Department of Geosciences at UMass Amherst

Coastal Habitats Can Weather Sea-Level Rise If There is Enough Sediment
Salt marshes: critical habitats threatened by rapid sea-level rise, may in fact thrive despite higher water levels. The key factor that determines whether salt marshes collapse or flourish involves not water, but sediment.
Upcoming Events
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Dec8
Biogeophysics: Geophysical Sensors for Biogeochemical Hotspots and the Search for Life
Dr. Estelal AtekwanaUC Davis12:20pmGeosciences Lecture Series -
Dec15
Equity of Access: A Sidewalk Condition and Connectivity Study of PVTA Bus Stops in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts
Tatum N. ThomasUMass EGCS11:00amMS/PhD Defense -
Mar13
Student Spotlight: Helen Sajo
She aspires to become a professor one day to teach geography. She hopes to inspire her students to share her passion for the field!
"I chose geography as my secondary major after taking a general education class about climate change my freshman year. It inspired me to look at the world in a more geographical point of view and combined with primary major of economics this proved to be really beneficial.”

Department News
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EGCS at 2023 Geological Society of America Meeting
We're thrilled to have several Department community members presenting at the 2023 Geological Society America National Meeting. If you're attending the conference, be sure not to miss these presentations! -
Winnick secures NSF grant to study global CO2 from lakes and rivers
Dr. Matthew Winnick, along with Dr. Colin Gleason (CEE), recently secured a 3-year NSF grant to better model how much CO2 is added to the atmosphere by lakes, rivers, and streams and how that changes with stream hydrology on a global scale. -
Martín Medina Elizalde's research featured on National Geographic
Dr. Martín Medina Elizalde's paleoclimate research was recently featured in a 4-part National Geographic Documentary "Rise and Fall of the Maya" -
Cranberry bog restoration work a success for carbon storage
The efforts of Dr. Christine Hatch and Living Obsrevatory at Tidmarsh Farm in southeastern Massachusetts, to restore a former cranberry bog, have recently been highlighted as a success story in bringing back wetlands from the dead. -
Hatch comments on dam safety
The increase in severe weather and precipitation seen this summer has many worried about New England's dams. Christine Hatch was interviewed by several news outlets this summer and weighs in: -
Join us for UMass Majors Week
Find out more about all of the undergraduate majors teh department offers, including Q+A sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and extended open hours for the Rausch Mineral Gallery -
UMass and Indigenous communities partner to create new center
An Indigenous-led and majority Indigenous consortium of communities and researchers just launched the NSF-funded Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science. The effort involved the hard work of many folks across departments and institutions, and EGCS is proud to be a member, with Dr. Jonathon Woodruff serving as one of the principal investigators, and Dr.'s Julie Brigham-Grette and Rob DeConto serving as participating scholars -
New Research on the Science Behind the Life of Earth's Salt Flats
Dr. Sarah McKnight, along Dr. David Boutt, Dr. Brendan Moran, and collagues at the University of Alaska Anchorage, are the first to characterize two different types of surface water in the hyperarid salars—or salt flats—that contain much of the world’s lithium deposits. This new characterization represents a leap forward in understanding how water moves through such basins, and will be key to minimizing the environmental impact on such sensitive, critical habitats. -
Dr. Christine Hatch Named Associate Director of Academics for iCons
UMass Amherst’s Integrated Concentration in STEM (iCons) Program has announced the appointment of Christine Hatch, extension associate professor in the Department of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences, as the new associate director of academics. In her new role, Hatch will oversee the academic programs of iCons and provide leadership to the program’s faculty and students.
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