In response to the growing concerns over the COVID-19 epidemic, EGU has cancelled the physical General Assembly in Vienna and will instead host EGU 2020: Sharing Geoscience Online (#shareEGU20), a week-long series of online activities during which attendees can remotely interact, discuss and share research. With the virtual GA looming in less than a week, it’s time for all …[Read More]
Geodynamics
Join the EGU GD Blog Team!
We are looking for both regular editors and Sassy Scientist columnists for the new ‘EGU year’ (which, by our definition runs from the week after EGU GA 2020 up to and including EGU GA 2021, i.e., May 11, 2020 – May 2, 2021)! Being an editor is lots of fun and you will be welcomed …[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – Mic Muting
After asking many times whether or not I can hear him and just generally struggling to communicate, Noel finally manages to ask: On average, how many times is ‘Can you hear me now?’ uttered during a conference call? Dear Noel, Unlike the ritual of – the almost spiritual – sharing of screens, the accidental muting …[Read More]
Geodynamics – What does it really mean?
We are all studying geodynamics, but what does that really mean? Do we limit ourselves to the mantle? The lithosphere? The equations we solve? In this Wit & Wisdom post, Colin Hardy, PhD student in fluid dynamics at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, makes his case for an often forgotten boundary condition of mantle …[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – EGU GA 2020 RIP: MTFBWY
Tokío’s contract is about to expire. Confident she would convince someone to hire her through expert presentations, astute questions, insightful discussions and uncanny charm, she now frets: I was counting on networking at the EGU GA to find a new job, but now I can’t. What can I do? Dear Tokío, I’ve got a bad …[Read More]
Can plume-lithosphere interaction initiate a modern subduction zone?
This week in News & Views, dr. Marzieh Baes from GFZ Potsdam introduces us to the mechanisms behind subduction initiation. Moreover, she discusses the different types of subduction initiation in reaction to plume-lithosphere interaction that she observed in her recent 3-d numerical modelling study. Possible scenarios of subduction initiation According to plate tectonics, oceanic plates …[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – Sharing Secrets
During the umpteenth conference call this week, it is finally time for Carrie to share her screen. So, naturally, she asks: Where is the share screen button? Dear Carrie, I am not sure how to break this to you. Indeed, I am not sure if I should be the person telling you this. However, since …[Read More]
The challenges (and the perks) of being academic nomads
It has become inevitable for scientists to move abroad for their jobs. Moving to and living in a new country can be a very exciting, yet also tough experience. In today’s blog post, Irene Bonati (PhD Student at the Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo) discusses the challenges and perks that come with the nomad lifestyle of …[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – Solely Sequestered
Embedded on a chair behind a laptop, with no access to the university labs in the foreseeable future and hands-on research activities stalling, Felicia resides ensconced: I need to access my lab to do my research, but I am not allowed to go. What can I do? Dear Felicia, Not very much by the looks …[Read More]
The spikey end of geodynamics: The story of the echidna and plate tectonics
This week, Craig O’Neill, Associate Professor and director of the Planetary Research Center at MacQuarie University shows that not only humans are suffering from the consequences of global warming. The recent Australian bushfire season has precipitated a shift in the Australian – and the world’s – perception of the urgency of addressing climate change. With …[Read More]