UMass Amherst Dept. of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences

10/09/2026

Heading to GSA Connects in Denver this weekend and next week? Come see our many department members and recent alums give presentations about the latest in their research: https://www.umass.edu/earth-geography-climate/news/egcs-gsa-connects

10/08/2026

Join us on Friday at 12:20pm for a guest lecture by Dr. Catherine Beck (Hamilton College) on Reconstructing dynamic paleoenvironments in eastern Africa. In person in ILC S140 or on Zoom: https://www.umass.edu/earth-geography-climate/events/reconstructing-dynamic-paleoenvironments-eastern-africa-guest-lecture-dr-catherine-beck

10/05/2026

Isaac Larsen, an associate professor in the UMass Amherst Dept. of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, is a lead author of a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) entitled “Status of the World's Soil Resources 2026.”

Drawing on recent scientific literature and contributions from hundreds of experts around the world, its findings identify erosion as one of the most serious threats facing soils globally.

“The report demonstrates that there has been substantial growth in the science underpinning sustainable soil management practices, but at the same time, it concludes that most of the world’s soils are being managed in ways that are unsustainable. I hope the report draws attention to the disparity between what we know and what we do, and enables policy makers to better incentivize farming practices that conserve and regenerate soil.”

Learn more: https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/news/egcs-isaac-larsen-un-soil-resources-report

09/24/2026

Join us this Friday at 12:20pm for the annual Bromery Lecture by alum Dr. Benjamin Keisling (UT Austin) titled Archival, Urgent, Imaginary: Unearthing the Legacy of Geosciences at UMass Amherst. In person and on Zoom: https://www.umass.edu/earth-geography-climate/events/archival-urgent-imaginary-unearthing-legacy-geosciences-umass-amherst-guest-lecture-dr-benjamin-keisling-dr-rachel-bernard-ut-austin-and-amherst-college

09/17/2026

Who gets to define the beginning and end of a geologic age? Numerous news outlets recently considered this question when Distinguished Professor Raymond Bradley of the UMass Amherst Dept. of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences challenged the scientific basis for the Meghalayan Age, the youngest subdivision of the Holocene epoch, which was ratified by the International Commission on Stratigraphy—housed within the International Union of Geological Sciences—in 2018.

Bradley argues that the evidence used to establish the Meghalayan's 4,200-year boundary is insufficient to demonstrate a globally significant climatic event, and he has called for the classification to be reconsidered.

In a recent paper, Bradley examined the paleoclimate evidence behind the boundary and concluded that the data do not adequately support treating an event recorded in a cave in Meghalaya, India, as a global geological marker.

Learn more: https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/news/egcs-raymond-bradley-meghalayan-age

08/25/2026

06/30/2026

06/25/2026

Massachusetts's Healey-Driscoll Administration recently announced that nearly $500,000 in grant funding has been awarded to the Massachusetts Geological Survey at UMass Amherst to develop carbon baseline data for wetland resource areas. This project will develop a Massachusetts-specific baseline to determine how much carbon wetlands absorb and release.

“This grant will give Massachusetts clear, up-to-date baseline data of how much carbon is stored in our wetlands,” said Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “These data are essential for informing effective protection, restoration, and investment strategies.”

“Staff at MassGeo are thrilled to support MassDEP with information that will support sound, smart, and science-based decision-making regarding the Commonwealth’s natural resources,” says Brian Yellen, survey director, Massachusetts State Geologist, and a College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst faculty member.

Learn more: https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/news/egcs-massgeo-grant-wetlands

UMass Amherst Dept. of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences

06/22/2026

Congratulations to department head Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette on being appointed Distinguished Professor by the UMass Board of Trustees earlier this month. Distinguished Professorships are awarded by the Board of Trustees to full professors at UMass Amherst for outstanding national or international contributions in research, teaching, and/or public service

05/15/2026

Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette was recently interviewed by Channel 22 News' InFocus on the warming waters of the Atlantic Ocean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKP5Dgixxww&list=PLmfzHgbX9Y57Z1-a4rXY6KClRn4f0rFcs

InFocus featuring Julie Brigham-Grette (Warming Atlantic Ocean)