Earth Sciences in the News

The Department of Earth Sciences stands at the forefront of pressing global issues, such as climate change, resource management and environmental protection. Learn more about how our expert faculty and fearless students conduct research that impacts the world around us. 

  • UB researchers study future of soft corals
    2/6/25
    This summer, coral researchers from around the world gathered to share their latest findings at a conference devoted to reef science, conservation and management.
  • UB Ice scientists resuming fieldwork in Greenland after pandemic delays
    2/6/25
    UB researchers, including geologist Jason Briner, will travel to Greenland in late June and early July as part of a project called GreenDrill. Their goal is to gather information that could help them better understand the rise of global sea levels. GreenDrill is funded by the National Science Foundation to study the Greenland Ice Sheet and the bedrock underneath.
  • Antarctica feature named for UB ice scientist
    2/6/25
    A feature of West Antarctica has been named for UB researcher Sophie Nowicki to honor her leadership in helping the world understand the future of sea level rise. An internationally known ice sheet scientist and climate modeler, Nowicki joined UB in 2020 after many years at NASA. She is an Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Geology, College of Arts and Sciences, and a core faculty member in the UB RENEW Institute.
  • As tectonic plates pull apart, what drives formation of rifts?
    2/6/25
    At the boundaries between tectonic plates, narrow rifts can form as Earth’s crust slowly pulls apart. But how, exactly, does this rifting happen? Does pressure from magma rising from belowground force the land apart? Or is a rift just a rip, created mainly by the pulling motion of tectonic plates that are drifting away from each other? A study in the journal Geology explores these questions and sheds new light on how this process works.
  • Upadhyaya, Briner receive Graduate Student Mentoring Award
    2/6/25
    1/13/2022: Shambhu Upadhyaya and Jason Briner are the recipients of the 2021-22 Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award, presented by the Graduate School to recognize UB faculty for their support and development of graduate students through their mentoring activities.