GeoSpectrum

The U.S. Geological Survey has announced the start of the annual Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellowship competition. One of this year’s Fellowship opportunities again focuses on the interaction of gas hydrates and climate, with a particular emphasis on studies related to onshore and shallow offshore permafrost gas hydrates

Applicants must be within 5 years of completing a Ph.D. in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, microbiology, or a related field and have a broad enough understanding of chemistry, physics, and biology to contribute to multidisciplinary projects. Applications are due on November 9, 2009 for fellowships starting on or after October 1, 2010.

The duty station for this fellowship will be Woods Hole, Massachusetts, with C. Ruppel and J. Pohlman as designated research advisors within the USGS Gas Hydrates Project. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to collect new data during field campaigns on the Alaskan North Slope or the shallow Beaufort Shelf.

The next presentation in the U.S. Geological Survey’s public monthly lecture series, “Climate Change 101″ given by Dr. Tom Armstrong, will be held on Wednesday August 5, 2009 at 7:00 PM at the Dallas L. Peck Memorial Auditorium at the USGS Headquarters.

Climate change is an issue of increasing public concern because of its potential effects on land, water, and biological resources. In the next several years, the United States will be challenged to make management and policy decisions as well as develop adaptation and mitigation strategies that will require anticipating the effects of a changing climate and its impacts on humans and ecosystems. The USGS has a well-regarded history in studying these potential effects and understanding climate change science.

For more information on this topic, visit the USGS Office of Global Change.

For more information on the monthly lecture series, visit the USGS website at http://www.usgs.gov/public_lecture_series/.