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Geology is Alive and Well at Duke University
Earth and Ocean Sciences is Positioning
Itself at the Crossroads of Major Environmental Issues
by William H. Schlesinger
A tsunami in Indonesia, a new sink-hole in Florida, and pollution
from gold mining in New Guinea—these are all examples of the
problems that the earth sciences must address to determine
a sustainable future for humans on our planet. Opportunities
for the geosciences abound as well: the potential to provide
geothermal energy in Kenya, to sequester carbon in sedimentary
strata, and to provide hydrogen to power the world’s transport
system for the next generation.
Studies of the biosphere demand that we know a lot about
the solid Earth beneath us and the circulation of the atmosphere
and oceans at Earth’s surface. Projections of the future of
our planet are well informed by studies of its past. Some
behavior is clearly cyclic, and we can expect to see past
conditions reappear in the future. Some behavior is chaotic,
making prediction extremely difficult.
To provide geoscientific insight to traditional studies of
the environment, the Department of Geology joined the Nicholas
School in 1997 as the Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences.
It brought its history of expertise in coastal marine geology,
climate change and hydrology to the school, where it has fused
with and enriched ongoing studies of the coastal marine environment,
forest response to climate change, and water quality. New
horizons for the earth sciences at Duke include studies of
energy and environment—a new program for the Masters of Environmental
Management (MEM) degree to address the growing demand and
dwindling supplies of traditional fossil fuel energy for the
Earth’s people.
Geology has a long history at Duke, witnessed by the spirited
social events of the student group, DUDOG (Duke University
Department of Geology). Today Duke alumni occupy positions
at the top of many of the major multinational energy companies.
No visit to a Duke alumni club in Texas can fail to produce
a past student of geology, who asks about what is happening
in the Earth and Ocean Sciences (EOS) Division of the Nicholas
School today.
And there is excitement here! Jeff Karson and his colleagues
have just discovered an entirely new form of mid-ocean hydrothermal
activity, which shows all potential of rewriting what we know
about the mean residence time of the major chemical constituents
of seawater. Susan Lozier’s studies of the warming and freshening
of the North Atlantic, which might be consistent with an accelerated
melting of the Greenland ice pack and Arctic sea ice, aim
to understand changes in its deep circulation. Peter Malin
has a wide network of sensors in place in southern California
to record movements of the Earth’s crust and the next earthquake,
perhaps the “big one.”
Particular enthusiasm surrounds the new program in energy
and environment, spearheaded by Lincoln Pratson. While a generation
of students was trained in petroleum geology at Duke by Ron
Perkins, this new program will focus on the full suite of
future energy options available worldwide —solar, tidal, wind,
geothermal, nuclear and, yes, fossil energy. Rather than recognizing
and adjudicating environmental damage after the exploitation
of an energy source, we want to train the professionals who
understand energy and environment beforehand and who can sit
at the boardroom table in a decision to develop a new energy
source, with the full recognition of the benefits, risks and
costs to environment that it may entail.
Perhaps as critical as energy, future supplies of water may
well determine peaceful relations among the world’s nations
in arid land regions. The Earth and Ocean Sciences Division
has a long history of work in hydrology and sediment transport,
now coupled to new strength in the Pratt School of Engineering
and a revitalized Center for Hydrologic Sciences at Duke.
Geology is alive and well at Duke—evolving to position itself
at the crossroads of the major environmental issues facing
humanity. Our studies of the Earth are informed by the best
modern technology, yet we haven’t forgotten the importance
of field work—the bond around the campfire that keeps a passion
for studies of the earth sciences alive for a lifetime.
William H. Schlesinger is dean of the Nicholas
School and James B. Duke Professor of Biogeochemistry |
