Diatoms: these microscopic, unicellular algae may be small, but their silica remains hold long histories of past ecosystems. They’re helping a team of researchers led by Sherri R. Cooper of the Duke University Wetland Center assemble a history of North Carolina’s estuaries. An increasing human population has made its mark on the Pamlico and Neuse river estuaries, and the history of changing estuarine water quality is recorded in their sediments. Cooper’s team is taking sediment cores from these estuaries and studying diatom fossils and other chemical and biological elements of the cores (such as organic carbon or sulfur content or number of pollen grains). They hope  the estuarine histories these deposits reveal can help the state manage its coastal lands and waters. Cooper provides a detailed account of her work, and of what the team has found so far, in the May 1999 Geotimes.

Scanning electron micrograph of the diatom Cyclotella stelligera. From the Indiana University Biology Deptartment's Diatom Home Page.

Petroleum Data Helps Illinois Geologists

While Cooper is digging in the bottoms of estuaries, geologists studying the Illinois Basin are looking even deeper into Earth without collecting any data. Researchers with the Illinois State Geological Survey are making new discoveries about the area’s geology — not by acquiring new data, but by taking a new look at old data: a large collection of logged wells and seismic profiles recently released by the petroleum industry. Petroleum companies send sound waves through Earth to determine if an area contains resources. The data they collect are also useful to geologists who want to understand the structure of Earth’s depths.

Geologist know little about the depths of the Illinois Basin; but, historically, southern Illinois and surrounding states have experienced moderate-magnitude temblors and some of the century’s largest central midcontinent earthquakes. In the May 1999 Geotimes, John H. McBride describes the secrets the petroleum industry’s data have helped his team discover.

Bridging the Gap Between Universities and the Public

Educating today’s students and the public about earth science is a growing challenge. In the latest Geotimes, two Ph.D. candidates at Michigan Technological University — William S. Houston and Colleen M. Riley — describe how they reach out to and educate the community outside of their university. A challenge in educating the public is bridging the gap between universities and public schools. They suggest strategies for tapping university resources and for motivating professors and students to collaborate with their local schools and communities. “To build a greater public appreciation for the earth sciences, geoscientists must become more active communicators,” they write.

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