An ancient bout of global warming 56 million years ago that acidified oceans and wiped-out marine life had a milder effect in the Gulf of Mexico, where life was sheltered by the basin’s unique geology – according to research by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG). Published in the journal Marine and Petroleum… Continue Reading Research Shows How Gulf of Mexico Escaped Ancient Mass Extinction
Newly Discovered Lake May Hold Secret to Antarctic Ice Sheet’s Rise and Fall
Scientists investigating the underside of the world’s largest ice sheet in East Antarctica have discovered a city-size lake whose sediments might contain a history of the ice sheet since its earliest beginnings. That would answer questions about what Antarctica was like before it froze, how climate change has affected it over its history, and how… Continue Reading Newly Discovered Lake May Hold Secret to Antarctic Ice Sheet’s Rise and Fall
Climate Change Could Reawaken Indian Ocean El Niño
Global warming is approaching a tipping point that during this century could reawaken an ancient climate pattern similar to El Niño in the Indian Ocean, new research led by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin has found. If it comes to pass, floods, storms and drought are likely to worsen and become more… Continue Reading Climate Change Could Reawaken Indian Ocean El Niño
Alumni Stories: Brooke Kopecky, Environmental Geologist
By Arianne Snyder Brooke Kopecky is an environmental geologist currently working at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). She has a degree in geological sciences from the Jackson School and from 2017 to 2019, worked as a student research assistant in UTIG’s climate group. At TCEQ, she works in a project manager role, helping… Continue Reading Alumni Stories: Brooke Kopecky, Environmental Geologist
El Niño, La Niña Rising
These seasonal climate patterns are responsible for far-reaching and damaging weather events that affect the entire world. The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics is leading the way to understand how global climate change could be affecting them. By Constantino Panagopulos Allison Lawman is in The University of Texas at Austin paleoclimate archive, laying out… Continue Reading El Niño, La Niña Rising