With the global population surpassing 7.6 billion people in 2018, the impacts of human activities on the environment are noticeable almost everywhere on our planet. The consequences of these impacts are still elusive, particularly when trying to quantify them at larger scales. It is essential to trace environmental changes from a local to global scale over several decades.
The mechanics and physical properties of rock in near-surface (~100 m) environments play a pivotal role in regulating surface processes (e.g. weathering and subsequent erosion). To date, however, the vast majority of studies directed toward assessing the role of rock mechanics in regulating surface processes have focused on external loading processes and/or critical material strength (i.e. compressive strength, tensile strength).
All the magnetized planets in our solar system, including Earth, produce bright emission at low radio frequencies, predominantly originating in high magnetic latitudes and powered by magnetospheric currents.
I will summarize our current understanding of the processes that govern the formation and co-evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes (SMBH). I will pose several of the most fundamental shortcomings of our current models and then examine how they may be addressed by the effects of the feedback provided by energy and momentum supplied by massive stars and actively growing SMBH.
Art and Illustration play an important role in the world of aerospace engineering design and development. Envisioning what advanced air and spacecraft concepts might look like facilitates the systems engineering process. Visually communicating such ideas also enhances public awareness, understanding and engagement, and inspires future generations.
How fast can ice sheets disintegrate? When do induced earthquakes pose unacceptable risk? Why do volcanoes erupt? And how can we limit the destructive reach of tsunamis? The common denominator of what at first glance might seem like disparate systems is multiphase flow. The dynamic interactions between multiple solid and fluid phases − such as ice and meltwater, rock and wastewater, magmatic mush and gas, sediment and water − give rise to drastic nonlinearities that govern abrupt change.
We now know of over 3,700 exoplanets; an explosion in growth since the 1990s that shows no sign of abating. 96% of these new worlds have been discovered by either the radial velocity technique (that measures the doppler wobble of the star as it orbits with the planet) or the transit technique (the dip in brightness as the exoplanet crosses the line-of-sight between the star and Earth).
Earth’s mantle connects the surface with the deep interior through convection, and the evolution of its redox state will affect the distribution of siderophile elements, recycling of refractory isotopes, and the oxidation state of the atmosphere through volcanic outgassing. While the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere, i.e., the Great Oxidation Event occurred ~2.4 billion years ago, multiple lines of evidence point to oxygen production in the atmosphere well before then.
The rock slabs on display in the lobby of Physical Sciences Building F-Wing on the Tempe campus are examples of the following rock types. They are shown here in the same east-to-west order as in the display.
