Earth on the Rocks

On the show today we have Diya Kamnani, a current PhD student studying atmospheric rivers. Hear about the health benefits of a gin and tonic, how you identify an atmospheric river, how pilots take atmospheric rivers into account for their flight plans, Diya's work with invasive species (and how her skills in the earth sciences translated there), and international versions of American fast food chains.

Leading off the second half of season 2 is Dr. Ben Kravitz, a climate scientist who focuses on modeling Earth's response when we push the Earth system involving things like greenhouse gas emissions or geoengineering. Hear about trash rain (and why weather balloons may not be the best bet for geoengineering), how we can model the impacts of stratospheric injection (where we intentionally put things in our air to try to combat climate change), what goes into a Model Intercomparison Project (MIP), and some thoughts on the Winter Olympics.

On the season 2 midseason finale we welcome Molly Karnes, a stable isotope ecologist and lab technician. Hear about a new regional drink - Cheerwine, using shark teeth (both modern and ancient) to understand the environment in four dimensions, predatory snails, how a lab technician is a bit like an instrument mechanic, and a new crossover between Sonic and Jello.

Joining the show today is Janie Wittmer, a PhD student focusing on hydrogeochemistry. Hear what happens if you were to drink incredibly pure water (hint: it's not great), what life is like in environmental consulting, how rocks can actually help with carbon emissions, and a recommendation for a potential electronic album of the year.

Joining us today is the newly minted Dr. Danielle (Danny) Peltier, a paleontologist or geologist/paleoanthropologist that studies human evolution through time. Ever wondered what it means when someone says they've defended their PhD? Listen to hear about everything that leads up to and then what happens during that process, culminating in becoming a doctor, along with learning about the volcanic connections to human evolution, working at White Sands National Park through Geoscientists in the Park (including why the sand stays so cool), the transition from undergraduate to graduate school, and tips for cooking for one or meal prep.