Year: 2026
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February 13, 2026 – Ji-In Jung, Stanford University
Speaker/Affiliation: Ji-In Jung, Stanford University Title: Evolution of the Lunar Dynamo When: Friday, February 13 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Lunar crustal magnetism revealed by orbital measurements and paleomagnetic analyses of Apollo samples overturned the long-held view of the Moon as magnetically inert. Paleointensity estimates suggest surface fields as strong as ~40–110 μT between ~3.9 and 3.5 Ga, declining…
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February 11, 2026 – Ciara Willis, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
Speaker/Affiliation: Ciara Willis, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) Title: Marine Predators as Archives of Earth System Change When: Wednesday, February 11 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Predators integrate variability across space and time, effectively averaging the flow of nutrients and energy from the physical environment through food webs. As a result, archival samples of predator tissues (such as bones or scales)…
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February 6, 2026 – Jeffrey J McGuire, USGS
Speaker/Affiliation: Jeffrey J McGuire, USGS Title: The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System: Current Status and Future Possibilities When: Friday, February 6 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: The primary goal of the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System is to provide useable warning times before potentially damaging shaking. Version 3 of the underlying algorithm base, live since March 2024, includes numerous…
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February 4, 2026 – Isabel P. Montañez, UC Davis
Speaker/Affiliation: Isabel P. Montañez, UC Davis Title: A stalagmite perspective on CA’s hydroclimate response to Heinrich Stadials When: Wednesday, February 4 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Heinrich Stadials (HS) of the last glacial period and deglaciation were characterized by abrupt North Atlantic cooling, massive ice discharge, and atmospheric CO₂ and CH4 fluctuations. Consequent major changes in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and…
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Peter Weiss featured on front page of San Jose Mercury News for his Pacific Coastal Fog Research project
“With a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the Heising-Simon Foundation, the Pacific Coastal Fog Research project is poised to lift the veil on the rather mysterious meteorological phenomenon. The scientists will record the fog’s chemical composition, examine how it helps support redwood forests and other ecosystems, and look at the possible effects of climate change…
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January 28, 2026 – Mara Orescanin, Naval Postgraduate School
Speaker/Affiliation: Mara Orescanin, Naval Postgraduate School Title: From Grains of Sand to Coastal Margins: How Small River Mouths Play a Key Role in Coastal Geomorphology in California When: Wednesday, January 28 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: We often disregard the importance of small, low-flow rivers and their impact to coastal flooding, erosion, and water quality during dry seasons. However, when wet…
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January 21, 2026 – Ashley Grupenhoff, Cal Poly SLO
Speaker/Affiliation: Ashley Grupenhoff, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Title: Changing fire regimes and fire management strategies in California’s diverse ecosystems When: Wednesday, January 21 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Large wildfires are reshaping ecosystems across western North America as climate change and Euro-American fire suppression alter historical fire regimes. In chaparral ecosystems, increasing fire frequency threatens native plant communities, while in…
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January 16, 2026 – Mike Oskin, UC Davis
Speaker/Affiliation: Mike Oskin, UC Davis Title: Earthquake-Cycle Modality Revealed by Paleoseismic Inter-Event Time Distributions When: Friday, January 16 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Time-dependent seismic hazard models predict earthquake likelihood as a function of time elapsed since a prior event. The most widely applied model at present is the Brownian Passage Time (BPT), which is based on the periodic characteristic…
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January 23, 2026 – Alicia Hotovec-Ellis, USGS
Speaker/Affiliation: Alicia Hotovec-Ellis, USGS Volcano Science Center’s California Volcano Observatory Title: Expanding the volcano monitoring toolset with repetitive seismicity and seismic velocity changes When: Friday, January 23 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Earthquakes that share similar waveforms are a frequent feature of the seismicity at volcanoes. Studies suggest that temporal variations in the size, rate, and character of repeating seismicity are…
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January 30, 2026 – Nori Nakata, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Speaker/Affiliation: Nori Nakata, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Title: When: Friday, January 30 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract:
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January 14, 2026 – Amy East, USGS
Speaker/Affiliation: Amy East, U.S. Geological Survey Title: Understanding physical landscape effects of climate change: how much do we know, and what are we doing about it? When: Wednesday, January 14 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Today, climate change is affecting virtually all terrestrial and nearshore settings. How well do we understand the physical landscape effects, and how have planning and economic…
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January 9, 2026 – John Moores, York University
Speaker/Affiliation: John Moores, York University Title: Probing the Physics of Planetary Volatiles When: Friday, January 9 12:00pm PST Location: EMS B214 Abstract: Any chemical species capable of moving or changing phase at the conditions which exist on or near a planetary surface is a volatile. While many volatiles are found in the atmospheres of planets, surface-atmosphere interactions with condensed phases can be…