Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science

FSU faculty and students contribute to environmental and poverty relief efforts in Haiti

Published: April 22, 2021 | 10:54 am | Posted in: Arts & Humanities, News

Villagers in Haiti planting grass on eroded slopes to reduce soil erosion

With Earth Day upon us, Florida State University students and faculty continue to show how they can make a difference and demonstrate their support for environmental protection in Haiti through behind-the-scenes environmental and poverty relief efforts. FSU’s Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, Center for Global Engagement and the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science have joined with Tallahassee-based nonprofit Better Universe and Citizens to help combat soil erosion in Haiti. The effort has the potential […]

International study discovers ancient meteoritic impact over Antarctica 430,000 years ago

Published: April 2, 2021 | 10:50 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Particles from an exploding meteor that reached the Antarctic ice sheet 430,000 years ago. The particles are evidence of an airburst — a large meteorite or comet collision with the atmosphere that leaves no crater behind — that created a jet of melted and vaporized meteoritic material that passed through the atmosphere to reach the Earth’s surface. (Courtesy of Scott Peterson / micrometeorites.com)

A Florida State University geochemist and postdoctoral scholar were part of an international research team that has found new evidence of a low-altitude meteoritic touchdown event reaching the Antarctic ice sheet 430,000 years ago. The geological record has long shown evidence of meteorite collisions with Earth, but scientists had previously only known of two airbursts […]

International study shows asteroids as past, possible future water source

Published: February 8, 2021 | 4:23 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

A Florida State University geochemist was part of an international team that published startling evidence that a type of meteorite — fragments of ancient asteroids that land on Earth — shows signs it contained liquid water no more than a million years ago. Scientists have long hypothesized meteorites delivered water from asteroids to Earth in the solar system’s infancy. […]

Year in Review: FSU’s strength shines throughout challenges of 2020

Published: December 17, 2020 | 8:56 am | Posted in: University News

Florida State University rises above the challenges of 2020 to achieve new heights. (FSU Photography Services)

• Best Photos of 2020 Florida State University showcased its strength and resilience during a global pandemic in 2020 while continuing to achieve new heights in student success and research initiatives. FSU ranked among the nation’s Top 20 universities for the second consecutive year, posted a record freshman retention rate, brought in an all-time high of $250 million in research funding and enrolled a record […]

New clues shed light on importance of Earth’s ice sheets

Published: November 23, 2020 | 3:01 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Researchers examining subglacial waters both from Antarctica and Greenland found that these waters have higher concentrations of important, life-sustaining elements than previously thought, answering a big unknown for scientists seeking to understand the Earth’s geochemical processes. “The data from an Antarctic lake is particularly exciting,” said Florida State University postdoctoral fellow Jon Hawkings. “Most people […]

FSU researcher leads international project on how tropical clouds change with climate

Published: November 4, 2020 | 10:32 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

A Florida State University climate scientist is leading an international project aimed at generating a better understanding of the role tropical clouds play in a warming climate. Allison Wing, assistant professor of meteorology in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, is the lead organizer of the 41-member project, which is simulating how clouds could […]

FSU experts available to comment on United States and the Paris Agreement

Published: October 27, 2020 | 4:03 pm | Posted in: Expert Pitches

Jeff Chanton, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor and John Widmer Winchester Professor of Oceanography, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. (FSU Photography Services)

Carbon emissions and climate change were key issues in the past presidential election. Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden has said he will sign an executive order to rejoin the Paris Agreement— an international accord with the goal of limiting global climate change that the United States left on Nov. 4, 2020. Florida State University has […]

Greenhouse effect of clouds instrumental in origin of tropical storms

Published: October 26, 2020 | 4:48 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Allison Wing, assistant professor in the FSU Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science.

Better storm track prediction over the past few decades has allowed for timely preparation and evacuations but understanding how these storms form and intensify remains a challenge for scientists. A Florida State University researcher was part of an international team studying the origin of tropical cyclones that found an infrared radiative feedback from clouds accelerates storm development. Deep clouds that […]

Polar ice, atmospheric water vapor biggest drivers of variation among climate models

Published: October 7, 2020 | 12:33 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Ming Cai, a professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. (Florida State University)

A Florida State University researcher is part of a team that has found varying projections on global warming trends put forth by climate change scientists can be explained by differing models’ predictions regarding ice loss and atmospheric water vapor. The work will help climate scientists reconcile various models to improve their accuracy, said Florida State […]

FSU researchers track nutrient transport in the Gulf of Mexico

Published: September 4, 2020 | 3:52 pm | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

Samantha Howe, a graduate student in Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, who led research into nutrient levels in the Gulf of Mexico.

Researchers from Florida State University are shedding light on nutrient levels in the Gulf of Mexico with new findings published this month in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans. The Gulf of Mexico receives considerable levels of nutrients from the rivers that empty into it, especially the Mississippi River, which causes the Gulf’s northern […]

FSU teams with 13 other universities to investigate effect of climate change on Arctic ecosystems

Published: September 2, 2020 | 3:35 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

A view of the Stordalen mire in Sweden. Photo by Clarice Perryman / University of New Hampshire

Florida State University is one of 14 universities from around the globe that have collectively been awarded $12.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch a new Biology Integration Institute (BII), called EMERGE, which will focus on better understanding ecosystem and climate interactions — like the thawing of the Arctic permafrost — and […]

Coastal development, changing climate threaten sea turtle nesting habitat

Published: August 25, 2020 | 3:38 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Ocean waves cover a sea turtle nest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Florida State University researchers found that sea-level rise is projected to submerge about 80 percent of current nesting habitat that is predicted to have a suitable climate for future egg incubation. Rising sea levels, a changing climate and coastal development each play a role in determining the availability of suitable nesting habitats in the future. This photograph was taken during permitted research activities. Photo by Matthew Ware / Florida State University

A research team led by Florida State University found that sea turtles in the U.S. will have less suitable nesting habitat in the future because of climate change and coastal development. Researchers found areas that will remain or become suitable for sea turtle nesting in the future because of climatic changes and sea-level rise will […]

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