geography-earth science 2018 photo contest alumni, faculty,...

Geography-Earth Science

2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries

P H O T O | 1

This chance photo was taken of a "reflected" double rainbow in Grand Tetons National Park,

Wyoming this past summer. Taken at about 15 minutes after sunrise the clouds had been

rolling away to the west as the sky brightened behind me in the east. As the sun cleared the

ridge line behind me camera right a double rainbow was produced and, from the light

reflecting off the lake, a reflected double rainbow formed. A math professor friend of mine

wrote this blog post about the math. https://divisbyzero.com/2017/07/04/the-math-behind-a-

reflected-double-rainbow/



P H O T O | 2

This photo was taken in early May of last year at Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park, Iceland.

This large graben depression is surrounded by fissures formed from the slow growth of Iceland

spreading out in two directions from the Mid Atlantic Ridge. In this photo, along the west side

of the park, the Öxará river flows into and along one of the fissures before flowing out into

Thingvellir Lake. This is one of the few places in the world where the geology of plate tectonics

can be easily seen



P H O T O | 3

In the weeks between the rainy and dry seasons of Panama strong winds blow from the

Caribbean side and over the central mountainous areas. In Central Panama they refer to the

misty rain that forms from these winds as the Bajareque. This photo was taken from the Mount

Totums Rain Forest lodge at 2,000 meters elevation and about 5 miles East of Costa Rica. The

shot was taken around 8:30am as the sun was rising and the Bajareque mist was rolling through

the cloud forest.



P H O T O | 4

One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Aurora Borealis is a spectacular light show

created by the collision of electronically charged particles released from the sun that enter into

Earth’s atmosphere, colliding with gases in our atmosphere. The most common color is green

(excited oxygen), while the violet you see in the photo is more rare, caused by a reaction with

ionized Nitrogen. Witnessing the colors dance around the heavens was breathtaking but I had

to remember that our ancestors had no way of knowing what was happening! There are many

myths created across the globe to rationalize this mysterious happening but Icelandic ancestors

associated the phenomenon with childbirth and believed that the expectant mother should not

look at the Aurora while giving birth, otherwise the child would be born cross-eyed! Another

Icelandic myth is that the Valkyries were riding around the sky, deciding who would live and

who would die in battle. Us mere mortals were only able to see the impressive reflection of the

armor, hence the colors dancing across the night sky.



P H O T O | 5

While most media will boast that you can “dive between two continental plates”, it’s a bit of a

stretch of the truth. While it is true that the reason Iceland continues to “grow”, or diverge, 2 cm

per year due to the Eurasian plate separating from the North American plate, the Silfra fissure

resides on the North American plate and the Eurasian plate is only a few hundred meters away.

In fact, when you’re standing at the head of the fissure preparing to take the plunge, you’re

technically standing in between the two continental plates – a “no man’s land”, if you will.

Regardless, this marketing tactic does not take away from the astounding beauty of some of the

clearest water in the world! The reason for this clarity is because it is glacial melt water. 12,000

years ago marked the end of Iceland’s last ice age. When the ice retreated, it left behind a lot of

glacial melt water. With Iceland’s eruptive history, lava fields covered the area, forcing the melt

water below the ground. At an average temperature of 2◦C, the glacial water is filtered through

these porous underground lava tubes – a journey that takes 30-100 years – and can escape

through cracks, like the Silfra fissure, resulting in water that is crystal clear and purity at its

finest! On a day like today’s photo, you could see nearly 100m!



P H O T O | 6

Half troll, half man, Bardur Snaefellsas was the settler of this area and the protector of what is

now called the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Looking to the shore along nearly all of Iceland’s coast,

you will notice basalt rock formations. While science states these sea stacks were created by lava

flows that cooled down and weathered from the sea, legend says that these rocks are trolls who

were caught in the sunlight as they tried to drag ships ashore to gobble down the crew but were

forever turned to stone just in time! No matter your beliefs, the myths and geology surrounding

Iceland are equally as impressive and profound!



P H O T O | 7

Global climate change is causing increasing temperature fluctuations and the Serrano Glacier of

Bernardo O’Higgins National Park is melting away. As part of eco-tourism in southern Chile,

fragments of the glacier are chipped into glass tumblers. Although the glaciers are no longer

sustainable in a warming environment, the remnants can be used for a final whisky tribute to

the cooler temperatures of the past.



P H O T O | 8

The name and sight of Torres del Paine inspire images of broken ankles and scraped skin, but

the name really means towers of blue. The granite peaks annually pull in 150,000 international

visitors to southern Chile. To preserve and sustain this fragile eco-system that has thin soils and

continuously arid winds, human tent villages are contained in small areas, and elevated

walkways are built out of wood. The guanacos however, are free to roam at will.



P H O T O | 9

Glass walls and ceilings of this lounge provide an aesthetically pleasing view of the Andes

dominating the Patagonian steppe. As the global human population climbs to 8 billion, the last

wilderness places on earth are becoming tourist meccas. The Torres del Paine lodge in southern

Chile presents a conundrum. Are tourists, especially ones that love the outdoors, loving our

natural areas to death? Does eco-tourism inspire greater sustainability of our little blue planet,

or just the faster extinction of the few quiet places that are left?



P H O T O | 10

Charging batteries for the rapidly increasing number of electronic devices uses a large amount

of energy every day. Human exercise generates a large amount of energy every day. Why not

link these?



P H O T O | 11

The pier at the US Army Corps of Engineers research facility, Duck, NC. Weathering, anyone?



P H O T O | 12

Fall festival at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania. Parks and public lands ask so little

and give so much.



P H O T O | 13

Because Iceland lacked wood for construction, for centuries, most homes, stables, and barns

were built primarily of turf with sod roofs. Until the late 1800s, over half of all Icelandic

dwellings were partially made of turf. This sustainable practice was also practical in that thick

turf walls protected the residents from harsh weather conditions. This abandoned structure is

located in Southern Iceland near Vik.



P H O T O | 14

Until the mid 1800s, all the Icelandic churches were constructed of turf. Turf structures in

Iceland represent both a practical and sustainable response to building for such a harsh climate.

Saurbæjarkirkja, shown here, is just one of only six turf churches remaining in Iceland today. It

is located about 30 km from Akureyri in Northern Iceland.



P H O T O | 15

Waterfalls are ever-present on the Icelandic landscape. This one, Seljalandsfoss, in Southern

Iceland, drops about 200 feet and is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin in the volcano

glacier known as Eyjafjallajokull. A unique characteristic of Seljalandsfoss is that you can walk

behind the waterfall into a cave. Despite being tourist attractions, Iceland is committed to

sustainable tourism and protecting the natural environment surrounding the waterfalls.

geography-earth science 2018 photo contest alumni, faculty,...

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