Geography

Alum Leads Study Mapping Yellowstone’s Plumbing

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Alum Leads Study Mapping Yellowstone’s Plumbing Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/07/2022 - 00:00

Alexx McMillan

Carol Finn (MGeol’82; PhDGeoPhys’88) and her team of researchers are the first to use electromagnetic sensors to map the hydrothermal network — the plumbing — under Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Finn, lead author of the study’s paper published in Nature, is a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver who specializes in geothermal mapping and natural hazard assessment.

What was best about your time at CU?

My fellow graduate students. There was tremendous camaraderie, and I am still friends with many of them. My advisors also gave me a lot of freedom to pursue my research in geophysics. Plus, what’s not to love about campus?

What inspired your interest in geophysics and natural hazards?

Geophysicists use remote means to look inside the earth, similar to doctors who use X-rays, MRIs and CTs to scan the body. I love being able to reveal hidden knowledge. My first projects were using geophysical data to look for hot rock under volcanoes in the Cascade Range. This is where my interest in volcanoes started. My later work in the Cascades and Alaska in-volved looking for buried hydrothermally weakened rock on the volcanoes that might source very large landslides. Being able to contribute to the understanding of these hazards is very gratifying because the knowledge helps local communities develop mitigation strategies to save lives in case of a landslide.

What is especially interesting or important about Yellowstone?

Everything! Most people who visit Yellowstone are awed by the beauty and seeming magic of the geysers, hot pots and other thermal features. Yellowstone contains the largest number of thermal features in the world and provides an analog for geysers on other planets.

What is your data collection process?

A helicopter flies with an 80-foot-diameter loop of wire dangling above the ground. The loop sends downward repeated electromagnetic signals that create currents in electrically conductive bodies in the subsurface. The signal of these currents is sensed by the wire loop. The technique is effective in environments like Yellowstone because cold water, hot fluids and clays resulting from hot fluids passing through them conduct electricity, whereas dry volcanic rocks do not.

What are the potential applications of your findings?

Despite decades of studies, the plumbing system that links legendary surface features to deep thermal fluids beneath YNP was previously unknown. It’s important to understand how it works because there’s a lot of geological activity underneath Yellowstone. Understanding the connectivity of the plumbing system in YNP is also useful to determine whether geothermal energy extraction outside of the park might influence hydrothermal activity in the park.

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Photos courtesy Carol Finn

Carol Finn and her team of researchers are the first to use electromagnetic sensors to map the hydrothermal network — the plumbing — under Yellowstone National Park.

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Mapping Afghanistan

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 14:03:00 +0000

Mapping Afghanistan Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/01/2020 - 08:03

Steven Boyd Saum

Put rural communities on the map and you might literally be building roads to prosperity. For Walker Kosmidou-Bradley, that’s the plan.

Here’s a story Walker Kosmidou-Bradley (IntlAf’09) tells about his early life with maps: On a Boy Scout backpacking expedition up a slot canyon in southern Utah, when he was about 17, he and the hikers he was leading plotted their course along a river using U.S. Geographical Survey quads — navigating terrain and choosing where they would make camp. When they set off, they discovered a problem: The geography no longer matched the maps.

“The river was no longer on the far side of the canyon,” Kosmidou-Bradley said. “So our proposed campsites were underwater.”

It was an important reminder from nature: The courses of rivers can change. One intense flood can rewrite geography. So you readjust to the realities on the ground. And perhaps one day help correct the maps.

A Country's Future

As a geographer working with the World Bank as part of the South Asia and Middle East/North Africa poverty team, Kosmidou-Bradley has found himself not just correcting maps but frequently filling in the blank spots that still exist.

Much of his work the past three years has been focused on Afghanistan. He leads teams to build maps with accurate and complex layers of data that can have a profound effect on the livelihood of people: helping set priorities for humanitarian aid and infrastructure development, ensuring that communities have access to health care, clean water, schools and a market for their crops — and perhaps tipping the scales to take them from extreme poverty into a more prosperous and hopeful future.

For a country that has faced conflict for decades, that matters profoundly: Where are the roads — and are they paved or gravel or bare earth? Where are the hospitals and schools — and how long does it really take to get there from each village? Where are the electrical lines? And where do they need to be, in terms of where people really live?

“There were villages that were not on the map,” Kosmidou-Bradley said. “Now they’re on the map.”

That matters because in rural areas where the overall population density might be thin, people actually are clustered in a few areas. If there’s funding to build 20 wells in a district, for instance, that helps inform where the wells should be.

This type of mapping makes use of geospatial data, which is tremendously useful if it’s accurate and current — and publicly available. In the developing world, often none of those conditions are true. So Kosmidou-Bradley and others set out to change that in Afghanistan, with data contributions made by scores of contributors in Afghanistan and Washington, D.C., alike. They apply data gleaned from satellite imagery as well as crowdsourced data input on low-cost smartphones out in the field. Teams of contributors trained in the mapping protocols and software tag features. They apply data from — and for — infrastructure projects and agriculture, education and healthcare.

“It’s not just a single data source, but it’s many different data types coming together,” he said. “That is where the real power comes in.”

Focusing on Afghanistan, Kosmidou-Bradley has hosted “mapathons” in both Kabul and at the World Bank Building back home, enlisting work by government ministry officials, students and professors. Following a multi-day workshop introducing participants to a graphic information system (GIS), 25 people took part in the biggest mapathon in Kabul. Back in D.C., some 40 took part.

During winter, when roads aren’t under construction in Afghanistan, they have also tapped field surveyors and construction engineers to enter data on what they built.

Stateside, Johanna Belanger was one of the collaborators on a project map - ping road data in the province of Ghor, in northwestern Afghanistan. She was a student in Washington, D.C., at the time; the project offered a powerful lesson in how poverty and development are inextricably tied to geography. She’s now a consultant to the World Bank.

“...perhaps I can in fact make a difference in the world, one edit at a time.”

With all those efforts, the work is not just about the resulting map; it nurtures a community of people who have the skills and commitment to continue the work and, in turn, to train others.

The true value of the maps is that the data isn’t locked on a computer belonging to the World Bank or a government ministry. Instead, the open-source platform they use for mapping the data, OpenStreetMap, allows for the created data to be available to the world in minutes. And, as consultant Belanger said, working on this platform “gives me a sense of global citizenship and the feeling that perhaps I can in fact make a difference in the world, one edit at a time.”

Lessons from the Map Library

It was in ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s map library that Kosmidou-Bradley learned to read geography and history as charted on paper. Other lessons he learned: Everything happens somewhere. That and, he said, “Humans are inherently visual creatures. We process information visually at a shockingly fast rate. Humans are also inherently spatial. When people think of maps, they often think of just normal geography, but it can include everything.”

He took that knowledge to work for the Department of Defense in 2010 and learned to navigate digital mapping environs. (And in moving from Colorado to Washington, D.C., he learned the lesson that you don’t map work-to-home in terms of geographical distance but time — especially during rush hour.)

At the World Bank, which he joined in 2016, he learned the value of a holistic approach: Where the agriculture team in Afghanistan has identified a project could have great impact, partner that with the transport team to ensure better roads to market and that amplifies the value of both projects. Or by logging where certain diseases are showing up, you might see that by pairing that with information on water and sanitation, the answer to better health for the community might not be simply more doctors — but more wells.

Kosmidou-Bradley has hosted “mapathons” in Kabul and at the World Bank Building in Washington, D.C., enlisting work by government ministry officials, students and professors.

The community working with the data needs to be broad-based, too.

“When people say geospatial data, geospatial analysis or just geography, that is a huge field,” Kosmidou-Bradley said. “No single person knows all of it.”

But by training a range of team members, he hopes to build a sustainable skills pipeline.

“Some people will go into government, some people go into the private sector,” he said, which in turn could foster entrepreneurship.

And if all goes well, he works his way out of a job.

Though, of course, OpenStreetMap isn’t only for the workday. It takes the Wikipedia ethos but identifies a username with each data point that gets added — which ensures accountability. Kosmidou-Bradley has used the platform around the world — from Greece, where his wife is from, to roads north of Winter Park, Colorado, where they held their wedding. In the mountains, he said, “I realized that some of the roads in OpenStreetMap up there were not entirely correct. So I went through and corrected those.”

Suit and Pack

On a Tuesday afternoon in March when we met at the World Bank Building in Washington, D.C., Kosmidou-Bradley wore a gray suit and a red-and-silver tie. He is trim and fit with brown hair and blue-gray eyes. It just so happened that a few days before, the United States had signed a peace agreement with the Taliban, a remarkable milestone in the history of Afghanistan. As for what that will mean for his work, Kosmidou-Bradley won’t speculate — so much can change week-to-week — though he’s seen firsthand the cost of conflict in the country.

Through the mapping of Afghanistan, he has also come to know the settlements and castles along the ancient Silk Road in the north. He was stunned to discover city fortifications that ran for 10 or 15 kilometers at a stretch. Having professors and students map these parts of the country’s heritage also matters to organizations like UNESCO: what is there and what should be protected.

“Now that I’ve seen some of these castles, I’m going to go visit them,” Kosmidou-Bradley said brightly.

Years ago, before going to work for the World Bank, he backpacked through Pakistan. And through his work in Afghanistan he’s seen landscapes that spark his desire to explore terrain that’s entirely new — yet hit close to home.

“When I was a Boy Scout leader we spent a lot of time in southern Utah doing slot canyons,” he said. And in Afghanistan, he said, “I see a lot of slot canyons.”

Photos courtesy Walker Kosmidou-Bradley

Put rural communities on the map and you might literally be building roads to prosperity. For Walker Kosmidou-Bradley, that’s the plan.

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The Carpetbaggers of Kabul and Other American-Afghan Entanglements

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 22:29:46 +0000

The Carpetbaggers of Kabul and Other American-Afghan Entanglements Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/28/2017 - 16:29

The Carpetbaggers of Kabul and Other American-Afghan Entanglements Intimate Development, Geopolitics, and the Currency of Gender and Grief (2017, University of Georgia Press) By Jennifer Fluri, professor of geography

By Jennifer Fluri

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A Legend Grows

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:00:00 +0000

A Legend Grows Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/01/2010 - 00:00

Emery Cowan

Richard Stevens (MGeog’58)

The knotted, age-worn fingers calculate $1.60 in their familiar dance across calculator keys and handwritten spreadsheets. Richard Stevens (MGeog’58) tenderly picks six tomatoes off the scale and hands them to the waiting customer.

The methodical exchange is one the 79-year-old farmer has patiently and happily performed for more than three decades. He has been selling at the Boulder County Farmers Market since it began in 1986 and still runs a stand sporadically with the help of his wife Betty from April through November.

Richard has become a legend at the market not only for his produce, which customers claim is infinitely more flavorful than the rest, but also for the authenticity of the experience that he unconsciously creates when selling it. His meticulous record keeping is captivating in its simplicity, while his bounty of carefully collected knowledge about produce, storage techniques and agricultural history seems never ending.

His path to agriculture is one that began in academia and continued around the world. After earning a doctorate in geography at the University of Kansas in 1961, Richard was recruited by CU to develop the geography department at the Denver campus. He remained a professor at the campus until 1996 but took several hiatuses, including a yearlong trip to Lesotho on a Fulbright scholarship to study local agricultural practices.

He also served four times with the Semester at Sea program, teaching college students about the agricultural practices of the different cultures they visited.

Meanwhile, the couple started a garden at their Boulder home as an academic experiment to see if they could reproduce the techniques they witnessed abroad. Through the endeavor, they discovered a passion for farming and decided to buy 10 acres of land outside the city. Using Richard’s grandfather’s simple methods — compost, manure, crop rotation and attention to soil quality — they have created a produce paradise that churns out enough crops to pay all of the bills and allows Richard and Betty to avoid all but occasional trips to the grocery store.

As the couple prepares to gradually retire from the farmers market, Richard preaches a beautifully humble and inspiring view of his profession.

“Anybody with an acre of land to plant can do this,” he says. “It keeps your mind active, your body active and you get good food out of it.”

Richard was recruited by CU to develop the geography department at the Denver campus.

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Pakistan, Personally

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Pakistan, Personally Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/01/2010 - 00:00

Assistant Professor Najeeb-Jan -photo by Glenn Asakawa

Assistant professor Najeeb Jan of geography moved from the United Kingdom to Pakistan as a teenager, creating experiences that play out today in his classes from “Human and Political Geography” to “Political Islam.” Coloradan student writer Alex Bak met with him to discuss his childhood, the future of Pakistan and the war on terror.

How did spending your teen years in Pakistan influence you?

I had a great time in high school in Pakistan — those years (1981-87) were my most fond and memorable. While I was in Pakistan I was exposed to, very interestingly, television and drama. I started an acting career, playing a young Afghan refugee in a TV drama that was the official entry for Pakistan at the Cannes Film Festival. That experience got me interested in the fates of children who were real refugees. That lingered and opened up questions about politics and issues of social justice.

How is life in Pakistan different from what some would expect?

I think most people probably have no concept of what life in Pakistan is like. If they are curious, it is increasingly in the framework of the war on terror. There are aspects of living [in Karachi] that are very similar to any cosmopolitan city. Most people in my high school spoke English, for instance. What surprises people is I played everything from basketball to soccer, went to parties, raced my car in the streets — it’s not remarkably different. Karachi is very modern.

Where is the country headed?

Pakistan is an extraordinarily complex place. It has a democratic underbelly, which unfortunately has been suppressed. It is developing a strong civil society base and has tremendous economic potential. There’s a vibrant, committed and concerned group of young people. Most people want to be part of the global world. The key for Pakistan is to make long-term peace with India. Without that, the problem of extremism will continue to fester.

What are your thoughts on the conflict in Afghanistan and its impact on Pakistan?

The conflict in Afghanistan has a direct bearing on Pakistan. Pakistan bears one of the highest civilian casualties in the war on terror. The fates of the two countries are bound up on some level. It’s difficult because one does not want the Taliban to gain more influence. However, policies of violence may only promote the rise of groups like the Taliban. The key issue is not simply going in and taking them out but also thinking how best to contain this problem. It’s like having a bad kidney. Going in with a knife and cutting it out may seem like the right thing to do, but if you go in the wrong way and cut incorrectly you may kill the patient.

How does your background influence the way you raise your two children?

Anyone who’s taken my class knows one of my deepest enemies is identity. I think we get locked into categories that are often imposed upon us. My aim for my children is for them to think critically about who they are as human beings instead of saying, “We are from this culture and this is what we do.”

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