About
EPSP Connects is a monthly seminar series that alternates between EPSP-related science talks and professional development panels. All events are held virtually via either Zoom, are open to all and free, and are typically held on the second or third Wednesday of the month. While we've launched EPSP Connects during the Covid 19 pandemic, we intend to continue these seminars on a monthly basis into whatever new normal emerges.
Each event requires advanced registration so we can provide a secure online environment for talks. Select science talks and panels will be made available online at the discretion of the presenters. The AGU Meeting Code of Conduct applies to this virtual meeting space . There will be zero tolerance for violations of this code. Violations will result in immediate ejection from the seminar, a filed report with AGU, and a ban from all future EPSP Connects events.
Upcoming Seminars
(All seminars at 08:00 San Francisco, 11:00 New York, 17:00 Berlin, 23:00 Beijing. In the event of confusion, Pacific Standard/Daylight Time holds, check your local time relative to PST/PDT here)
April 17, 2024
Join us for two science talks focused on use on InSAR to investigate surface processes from Matthew Morriss (Utah Geologic Survey) and Joanmarie Del Vecchio (William and Mary)
08:00 San Francisco, 11:00 New York, 17:00 Berlin, 23:00 Beijing
Register Here
Matthew Morriss: Alpine hillslope failure in the western US: insights from the Chaos Canyon landslide, Rocky Mountain National Park, USA
Abstract: The Chaos Canyon landslide, which collapsed on the afternoon of 28 June 2022 in Rocky Mountain National Park, presents an opportunity to evaluate instabilities within alpine regions faced with a warming and dynamic climate. Video documentation of the landslide was captured by several eyewitnesses and motivated a rapid field campaign. Initial estimates put the failure area at 66 630 m^2, with an average elevation of 3555 m above sea level. We undertook an investigation of previous movement of this landslide, measured the volume of material involved, evaluated the potential presence of interstitial ice and snow within the failed deposit, and examined potential climatological impacts on the collapse of the slope. Satellite radar and optical measurements were used to calculate deformation of the landslide in the 5 years leading up to collapse. From 2017 to 2019, the landslide moved ∼5 m yr^−1, accelerating to 17 m yr^−1 in 2019. Movement took place through both internal deformation and basal sliding. Climate analysis reveals that the collapse took place during peak snowmelt, and 2022 followed 10 years of higher than average positive degree day sums. We posit that a combination of permafrost thaw from increasing average temperatures, progressive weakening of the basal shear zone from several years of movement, and an increase in pore-fluid pressure from snowmelt led to the 28 June collapse. Material volumes were estimated using structure from motion (SfM) models incorporating photographs from two field expeditions on 8 July 2022 – 10 days after the slide. Detailed mapping and SfM models indicate that ∼1 258 000 ± 150 000 m^3 of material was deposited at the slide toe and ∼1 340 000 ± 133 000 m^3 of material was evacuated from the source area. The Chaos Canyon landslide may be representative of future dynamic alpine topography, wherein slope failures become more common in a warming climate.
Joanmarie Del Vecchio: Satellites reveal dynamics of changing permafrost landscapes
Abstract: In this presentation, we explore the complexities of Arctic landscape changes accelerated by climate shifts using InSAR and newly available Arctic topographic data. Our focus lies on landscapes underlain by discontinuous permafrost in Alaska's Seward Peninsula, which has experienced rapid topographic change in the past decade. By combining high-resolution topographic data with satellite observations, we learn of the climate drivers of seasonal displacement, and we find that significant surface displacements occur at transition zones between hillslopes and channels, marked by diffuse drainage networks known as water tracks. These insights emphasize the importance of refined methodologies and a deeper understanding of the impacts of climate change on Arctic landscapes. New satellite-derived data products will be key to understanding Arctic landscape form and dynamics in the face of climate change
May 22, 2024
Join us for a science talk from Jon Major (USGS)
Volcanic processes and geomorphic effects—exceptional and sometimes long-lasting landscape and societal impacts
08:00 San Francisco, 11:00 New York, 17:00 Berlin, 23:00 Beijing
Registration Coming Soon
Abstract: Explosive volcanic eruptions can directly trigger large debris avalanches, pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), lahars (volcanic debris flows) and tephra fall. These volcanic processes can fundamentally alter the hydrogeomorphic functioning of landscapes by damaging vegetation, paving hillsides with low-permeability ash, and depositing thick fill in river valleys. Such landscape disturbances can lead to secondary hazards like flooding or lahars due to enhanced runoff, exceptional fluvial sediment transport, and channel avulsions. Thick valley fills can block tributary channels and form new lakes that can breach and form catastrophic floods or lahars. Cascading hazards caused by eruptions occur over many timescales. Some, such as river avulsion caused by rapid channel aggradation, can occur within hours to days. Others, such as floods from breached lakes formed by tributary blockages, can occur months to years after eruptive disturbance. And some, such as abnormal sediment delivery to distal channel reaches which can exacerbate flood hazards that must be persistently mitigated, may linger for decades to possibly centuries. This presentation provides a broad overview of volcanic processes, geomorphic responses, and looks toward ways the scientific community might help communities at risk improve mitigate effects of eruption and improve resiliency
Past Events and Additional Webinars
March 2024: A science talk from Anastasia Piliouras (Penn State University) titled "Unique characteristics of high-latitude deltas as coastal conduits for land-ocean fluxes"
February 2024: A science talk from Zi Wu (Tsinghua University) titled "Transport of active and passive particles across scales"
October 2023: A science talk from Evan Dethier (Occidental College) titled "The global footprint of a 21st century mining boom in rivers: changes to landscapes and rivers across the topics"
September 2023: A science talk from Chenge An (Tsinghua University) titled "Foreland river degradation after a massive earthquake: effects of weirs, sediment supply and sediment mining"
May 2023: A science talk from Amy East (USGS) on Fluvial response to a major lava-dam collapse: the Rio Coca disaster, Ecuador.
April 2023: Science talks from Corina Cerovski-Darriau (USGS/USAID) on Unexpected post-fire soil response in Northern California and Clarke Knight (USGS)on Historical role of fire in the Klamath Mountains, California.
March 2023: Science talks from Jason Stoker (USGS) and Chelsea Scott (Arizona State University)
on Accessing 3D Elevation Program Data: Did you know? and Lidar topographic differencing applied to Indiana
February 2023: The geomorphology of wetlands in drylands: whither science and management in an Anthropocene?
A science talk from Stephen Tooth (Aberystwyth University)
November 2022: The geomorphic context of litter in urban streams
A science talk from Anne Jefferson (Kent State University)
October 2022: Lobate soil patterns on Earth and Mars: Finding the Secret Recipe
A science talk from Rachel Glade (University of Rochester)
September 2022: From Grains to Landscapes: Reconstructing Martian Environments at Multiple Scales
A science talk from Frances Rivera-Hernandez (Georgia Tech)
June 2022: The highs and lows of urban streamflow change
A science talk from Kristina Hopkins (USGS)
May 2022: Incorporating watershed storage, hydrologic connectivity, and the natural flow regime into water resource management
A science talk from Nathan Jones (University of Alabama)
April 2022: An exploration of the bio-geological linkages that enable or limit reef-island resiliency to climate change.
A science talk from Haunani Kane (Arizona State University)
February 2022: Islands in the rain: Isolating the influence of rainfall on erosion on volcanic ocean islands
A science talk from Kim Huppert (GFZ Potsdam)
January 2022: Rocks in the river: creating terraces and gorges with sediment
A science talk from Sarah Schanz (Colorado College)
November 2021: Landscapes on the fringe: From volcanoes to rocky coasts
A science talk from Kristin Sweeney (University of Portland)
September 2021:
A science talk from Robert Mahon (University of New Orleans)
August 2021: The Martian Chronicles: There will come a Gale
A science talk from Marisa Palucis (Dartmouth College)
June 2021
A panel discussion on opportunities outside academia with panelists Kealie Pretzlav (Balance Hydrologics), Laura Zinke (Nature Reviews Earth & Environment), Robert Emberson(NASA Landslides Team), Shawn Chartrand(Simon Fraser University).
May 2021
Special Townhall on Surface process applications of environmental seismology and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) with panelists Ge Jin (Colorado School of Mines), Michaela Wenner (ETH Zürich), Marine Denolle (University of Washington), and Eileen Martin (Virginia Tech). Moderated by Danica Roth (Colorado School of Mines) and Claire Masteller (Washington University in St Louis).
April 2021
A panel discussion on building a supportive research community with panel members Julia Cisneros & Jorge San Juan Blanco (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Geo-Hydro Discussion Group), Katherine (Katy) Barnhart (Landlab / Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS) / USGS), Rachel Maxwell (UCSC GEODES)
Read the related blog post How we successfully created a supportive graduate research community across multiple university entities by Julia Cisneros and Jorge San Juan
March 2021: Icy Landscapes Heating Up
A science talk from Irina Overeem (University of Colorado Boulder)
February 2021
A panel discussion on science communication with Becca Dzombak (GSA's Science Communication Fellow and University of Michigan), Amy East (Editor-in-chief, JGR Earth Surface and USGS), Katherine Kornei (Science Journalist), Charlie Shobe (Geobites Editor and West Virginia University)
January 2021: Throwing rocks down hills: wildfire, surface roughness and steepland sediment transport
A science talk from Danica Roth (Colorado School of Mines)
November 2020: Demographics of Dam Removals
A science talk from Josh Galster (Montclair State University)
October 2020: The intersection of geomorphology and environmental justice
A Q&A panel discussion featuring José Constantine (Williams College), Rebecca Lave (Indiana University-Bloomington), and Sacoby Wilson (University of Maryland).
(note: We plan to post a list of compiled resources related to environmental justice the week of October 19)
September 2020: Complex system response to external forcing in bedrock river networks
A science talk from Helen Beeson (ETH Zürich)
September 2020 (Special Virtual Townhall): A Community Discussion of Typical Wildfire Effects on Earth Surface Processes, Featuring panelists: Stephanie Kampf (Colorado State University), Luke McGuire (University of Arizona), Jennifer Pierce (Boise State University), Gary Sheridan (University of Melbourne), and moderated by Francis Rengers (USGS)
August 2020: Productive work habits (summary of the discussion coming soon!)
A discussion of best practices for balancing academic productivity and mental health with panelists Jean Braun (GFZ-Potsdam), Anjali Fernandes (Denison), Doug Jerolmack (Penn), and Frances Rivera-Hernandez (Dartmouth/Georgia Tech).
July 2020: Sea level, sediment, and soil chemical weathering: Transient behavior at source and sink
A science talk from Ken Ferrier (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
June 2020: Navigating Postdocs (click here for a summary of the discussion)
A discussion on best practices for applying to and getting the most out of postdocs, featuring panelists Corina Cerovski-Darriau (USGS), Noah Finnegan (UC Santa Cruz), Raleigh Martin (American Geosciences Institute), and Duna Roda-Boluda (GFZ-Potsdam)
The AGU Hydrology Section Study Subcommittee has an excellent series of applying for academic jobs.
GSA also has a webinar series on Career Development.