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GSA Meeting: Hydraulic fracturing, digital technologies, and the impact of Hurricane Sandy

March 7th, 2013

Geoscientists from across the northeastern U.S. and beyond will convene in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, on 18-20 March to celebrate GSA's 125th Anniversary and discuss new science, expand on existing science, and explore the unique geologic and historic features of the region. Field trip topics include the Mount Washington Observatory and glacial geology and archeology in the Northern White Mountains. Symposia cover climate change, the Northern Appalachians, and the history of geology in the Northeast.

This meeting is creating unprecedented interest—already, it has set an all-time, GSA single-Section record for submitted abstracts (618; previous record: 501) and is expected to attract more than 1,000 attendees during its three-day run.

Topics of interest presented on Monday include groundwater contaminants; unconventional natural gas, potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing, and Project SWIFT (Shale-Water Interaction Forensic Tools); and natural and induced seismic hazards, including discussion of the M5.8 August 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake.

A special Plenary Session on Monday evening (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.) will address "21st-Century Sea Level Rise: An Overview of Current Status & Alternative Modeling Approaches," with speaker W. Tad Pfeffer of the Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Pfeffer is a member/lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I.

Sessions of interest on Tuesday include innovations in education and research using digital technologies such as Google Earth; applications of digital terrain data in research, mapping, and design; and LiDAR surveys of the entire ocean coast of New Jersey immediately before and just after the landfall of Hurricane Sandy.

Wednesday's sessions include continued study of the impact of Hurricane Sandy, especially the damage, clean-up, and mitigation. A poster session from 8 a.m. to noon continues Monday's discussion of "Unconventional Natural Gas Plays in the Eastern U.S. and Canada with Emphasis on the Marcellus Shale and Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing."

Selected Highlights of the Scientific Program

The scientific program is composed of oral and poster presentations organized into 32 themed sessions plus an array of research in general discipline areas. Go to http://www.geosociety.org/Sections/ne/2013mtg/techprog.htm to learn more.

MONDAY, 18 MARCH

Naturally Occurring Contaminants in Groundwater Used for Water Supply in the Northeastern United States

Joseph D. Ayotte of the U.S. Geological Survey and Yan Zheng of Queens College, CUNY, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, presiding, 8 a.m. to noon (session 3).

Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Session31760.html

Paper 3-2: Hydrogeochemical Control of Arsenic, Uranium and Radon in Domestic Wells from Bedrock Aquifers in Central Maine, USA. Lead author: Qiang Yang of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Paper216291.html (8:25 a.m.).

Natural and Induced Seismic Hazards in Intraplate Regions

John E. Ebel of Weston Observatory at Boston College and Margaret Boettcher of the University of New Hampshire, presiding, 8 a.m. to 10:10 a.m. (session 5).

Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Session31768.html

Paper 5-5: Scenario Earthquakes for Assessing Possible Losses from Strong Seismic Events in New England and Vicinity. Lead author: John E. Ebel, Weston Observatory, Boston College: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Paper215489.html (9:10 a.m.).

Unconventional Natural Gas Plays in the Eastern U.S. and Canada with Emphasis on the Marcellus Shale and Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing

Brett T. McLaurin of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and Cynthia Venn of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, presiding, 10:40 a.m. to noon (session 4).

Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Session31766.html

Paper 4-2: Characterizing Water Quality in Southern New York State before Hydraulic Fracturing: Project SWIFT (Shale-Water Interaction Forensic Tools). Lead author: Laura K. Lautz of Syracuse University: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Paper216441.html (11:10 a.m.).

TUESDAY, 19 MARCH

Innovations in Geoscience Education and Research Using Google Earth and Related Digital Technologies

Stephen J. Whitmeyer of James Madison University and Declan G. De Paor of Old Dominion University, presiding, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. (session 52).

Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Session31777.html

Paper 52-4: Exploring Google Earth and Google Mars with In-Service Teachers through the NSF-MSP-Funded Rites Project. Lead author: Dawn Cardace of the University of Rhode Island: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Paper216362.html (2:25 p.m.).

The Emerging LiDAR Landscape: Applications of Digital Terrain Data in Research, Mapping, and Design

Rick Chormann of the New Hampshire Geological Survey and Fay Rubin of the University of New Hampshire, presiding, 1:30 to 3:55 p.m. (session 53).

Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Session31782.html

Paper 53-1: Topobathymetric LiDAR Analysis of the New Jersey Coastal Response to Hurricane Sandy. Lead author: John C. Brock of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Paper215680.html (1:40 p.m.).

WEDNESDAY. 20 MARCH

The Geomorphic Impact of Hurricane Sandy: Predictions Made, Damage Done, Clean-Up & Mitigation

David Robert Wunsch of the Delaware Geological Survey, Rick Chormann of the New Hampshire Geological Survey, and Stephen G. Pollock of the University of Southern Maine, presiding, 8 a.m. to noon (session 73).

Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Session32270.html

Paper 73-2: Impacts of Hurricane Sandy on the New Jersey Coastline & How Can We Respond. Lead author: Jane Uptegrove of the New Jersey Geological Survey: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Paper216120.html (8:25 a.m.)

Poster Session: Unconventional Natural Gas Plays in the Eastern U.S. and Canada with Emphasis on the Marcellus Shale and Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing

Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013NE/webprogram/Session32501.html

Authors will be present from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Provided by Geological Society of America

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