Earth News Interviews

In this episode of Earth News Interviews, we speak with grad student Erkan Gun and professor Russ Pysklywec about the mechanisms that drive continental movements!

Primary source discussed:

Happy International Women's Day!

Primary readings discussed:

- Gender representation cues labels of hard and soft sciences

- No progress on diversity in 40 years

In this episode of ENI, we talk to the University of Toronto's new assistant professor, Andrei Swidinski about how mineral exploration is done using geophysics - magnetotellurics and passive seismic!

Primary readings discussed:

Application of deep-penetrating geophysical methods to mineral exploration: Examples from Western Australia

Welcome back to a new year of Earth News Interviews!

In this episode, Dean, Winnie, Kathryn, and Tina each discuss their favorite earth sciences paper from 2021.

Primary reading discussed:

- Using phylogenies to detect a major extinction event in the Oligocene of Africa

- Clues from soured milk reveal how gold veins form

- Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Tackling under-representation and recognition of talents in geochemistry and cosmochemistry

- Accidental synthesis of a previously unknown quasicrystal in the first atomic bomb test

We typically expect physical phenomena to follow certain rules: an apple falls from a tree under the influence of gravity, a skater will eventually slow down from the friction between their skates and the ice, a star spins in a similar direction as the planets in its solar system... Here's the interesting bit, the last one doesn't always hold true. In fact, astrophysicists theorized that there are solar systems in outer space that don't follow this rule. And in 2019, scientists measured this counterintuitive phenomenon in a solar system almost 900 light-years away called K2-290. Their findings were published earlier this year and we got a chance to interview one of the co-authors of this paper, Dr J. J Zanazzi from the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Toronto covering topics like the formation of protoplanetary disks, the effect of neighbouring stars and what we know about planet formation. 

Primary readings discussed: 

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/8/e2017418118

In this episode, we interview Andrew Parmenter, a geologist working for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), a not-for-profit organization tasked with the safe, long-term storage of Canada’s used nuclear fuel in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come. Nuclear waste is a reality our generation has been tasked with storing in a safe way after being passed on from previous generations. We touch upon the key features of long-term nuclear waste repositories, building strong relationships with local Indigenous communities, and what the role of a geologist is in a project of this scale and importance. 

We typically expect physical phenomena to follow certain rules: an apple falls from a tree under the influence of gravity, a skater will eventually slow down from the friction between their skates and the ice, a star spins in a similar direction as the planets in its solar system... Here's the interesting bit, the last one doesn't always hold true. In fact, astrophysicists theorized that there are solar systems in outer space that don't follow this rule. And in 2019, scientists measured this counterintuitive phenomenon in a solar system almost 900 light-years away called K2-290. Their findings were published earlier this year and we got a chance to interview one of the co-authors of this paper, Dr J. J Zanazzi from the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Toronto covering topics like the formation of protoplanetary disks, the effect of neighbouring stars and what we know about planet formation. 

Primary readings discussed: 

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/8/e2017418118

Many Earth Sciences Departments have been recording low enrollment numbers for the last decade. This field has been known to ride the industry wave; high enrollment when the oil, petroleum, and mineral resource industry is booming, low when it's not. This time, the ebb and flow of markets aren't the cause. General public mistrust of the industry, lack of diversity, and reliance on courses that no longer seem to fit with modern problems are just a few reasons Assistant Professor Erik Klemetti, a volcanologist and science communicator at Denison University cites in his Discover Magazine article on Geoscience Education. We interview him about how the field of Earth Sciences has changed since the Bronze Age and how important it will be for preventing current and potential future environmental catastrophes. 

Primary readings discussed:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/geology-is-at-a-crossroads

The first exoplanet was discovered in 1992 by Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail. Less than 30 years after this initial discovery that won the Nobel Prize in Physics, more than 4000 exoplanets have been confirmed (NASA). These planets, while unique, have some similarities in mass and size, and potentially other features, to Earth. While we aren't able to take a sample from the surface of these planets, that doesn't mean we're limited to simply guessing at their composition. Associate Professor of Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Dr. Diana Valencia walks us through how we can infer the composition of rocky planets without actually having sampled the planet's surface. This research is laying the groundwork for more in-depth studies on processes that have shaped exoplanets, how they may be similar to Earth's, and whether similar planetary evolution implies finding extraterrestrial life. 

Primary readings discussed:

https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/499/1/932/5899063

With natural disasters become more frequent and damaging, how can we accurately access who's at risk without updated information and predictions? The answer is we can't. That's why accurate risk and hazard mapping is essential for both private homeowners and all levels of government that have a public responsibility to mitigate the adverse after-effects of disasters. In this episode we talk to Professor Joseph Desloges of the Geography and Planning Department at the University of Toronto. He specializes in the influence of rivers, glaciers and humans on landform development, and has a particular interest in flood risk mapping. We discuss topics like accurate risk assessment, geoengineering solutions to floods, and what have been the key human-driven changes that have left our cities exposed to flood-related damages. 

Primary reading discussed: