whether salt marshes collapse or flourish involves not water, but sediment.
Upcoming Events
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Apr19
Student Spotlight: Helen Sajo
She aspires to become a professor one day to teach geography. She hopes to inspire her students to share her passion for the field!
"I chose geography as my secondary major after taking a general education class about climate change my freshman year. It inspired me to look at the world in a more geographical point of view and combined with primary major of economics this proved to be really beneficial.”
Department News
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Massachusetts hot in 2022
2022 was one of the hottest years on record for Massachusetts. Dr. Michael Rawlins, Associate Director of the Climate Systems Research center, explains the why and how to the Boston Globe and WAMC's Mid-Day magazine: -
Speed kills: fast, potentially damaging earthquakes more common
The phenomena known as supershear earthquakes — those that travel super fast and can cause more shaking than slower quakes — may be much more common than previously estimated, according to a study of global earthquake data recently published in Nature Geoscience. PhD student Laura Fattaruso discusses the implications of these findings in their latest piece in Temblor... -
6 feet of snow in Buffalo: What causes lake-effect storms like this?
Dr. Michael Rawlins, Associate Director of the Climate Systems Research Center, writes about the causes of Lake Effect snowstorms in a recent piece in The Conversation... -
Paris Agreement Temperature Targets Could Worsen Climate Injustice For Island States
New research from Dr.'s Shaina Sadai, Rob DeConto, and colleagues, recently published in the journal Earth’s Future, shows that even the most optimistic Paris Agreement temperature targets can lead to catastrophic sea-level rise, which has already begun and will affect low-lying nations for generations to come... -
Midwestern US Soil is Eroding 10 to 1,000 Times Faster Than It Forms
In a discovery that has repercussions for everything from domestic agricultural policy to global food security and the plans to mitigate climate change, researchers at the University of Massachusetts recently announced that the rate of soil erosion in the Midwestern US is 10 to 1,000 times greater than pre-agricultural erosion rates... -
Department at #AGU22
U-Mass DEGCS has a strong showing at annual Fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. If you're attending #AGU22 in Chicago this year, either virtually or in person, don't miss out! Here is a schedule of who is presenting and when: -
State-of-the-art software donated to department
We are pleased to announce the donation of the MOVE software package to the Department of Geosciences by the Scotland-based Petroleum Experts Limited. This industry-standard software package is valued at $2,764,444.18 USD and provides tools for 3D analysis and geophysical and structural modeling of deformation of the Earth's crust. -
Celebrate Geography Awareness Week
We have a number of exciting events planned for Geography Awareness week, including Geography Bowl and GeoGuesser tournaments, and more! -
Dr. Christine Hatch will bring Western Mass perspective to State Water Resources Commission
Dr. Christine Hatch was recently appointed a member of the Commonwealth’s Water Resources Commission. Hatch will be the only member of the commission representing Western Massachusetts.
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