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24 December 2020
Top AGU news and views from 2020
As we look back on 2020, we wanted to share some of the top news and views coming out of AGU.
13 January 2020
Board game educates Japan about new energy source
A three-dimensional box that mimics an underwater ocean scene teaches players about an underwater fossil fuel resource in a new Japanese board game. Methane hydrate is a natural energy resource buried deep below the ocean floor surrounding Japan. This mixture of methane and ice, once extracted, can be converted into methane gas, a viable energy source. Chiharu Aoyama, an ocean resources professor at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, suspects Japan’s citizens do not know about this natural resource. In 2016, Aoyama worked with Daiki Aoyama, a family member and game hobbyist, to design a board game to raise awareness about methane hydrate among Japanese people of all ages.
3 July 2019
Protecting Science at the State and Federal Level
News coming out of Alaska right now reminds me how strongly science depends not just on federal but also state financial support. And it’s disheartening to hear that this crucial science funding is facing challenges at all levels. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy recently vetoed the state’s budget, which would mean huge cuts for the state – including a $130 million—or 41 percent—cut to the University of Alaska system’s funding from …
2 May 2019
How AGU Is a Leader in the Fight against Climate Change
AGU represents a global community of more than 60,000 Earth and space scientists. The peer-reviewed research of our members has unequivocally concluded that climate change is real, occurring now, and is driven by human activity. The threat it poses to our human survival and the environment is real and serious. But there is hope. Collectively, we can address this challenge. This is the theme I carried with me to the …
5 December 2018
World Soil Day Celebrates Earth’s Life-Supporting Resource
By Dorothy Merritts, Professor, Department of Earth and Environment, Franklin and Marshall College In 2014, while attending a National Science Foundation (NSF) workshop on infrastructure for Earth surface processes research at the Field Museum in Chicago, my colleague, Laurel Larsen, and I toured the museum’s “Underground Adventure” exhibit. The exhibit encouraged us to imagine shrinking to a size smaller than a penny to examine soil from a new perspective, and …
26 November 2018
In Honor of Native American Heritage Month: A Challenge to AGU to Include Indigenous Perspectives in Science
In honor of National Native American Heritage Month and as a Native American Earth scientist, I honor the resiliency of Native Americans to maintain their deep rooted beliefs, cultures, and languages. I respect the passion of Native peoples to fight for the protection of their land. I honor the sovereignty of Native American tribes. I celebrate scientists who work in Indigenous-led community-engaged research. I pay tribute to the academic journeys …
6 December 2017
Cartogram maps provide new view of climate change risk
Scientists have developed cartograms — maps that convey information by contorting areas — to visualize the risks of climate change in a novel way.
4 June 2013
The Water-Energy Nexus: Challenges to Meet Growing Demands
Water and energy are linked resources in ever-increasing demand in the United States. Energy production requires an abundant, reliable, and predictable source of water, a resource that is unfortunately in short supply already throughout large portions of the U.S. Additionally, developing water supplies can require large amounts of energy to extract, transport, treat, and distribute. As such, the water-energy nexus presents a significant challenge for our country’s water resource and …
3 June 2013
Complex Science and Policy Challenges in U.S. Onshore and Offshore Energy
Historically, the challenges associated with energy were almost purely scientific and technological. Incredible advancements in energy for industrial, residential, and transportation uses revolutionized the U.S. standard of living, but the energy challenges have grown exponentially more complex in that time. For example, the modern-day version of oil drilling began in 1859 in the United States. For most of the following century, the U.S. produced over half of the world’s oil, …
