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Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences has a great diversity of programs and intersecting disciplines, with faculty and students studying in fields such as Tectonics, Geophysics, Atmospheric Dynamics and Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Biogeochemistry, Climate Change, Severe Weather, Planetary Sciences, Astrobiology, Data Science, and many other areas. We are committed to strategic initiatives in Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Interconnections between the Earth’s interior and surface, climate and sustainability, planetary exploration and spacecraft missions, and the development of emerging fields of study.

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A 'snowball fight' may help scientists find life on Jupiter's moon Europa

SPACE — Scientists hoping to find life in liquid water oceans beneath the frigid, icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa may get a helping hand from a "cosmic snowball fight" this world once engaged in. A team of planetary scientists, including Brandon Johnson and Shigeru Wakita of Purdue EAPS, may have some clues about the final value. After looking at large craters on Europa that resulted from asteroids and comets bombarding the moon, the researchers used these observations to determine that Enceladus' shell is around 12 miles (20 kilometers) thick. And this shell, they say, likely floats on an ocean ranging in depth from 40 to 100 miles (60 to 150 kilometers) situated around the moon's rocky core.

Jupiter’s icy moon may be the next place humans find life, but first, they need to understand the structure of the moon

PURDUE NEWS — Sometimes planetary physics is like being in a snowball fight. Most people, if handed an already-formed snowball, can use their experience and the feel of the ball to guess what kind of snow it is comprised of: packable and fluffy, or wet and icy. Using nearly the same principles, planetary scientists have been able to study the structure of Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon. A team of planetary science experts including Brandon Johnson, an associate professor, and Shigeru Wakita, a research scientist, in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in Purdue University’s College of Science, announced in a new paper published in Science Advances that Europa’s ice shell is at least 20 kilometers thick.

Purdue researchers use Rossby waves to predict heatwaves

Understanding why heatwaves happen is crucial. Heatwaves have devastating consequences across the world. Prolonged exposure to heat can have significant impacts on health, ecosystems, water resources, and even infrastructure. Researchers Valentina Castañeda, PhD student, and Lei Wang, assistant professor, from Purdue University’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, believe they have found a strong indicator for the prediction of heat waves. The team uses Rossby waves to predict heatwave events. They recently published their results in the American Geophysical Union’s JGR-Atmospheres.

6 questions with NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, who will be at IMS for the total eclipse

WRTV — As a child, Andrew Feustel never really dreamed of becoming an astronaut. But somehow, he knew, deep in his heart, that he would one day travel to outer space. "When I was growing up," Feustel said, "I just somehow believed that I would have an opportunity to eventually to work in the Human Spaceflight program. "He put in the work, investing years into making himself a NASA candidate. He exercised, honed his mechanical skills and got an education, earning two degrees from Purdue University along the way.

NASA’s Mars rover probes ancient shorelines for signs of life

SCIENCE — NASA’s rover, which is collecting rock samples to eventually send to Earth, has explored a ring of rocks just inside the rim of Jezero crater, which is thought to have been filled with water billions of years ago. An initial analysis suggests the rocks are composed of rounded grains of carbonate, a mineral that precipitates out of water. It’s a promising sign that the rocks were once beachfront property, says Briony Horgan, a planetary scientist at Purdue University who leads the rover’s science campaign. “You can imagine the waves crashing up against the shores of an ancient paleolake,” she says.

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