According to a recent analysis of Essential
Science Indicators from
Thomson
Scientific, the University of Rochester has moved
into the top 1% of the database in the field of
Geosciences. The University's citation record in this
field includes 149 papers cited a total of 2,570 times
between January 1, 1997 and October 31, 2007.
The University of Rochester's Department of Earth
and Environmental Sciences' current chair is Professor
Udo Fehn.
In the interview below, Professor Fehn talks
with ScienceWatch.com about the history and
current activities of Geosciences at Rochester.
Would you please give
our readers a brief history of Geosciences at
Rochester?
The department is relatively small; in fact, its
current size of seven tenure-track positions makes it
one of the smallest Ph.D.-granting geology departments
in the USA. Although it is also the smallest natural
science department on campus, it has a long and
distinguished tradition. Originally called the
Department of Geological Sciences, in 1994 it was
renamed Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
to recognize the addition of undergraduate tracks in
the environmental field. One of the earliest faculty
members was Herman LeRoy Fairchild, who contributed
substantially in the field of glaciology at the
beginning of last century and was among the founding
members of the Geological Society of America (GSA).
The tradition of excellence has been carried forward to
the present with the recognition of several of our
current colleagues as Fellows of AAAS, GSA, or the
American Geophysical Union and with the recent award of
the Donath Medal of GSA to Carmala Garzione as
outstanding young scientist.
What would you say is
responsible for the university's high impact
in this field over the past decade?
The department has developed very focused,
state-of-the-art programs in order to stay on the
forefront of current research. This approach is
demonstrated by the fact that all current faculty
members have at least one active NSF grant at this
time. As demonstrated by the publication list, many
collaborations with researchers within the USA and
abroad have been and are currently carried out,
compensating for the relatively small size of the
department. A major part of the research is done with
state-of-the-art instrumentation, mostly funded through
NSF support. Examples of this instrumentation are
several types of specialized mass spectrometers and
cutting-edge instrumentation for paleo-magnetic
studies.
What
are Rochester's key research goals in this
area, in your view?
Research directions developed by members of the
department are focused on global issues which can be
approached using the instrumentation and methods
available in the department. I would like to highlight
the recent demonstration that the Earth's magnetic
field started at least 3.2 Ga ago, considerably earlier
than thought before (Tarduno JA et al.,
"Geomagnetic field strength 3.2 billion years ago
recorded by single silicate crystals," Nature
446(7136): 657-60, 2007), or the rapid uplift of the
Andean and Himalayan Mountains with considerable
consequences on the development of the global climate
(Garzione CN, et al., "Rapid late Miocene rise
of the Bolivian altiplano: evidence for removal of
mantle lithosphere," Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.
241[3-4]: 31 January 2006).
"Several of
the research activities underway
are directly or indirectly related
to the global climate, in
particular the evolution and uplift
of mountain chains, the presence of
the Earth magnetic field, and the
carbon cycle at continental
margins."
At present, research directions in the department can
be roughly subdivided into the geochemistry of fluids
and gases in the crust, particularly in subduction
zones, the tectonic development of continental margins,
the interaction of crust and mantle, and the history of
the Earth's magnetic field.
Have any particular
papers become a particular source of excitement or
pride, regardless of citations?
Rather than highlighting just one paper, the research
activities are better represented by a few comments on
some of the papers with first authorship by one of the
current members of the department:
Tarduno JA et al., "The Emperor Seamounts:
southward motion of the Hawaiian hotspot plume in
earth's mantle," Science 301(5636): 1064-9, 22
August 2003: The Paleomagnetic definition of the
Hawaiian Hotspot demonstrated that the formation of the
Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount chain was caused by the
movement of the hotspot itself. This finding changes
the overall understanding of hotspot behavior and the
interaction between crust and mantle.
Fehn U et al., "Dating of porewaters with
I-129: relevance for the origin of marine gas
hydrates," Science 289(5488): 2332-5, 2000:
Dating of iodine in porewaters associated with marine
gas hydrates at Blake Ridge, Atlantic Ocean,
demonstrated that the source for methane in these
reservoirs is considerably older than the host
sediments. The finding indicates that gas hydrates,
which form a very large reservoir of carbon in active
and passive margins, accumulated as result of
large-scale movement of fluids and gases over large
distances and over long time periods, an important
finding for the understanding of the global carbon
cycle.
Basu AR et al., "Chondritic meteorite
fragments associated with the Permian-Triassic boundary
in Antarctica," Science 302(5649):1388-92,
2003: Basu and colleagues identified meteoritic
fragments in sedimentary rock samples from Antartica,
which probably are related to an impact event at the
Permian-Triassic. This event might have been the cause
of extinctions at the Permian-Triassic boundary on a
global scale.
The previously mentioned Garzione et al., EPSL
2006: Using oxygen isotopic compositions of carbonates,
Garzione and colleagues demonstrated the rapid uplift
of the northern Altiplano, part of the Andes Mountains.
This rapid uplift is probably related to changes in
subduction processes between the South American and
Nazca Plates and had profound impact on the global
climate pattern.
Additional papers:
The previously mentioned Tarduno JA et al.,
Nature 2007: The development of techniques to use
single crystals for the determination of the
paleointensity has allowed the demonstration that the
Earth Magnetic Field has had measurable strength as
early as 3.2 Ga ago. This finding indicates that the
earth was sheltered from solar wind erosion earlier
than previously thought and has also important
consequences for the understanding of the earth's
interior in the early part of its history.
Rowland JV, Ebinger CJ, et al., "Fault growth
at a nascent slow-spreading ridge: 2005 Dabbahu rifting
episode, Afar," Geophys. J. Int. 171(3):
1226-46, 2007: Seismic studies of current activities at
the Afar Rift zone investigate magma intrusion and
faulting in this area. These processes demonstrate the
active rifting leading to the eventual break-up of the
African Plate.
Poreda RJ, et al., "The helium isotopic
chemistry of Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, Antarctica:
timing of Late Holocene climate change in Antarctica,"
Aquatic Geochem. 10(3): 353-71, 2004: Using
the helium isotopic chemistry of Lake Bonney in
Antarctica, the onset of the Late Holocene Climate
Change in Antarctica has been investigated.
Kwon S, Mitra G, and Perucchio R, "Effect of
predeformational basin geometry in the kinematic
evolution of a thin-skinned orogenic wedge: insights
from three-dimensional finite element modeling of the
Provo salient, Sevier fold-thrust belt, Utah," J.
Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 112(B2): art. no.
B02403, 2007: Numerical models were developed in order
to understand the progression of faults in an active
mountain belt in Montana. The research is important for
the understanding of movement and evolution of mountain
belts.
What are the
implications of Rochester's work for the
future of this particular field or neighboring
fields?
We will continue to pursue the current research
directions outlined above with an additional emphasis
on the interaction of the lithosphere with the
hydrosphere and atmosphere. Several of the research
activities underway are directly or indirectly related
to the global climate, in particular the evolution and
uplift of mountain chains, the presence of the Earth
magnetic field, and the carbon cycle at continental
margins. We are in the process of hiring an additional
faculty member with expertise on current or past global
climate systematics.
Udo Fehn, Ph.D., Chair
The Department of Earth & Environmental
Science
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY, USA
University
of
Rochester's most-cited
paper with 140 cites to
date:
Becker L, et al.,
“Impact event at the
Permian-Triassic boundary: Evidence
from extraterrestrial noble gases in
fullerenes,” Science
291(5508): 1530-3, 23 February 2001.
Source:
Essential Science
IndicatorsSM from
Thomson Scientific.
Related:
The University of Rochester was a
New Entrant in
December 2007.