Geophysics professor Jenny Suckale uses the Navier-Stokes equation to attempt to explain puzzling satellite imagery that shows Antarctica is melting from the inside out. "Ice from the continent's interior forms streams that flow out to sea," Suckale said. "These ice streams are almost like arteries that help transport ice from the center of Antarctica to the coast very rapidly. It's like a bleeding heart in some sense."
Explaining the dynamics of that bleeding heart could have implications for climate change computer models. Ice melt is currently one of the biggest uncertainties in climate simulations, and Antarctica is the single largest mass of ice on Earth. “I think the Earth sciences just have way cooler problems than anything I've personally encountered in classical physics. It's tangible, it's real, it's important, it's fascinating, it's dramatic, and it’s colorful," she said.
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Through the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute (DCI), which helps professionals enter roles with social impact, Sydney Macy found inspiration in Richard Nevle's Wild Writing course.
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A new school flag for the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will fly alongside flags from the six other schools at Stanford Commencement. The flag represents both the history and future of the school.
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By using high-res images taken by the latest generation of compact satellites, Stanford scientists have developed a new capability for estimating crop yields from space. Measuring yields could improve productivity and eventually reduce hunger.
