“Supporting research and education in the sciences of our solid, fluid, and living Earth.”

ERI’s Academic Emphases

Academic EmphasesEarth System Science

Earth's subsystems and their interactions

Earth Evolution Rate and causes of change in Earth tectonics, climate & biota

Natural Hazards Impacts of Earth processes on society: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, drought, etc.

Human Impacts Impacts of mankind on the Earth: pollution assessment & remediation to biodiversity conservation & resource management to anthropogenic climate change

120 active PI’s

ERI Participants

*Other: CCBER, Chem/Chem Eng., Computer Science, Economics, Environmental Studies, Library, Physics

Awards / Requests

16 year average award increase through 2010, 7.62%. 2010 awards were 45.6% above 2005 level. Present YTD = $5.8M

2010/2011 Was Our Biggest Year Ever

Recent Awards to ERI Participants

Doug BurbankNAS Member 2010

Brad Hacker AGU Fellow 2010

John MelackAGU Fellow 2011

Ralph ArchuletaAGU Fellow 2011

ERI’s Academic Emphases

Regional Hydrology, Water Supply, Use, and Management

Probabilistic Forecasts of Extreme Events and Weather Hazards over the U.SCharles Jones1, Leila M. V. Carvalho1,2 and Jon Gottschalk3

1ERI, 2Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara3Climate Prediction Center, NOAA / NCEP

Heavy precipitation events are among the most devastating weather phenomena. They increase the likelihood of flash floods and landslides, which

increase the potential of human fatalities, injuries and property losses

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) significantly modulates forecast skills of extreme precipitation in the United States during winter. Skillful forecasts extend to week-2. Relative value in the forecasts is significantly higher when the MJO is active.

Maximum relative value of deterministic forecasts of extreme precipitation in the CONUS. Curves indicate maximum value when the MJO is active and in four specific phases; dashed line shows maximum value when the MJO is inactive.

Jones, C., L. M. V. Carvalho, J. Gottschalck and W. Higgins, 2011: The Madden-Julian Oscillation and the relative value of deterministic forecasts of extreme precipitation in the contiguous United States. Journal of Climate, 24, 2421-2428.

Snow water equivalent, 2005 Sierra Nevada, 3 methods

Jeff Dozier

More than 65% of the monsoon-influenced glaciers that we observed are retreating, but heavily debris-covered glaciers with stagnant low-gradient terminus regions typically have stable fronts.

5x5 km2

30x30 km2

Himalayan Glacial Retreat and Advance

Scherler, Bookhagen, Strecker, 2011 – nature geoscience

Predicting River Discharge in the Himalaya – Rainfall and Snowmelt

Contribution

Bookhagen and Burbank, 2010 – JGR Earth Surface

• Discharge is calculated by accounting for rainfall, snowmelt, and evapotranspiration • Validated with 13 daily river-gauge stations throughout the Himalaya (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients

between 0.7 and 0.9)

Discharge in the pre-monsoon season (March-May) for all Himalayan catchments significantly depends on transiently stored moisture (snow- and glacial melting,

permafrost and soil moisture)!

MIS camp visualized at edge Ross Ice Shelf• Evolution of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in a high

CO2 world > 35 million years ago (> 600 ppmv)

• West Antarctic geography since > 35 million years ago to constrain ice sheet models

ANDRILL international Coulman High Project, Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Bruce Luyendyk, Doug Wilson UCSB and others

Earthquake Engineering Research Program at ERISoil Response, Liquefaction, and Soil-Structure Interaction

Jamie Steidl PI

~5x

incr

ease

!

Biomagnification of CdSe Quantum Dots in Food Webs

Werlin, et al. 2011, Nature Nanotechnology

NSF: DBI-0830117

Black CdSe QD – White CdAcetate Control

Trish Holden’s Group

C, N, and P fluxes through urban ecosystemsJoe McFadden and Jennifer King

Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorus

Household flux calculatorFissore et al. (2011) Ecological Applications

Vernon and Mary Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

(CCBER)Jennifer Thorsch, Katherine Esau

DirectorCarla D’Antonio, Faculty Director

Mission Statement:To provide support for:1. Education2. Research3. Biological collections

management4. Ecosystem management,

restoration and conservation5. K-12 Academic Preparation and

community education programs 6. Public service and professional

advising

Thank for your attention!!