Research Areas in Earth and Environmental Sciences
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Our faculty and students pursue innovative research on fundamental topics and questions in the Earth and environmental sciences, spanning deep geological timescales to human timescales. Our research programs are well-funded; projects are supported by ample laboratory facilities and instrumentation, including computational infrastructure, and they are topically and geographically diverse. Current projects are underway in many parts of the U.S., Asia, South America and Antarctica, and include field, laboratory, analytical and modeling components. Most of our research projects involve collaborations with scientists worldwide as well as here at Vanderbilt. Students have accesss to top researchers in many fields as well as outstanding research facilities. Descriptions of faculty research projects are provided in our recruiting brochure. In addition to the areas listed below, our graduate program in Environmental Science includes interdisciplinary topics that effectively mesh pure and applied science.
Transport Phenomena
Fluid processes and material transport at Earth's surface and within its crust and upper mantle (Ayers, Furbish, C. Miller)
Physical and chemical transport on hillslopes, in rivers and in coastal zones, and coupled biological processes (Furbish, Goodbred, M. Miller, Savage)
Magma transport and emplacement (C. Miller, Furbish)
Sediment dynamics in fluvial, lacustrine, coastal and marine settings (Goodbred, Furbish)
Development of depositional systems and linkages among source-to-sink components (Goodbred, Furbish)
Effects of biological activity and physical-biological coupling (M. Miller, Moore)
Paleoecology and Paleoenvironments
Evolution of high-latitude ecosystems (M. Miller)
Geologic history of burrowing and burrowing animals (M. Miller)
Quaternary climate variability and environmental change (Goodbred)
Magmatic Processes and Crustal Evolution
Magma chamber dynamics and architecture (C. Miller, Furbish)
Origins of magmas (C. Miller)
Silicic magmatism, mineral zoning (G. Gualda, C. Miller)
Origin and tectonic redistribution of continental crust, including ultra-high pressure metamorphic belts (Ayers, C. Miller, Bream)
Geochemical Processes
Accessory minerals as geochronometers (Ayers, Bream)
Trace element partitioning and mobility (Ayers, Savage)
Effects of impurities in sulfide and sulfate minerals (Savage)
Crystal growth and decomposition kinetics (Savage, Ayers)
Environmental Policy and Issues
Environmental risk policy and assessment of resources (Clarke, Gilligan)
Role of uncertainty in development of environmental policy (Gilligan, Clarke)
Environmental quality and remediation of contaminants (Savage, Kosson, Clarke)
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Research
