Researchers reverse engineer river landscapes on Earth and beyond

A side by side of an aerial shot of the Rock River in Rockford and a 3D rendering of rivers on Titan.
Taking apart a watch and reassembling it is one thing. Rebuilding an entire river landscape from scratch is another.A collaboration among researchers across the United States and China is offering scientists a new way to understand how river landscapes form — not only on Earth, but also on worlds...

ESEC announces 2025-26 award winners

People posing for a photo with award certificates.
The Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change recently recognized our wonderful undergraduate and graduate students for their achievements in research, teaching, service, and academics. From fieldwork and lab discoveries to leadership in the department, these awards highlight the impact...

Still standing but mostly dead: Recovery of dying coral reef in Moorea stalls

Coral in the ocean.
In April 2019, a marine heat wave struck a coral reef on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia, killing much of the coral and the beneficial algae that colonized it. This “bleaching” event reduced live coral populations on the reef from about 75% beforehand to less than 17% a year later and led...
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