Computational Geosciences
Professor Erasmus Oware, Professor Kristin Poinar, and graduate student Jeremy Stock running geophysics experiments on the Vaughan Lewis Glacier, a part of the Juneau Icefield, Alaska.
The Computational Geosciences group are faculty within the Department of Geology who unite through our use of quantitative analysis techniques. We develop and apply numeric models and perform quantitative data analyses in order to understand complex systems in earth science across multiple research areas, including volcanology, glaciology, earth’s climate, sea-level rise, near-surface hydrology and geophysics, plate tectonics, geodynamics, and geohazards. Our work is largely computing based.
Who We Are
Beata Csatho – Ice sheet mass balance and dynamics, remote sensing of the cryosphere, laser altimetry (LiDAR sensing), geologic controls on ice flow, data fusion.
Margarete Jadamec – Geodynamics, tectonophysics, high performance computing, high-resolution data-driven modeling of natural tectonic plate boundaries
Chris Lowry – Physical hydrogeology and groundwater flow modeling
Sophie Nowicki - Ice sheet modeling, climate change, ice-climate interactions. sea-level change
Kristin Poinar – Glaciology, ice-sheet modeling, glacier hydrology
Elizabeth Thomas - Paleoclimate dynamics; environmental change in the Arctic, Asia, and Western New York; stable isotope and organic geochemistry; proxy system modeling
Greg A. Valentine – Volcanic risk, basaltic volcanic fields, pyroclastic deposits, volcano fluid dynamics, volcaniclastic and surface processes
What We Do
Our research spans all three thematic research groups in the Department of Geology: Climate, Water & the Environment, and Geohazards, Volcanoes & Geodynamics. We maintain research and computer labs in remote sensing, large-scale geodynamics, glaciology, hydrology, geophysics, volcanology, and data visualization. Many of our students and research groups work with the University at Buffalo’s Center for Computational Research (CCR), which hosts and maintains UB's high-perfomance computing resources.
We run a number of research labs on campus:
- Glacier Modeling Lab https://ubwp.buffalo.edu/glaciermodelinglab/
- Remote Sensing Lab http://rsl.geology.buffalo.edu/
- Ice Sheet and Sea Level Lab visit faculty website https://www.sophienowicki.org
- Geodynamics and Visualization Lab http://geovizlab.geology.buffalo.edu/
- Physical Hydrogeology Lab http://www.glyfac.buffalo.edu/Faculty/cslowry/Lowry_Research_Page/wordpress/
- Environmental Geophysics Lab http://ubwp.buffalo.edu/environmental-geophysics
- Computational Volcanology Lab Visit faculty websites Greg Valentine and Mattia de'Michieli Vitturi
- Organic and Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Lab http://www.glyfac.buffalo.edu/Faculty/ekthomas/instruments/instruments.html
This semester, Margarete Jadamec is coordinating a weekly Numerical Simulation seminar (GLY 600) in cooperation with faculty in the Computer Science and Engineering and the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering departments.