The
diverse Geoscience and Environmental studies group conducts a wide
range of basic and applied research in groundwater resources, vadose-zone
hydrology, coastal studies, near-surface geophysics, and geologic
mapping. We are also developing additional programs that relate energy
and the environment, including our major initiative in sequestration
of greenhouse gases. The group investigates characteristics and processes
of shallow Earth systems and impacts of human activities on those
systems. Many of our projects address the needs of State and Federal
agencies in Texas, although we conduct research in other states and
in Latin America as well. Through the John A. and Katherine G. Jackson
School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, we collaborate
with the Department of Geological Sciences, the Institute for Geophysics,
and other groups, such as the Center for Space Research, the Section
of Integrative Biology in the School of Biological Sciences, and the
Texas Institute for Computational and Applied Mathematics. We also
have an active outreach program for communicating and disseminating
to the public scientific results of our research projects.
The Bureau owns
and operates an airborne laser terrain mapping system (lidar) and
a ground-based system, which provide unique opportunities for conducting
research requiring lidar data. Our projects are well supported by
appropriate hardware and advanced software for data analysis and
modeling, and we apply related technologies in GIS, GPS, and remote
sensing.
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