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Under California: An ancient tectonic plate

By Guest PostMarch 19, 2013Scienceancient tectonic plate, baja peninsula, brian savage, brown university, california, california coast, central california, christina rau, columbia university, donald forsyth, farallon oceanic plate, geologist, high velocity anomaly, isabella anomaly, james gaherty, lithospheric plate, Mexico, nina carriero, north american plate, pacific, rhode island, san andreas fault, seismic tomography data, seismic tomography signature, sierra nevada mountains, under california, university, university of oregon, west coast, yun wang

The Isabella anomaly — indications of a large mass of cool, dehydrated material about 100 kilometers beneath central California — is in fact a surviving slab of the Farallon oceanic plate. Most of the Farallon plate was driven deep into the Earth’s mantle as the Pacific and North American plates began converging about 100 million years ago, eventually coming together to form the San Andreas fault.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Large chunks of an ancient tectonic plate that slid under North America millions of years ago are still present under parts of central California and Mexico, according to new research led by Brown University geophysicists. (more…)

Plumes across the Pacific Deliver Thousands of Microbial Species to West Coast

By Guest PostDecember 20, 2012Environmentaerobiology, aerosol, air pollution, aircraft, asia, atmospheric particle, bacterial, balloons, biomass, cascade mountains, central oregon, dale griffin, daniel jaffe, david j smith, dilution, DNA, dust, dust plume, earth, ecosystem, fungal, global wind circulation, harmless, hilkka timonen, kevin perry, michael roberts, michele birmele, microorganism, molecular method, mount bachelor, NASA, North America, old classification, pacific ocean, peter ward, plume event, pollutant, traditional paradigm, trans pacific trip, troposphere, university of utah, university of washington, west coast

A surprising number of microorganisms – more than 100 times more kinds than reported just four months ago – are leaping the biggest gap on the planet. Hitching rides in the upper troposphere, they’re making their way from Asia across the Pacific Ocean and landing in North America.

For the first time researchers have been able to gather enough biomass in the form of DNA to apply molecular methods to samples from two large dust plumes originating in Asia in the spring of 2011. The scientists detected more than 2,100 unique species compared to only 18 found in the very same plumes using traditional methods of culturing, results they published in July. (more…)

Web Tool, Phone App Pinpoint Tsunami Dangers, Quick Getaway Routes

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2012Environment, Technologyalaska, android, cascadia subduction zone, flood, iTunes, jan newton, Japan, jonathan allan, magnitude, megathrust earthquake, mynanoos, oregon, oregon coasts, pacific northwest, phone application, quake, smartphone app, tohoku, tool, tribal oral histories, tsunami, tsunami inundation, tsunami warning center, tsunami warnings, tsunamievac n, Washington, west coast, zones

A new online portal and smartphone app lets Washington and Oregon residents enter the addresses of their homes, schools, workplaces or kids’ day care centers to check if they’re in harm’s way should a tsunami hit.

Materials available via the tool or phone application can be used to map out evacuation routes for you, your family, employees or students so everyone is ready when danger arises. There’s a way to create a free account so users can map and save multiple locations and evacuation routes in one place. (more…)

After a Three-Decade Hiatus, Sea-Level Rise May Return to the West Coast

By Guest PostMay 4, 2011Environmentart miller, beach erosion, coastal sea level rise, eastern north pacific ocean, el niño, extreme wave conditions, global sea level, global warming, guillermo auad, high tides, pacific decadal oscillation, pacific ocean climate cycle, pdo, peter bromirski, reinhard flick, rising sea level, scripps institution of oceanography, sea level, storm surges, west coast, west coast of north america, wetlands inundation

WASHINGTON — The West Coast of North America has caught a break that has left sea level in the eastern North Pacific Ocean steady during the last few decades, but there is evidence that a change in wind patterns may be occurring that could cause coastal sea-level rise to accelerate beginning this decade.

That is the conclusion of a new study that says that conditions dominated by cold surface waters along the West Coast could soon flip to an opposite state.

“There are indications that this is what might be happening right now,” says Peter Bromirski, a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and lead author of a study now in press in the Journal of Geophysical Research–Oceans, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. (more…)

Tag Archives: west coast

Under California: An ancient tectonic plate

Plumes across the Pacific Deliver Thousands of Microbial Species to West Coast

Web Tool, Phone App Pinpoint Tsunami Dangers, Quick Getaway Routes

After a Three-Decade Hiatus, Sea-Level Rise May Return to the West Coast