Earth and Space Sciences
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On Star-Planet Interaction: Magnetospheric Dynamics and Atmospheric Evolution
With the explosion of exoplanetary discoveries, the question of planetary habitability is at the forefront, and generates many interesting and complex questions. One of those questions: Are planetary global magnetic fields ... -
Cratering Characteristics of the Europa Kinetic Ice Penetrator
This thesis further develops the Europa Kinetic Ice Penetrator (EKIP) landing technique for airless bodies, as well as characterizes the effect EKIP would have on Europa’s surface. Damage to the extremophile Planococcus ... -
Mars' Water Cycle Seen Through an Ice Lens
The water cycle of Mars has been intensely studied thanks to data from orbiting spacecraft and landers on the surface. Water is of major interest due to its vital connection to life on Earth. The global cycle is driven by ... -
Seismic Study of Tremor, Deep Long-Period Earthquakes, and Basin Amplification of Ground Motion
In this thesis, we use seismic data and seismological tools to investigate three topics, (1) triggering between slow slip (tremor as proxy) and nearby small earthquakes, (2) mechanisms of deep-long period earthquakes beneath ... -
Using Low-Frequency Earthquakes to Investigate Slow Slip Processes and Plate Interface Structure Beneath the Olympic Peninsula, WA
This dissertation seeks to further understand the LFE source process, the role LFEs play in generating slow slip, and the utility of using LFEs to examine plate interface structure. The work involves the creation and ... -
Tsunamis and sea levels of the past millennium in Puget Sound, Washington
Tidal marsh deposits in the Puget Sound area contain evidence for multiple earthquakes and tsunamis over the past 1,000 years. This dissertation focuses on evidence beneath a salt marsh at Lynch Cove, at the head of the ... -
Crystal-scale control on magmatic mush mobilization and mixing
Magmatic systems present an apparent paradox: they exist as long-term, crystal-rich magmas (called mushes) which are mechanically locked, yet crystals in exposed plutons and volcanic deposits with diverse histories indicate ... -
Climate dynamics revealed in ice cores: advances in techniques, theory, and interpretation
Ice cores from the polar ice sheets provide detailed histories of Earth's climate. Interpreting past climate dynamics from ice-core records requires understanding how the climate system influences the geochemical proxies ... -
Stability and Uncertainty of Ice-Sheet Crystal Fabrics
Ice crystal orientation fabric has a large effect on polycrystalline ice flow. In this thesis, I explore uncertainty of ice fabric measurements, and the related question of stability of ice crystal fabrics and anisotropic ... -
Chronology, Lithology and Paleoenvironmental Interpretation of the Penultimate Ice-Sheet Advance into the Puget Lwoland, Washington
University of Washington Abstract Chronology, Lithology and Paleoenvironmental Interpretations of the Penultimate Ice-Sheet Advance into the Puget Lowland, WA Kathy Goetz Troost Chair of Supervisory Committee: Dr. Derek ... -
Glaciers, erosion and climate change in the Himalaya and St. Elias Range, SE Alaska
The important roles of glaciers in topographic evolution, relief development, and sediment production are well recognized but understanding remains rather limited largely because of the inherent complexity of glacial erosion ... -
Characterizing Habitable Environments on Mars Using Infrared Spectroscopy from Orbit
Until recently, the search for habitable environments on Mars has mostly been driven by the motto “follow the water”, as water is thought to be one of the fundamental requirements for life. Over the last several decades, ... -
Thermodynamic Controls on the Global Ocean Overturning Circulation
This dissertation explores the fundamental relationship between the spatial distribution of air-sea flux and the structure of the ocean's Global Overturning Circulation (GOC). The GOC describes the circulation of ocean ... -
The Role of Corals on Tsunami Dynamics in an Island Setting: A Case Study of Tutuila Island
On September 29, 2009 at 17:48 UTC, an Mw = 8.1 earthquake in the Tonga Trench generated a tsunami that caused heavy damage across Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga. One of the worst localities hit was the volcanic island ... -
Planetary Penetrators for Sample Return Missions
University of Washington Abstract Planetary Penetrators for Sample Return Missions Chad A. Truitt Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Robert M. Winglee Earth and Space Sciences Sample return missions offer a ... -
Quantifying ice-shelf basal melt and ice-stream dynamics using high-resolution DEM and GPS time series
This dissertation describes methods to generate high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) of the Earth's ice sheets, and combines these observations with in situ GPS measurements to study basal melting beneath the ... -
The influence of meltwater on the thermal structure and flow of the Greenland Ice Sheet
As the climate has warmed over the past decades, the amount of melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased, and areas higher on the ice sheet have begun to melt regularly. This increase in melt has been hypothesized to ... -
The Complexity of Arc Magmatism: A Geochemical Investigation of Crustal Processes Beneath a Highly Productive Volcanic Center, Kamchatka, Russia
(University of Washington Graduate School, 2012)Understanding crustal modification of magmas in volcanic arcs is a fundamental problem of igneous petrology and geochemistry. This dissertation examines the role of crustal processes including crustal assimilation, magma ... -
Could narrow marine embayments prevent sea-glacier invasion, and protect photosynthetic life during a Snowball Earth?
During the Snowball Earth events of the Neoproterozoic, the Earth’s oceans may have been completely covered in ice. This ice would have been thick enough to prohibit the transmission of light to the liquid water underneath ... -
Wave-Propagation Modeling and Inversion Using Frequency-Domain Integral Equation Methods
Full waveform inverse methods describe the full physics of wave propagation and can potentially overcome the limitations of ray theoretic methods. This work explores the use of integral equation based methods for simulation ...
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