Julie Elliott

One secret to buildings that won't collapse during earthquake shaking is shear strength, as this simple model can demonstrate.

Check out these related classroom resources for more: https://loom.ly/mAqr054

a. Seismogram from one of the seismic sensors (largest signal is an earthquake). b. Residual spectrogram (difference between the spectrogram and the amplitude spectrum (red line at left). Curves overlain with dashed lines are the aircraft signal. The broad/smeared signal at lower frequencies is from an earthquake. c. Aircraft that made the signal, a Cessna 185. d. Flight pattern for the aircraft (blue) and locations of seismic sensors (red). Cross section of the residual spectrum along dashed line in b, large signal near beginning is from an earthquake.

Cool study that uses acoustic signals recorded at seismic sensors to identify aircraft type flying overhead (different aircraft have different frequency signatures). Alaska provides a lot of aircraft variety to evaluate. ⚒️🧪🚁

pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/tsr/arti...

hoot hoot hooray

Wow, that will be some extra wear and tear.

Current Vacancies

I am hiring 4 postdoctoral researchers for up to 4 years each. Topics include ice sheet reconstruction, GIA, spatial stats, and satellite geodesy. Based in Tasmania.

All details are here: careers.utas.edu.au/en/listing/ with titles below

I am also recruiting multiple PhD students (see below)

1/n

Flying blind: The remarkable journey of the California Clipper, Part 2 What Pan Am were asking of Ford, his crew and his aircraft was to do something that no commercial flying boat had ever done before: complete a circumnavigation of the world.

Part 2 of our history of the remarkable flight of the California Clipper in WW2 is now available.

To get back to the US after Pearl Harbor, Ford and his crew are asked by Pan Am to do something no commercial aircrew or passenger plane has done before:

Circumnavigate the world. #history #aviation

Down Slip-Ons Getting comfortable shouldn’t be a struggle. The Sierra Designs Down Slip-Ons are easy-on, easy-off slippers stuffed with 800-fill DriDown™ insulation for the coziest adventures away from home. Silico...

I have a pair of these and love them. sierradesigns.com/down-slip-ons/

Tsunami 56 years ago today a devastating Tsunami tore through our Hilo Town. It may have taken us to our knees, but we did not break. Instead, we rebuilt, stronger, and more prepared. Listen as survivors of both the 1946 and 1960 Tsunami tell their story. Please enjoy this mini Documentary done as a collaboration with Taylor Martin Media and the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Enjoy

It's #WorldTsunamiAwarenessDay. Before warning systems existed, tsunamis could be a surprise. A 1946 M8.6 earthquake in Alaska launched a tsunami that devastated Hilo, HI and killed >150 in the HI Islands. Now warning infrastructure in AK is being defunded, weakening the network. ⚒️🧪🌊 bit.ly/4oqexnR

Topography (and bathymetry) map of southern and interior Alaska along with a bit of the Gulf of Alaska. Turquoise wrenches mark locations of hardware stores scattered throughout the region. Two are off of the road system, so all products have to be brought in via plane or boat. Visits to those stores were particularly expensive.

#30DayMapChallenge Day 4: My Data

Hardware stores I have visited/spent too much money in while doing fieldwork in southern and interior Alaska. Maybe one day I'll make it through a trip without needing to stop at a hardware store (but probably not).

Migration Track Data sources: Wong JB, et al. (2021) Arctic terns from circumpolar breeding colonies share common migratory routes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 671:191-206 doi.org/10.3354/meps... and www.movebank.org/cms/webapp?g...

Map of the world centered on the western Pacific. Continents/islands are gray while water is pale blue. Various shades of blue and green lines stretch from Alaska, eastern Russia, and the Bering Sea down the western Pacific margin to Antarctica. The lines are very much not straight, but weave around and sometimes double back.

#30DayMapChallenge Day 2: Lines

Think your commute is rough? Here are migration paths of Arctic terns that breed in Alaska. Each color represents the round trip track for an individual tagged bird. Migration data source in comment. Map made with the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT).

Another article about Alaska Earthquake Center and tsunami funding cuts www.alaskasnewssource.com/2025/11/01/s...

Return From Dormancy: Rapid Inflation and Seismic Unrest Driven by Transcrustal Magma Transfer at Mt. Edgecumbe (L’úx Shaa) Volcano, Alaska InSAR reveals up to 7.1 cm/yr of constant line-of-sight inflation since August 2018 at Mt. Edgecumbe with microseismicity since July 2019 Bayesian modeling suggests a deflating sill at 20 km and ...

Edgecumbe definitely had a significant inflation event. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Even more impressive considering Edgecumbe is along a transform fault. Weird volcano.

West was also manager for the radar altimetry data processing project for Seasat, the first satellite designed to collect oceanographic data. #geodesy ⚒️🧪

From a crewmember on yesterday's Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.

I've had success with white vinegar. I pour it in, let it sit for a white, then scrub everything out with dish soap.

Banner with dark blue background with ION (which stands for Institute of Navigation) logo in upper right and International GNSS Day 2025 10.23 below. A white banner saying Celebrating 30 Years of Galileo is in the lower right corner. On the left, a man representing Galileo the scientist has a hand raised toward a GNSS satellite surrounding by a circle of starts.

Today is International GNSS Day. October 23 was chosen because 10.23 MHz is the foundational frequency for GPS. The world has become dependent on GNSS, but there are threats to service continuity. It is good to take a day to appreciate the value of GNSS. #geodesy www.ion.org/news/interna...

There is still a RadioShack outpost in Glennallen, AK. The store it is a part of is also a general store, a U-Haul rental place, and a pizza place. It has saved my bacon on more than one occasion during fieldwork when I suddenly needed some electronics part.

CLaSH is seeking an Assistant Director to help lead an ambitious, interdisciplinary effort to transform the science of and advance community resilience for hazards like landslides and flooding. Apply by November 15th. See also csdms.colorado.edu/wiki/Jobs

Ever seen a 750-pound muskox face off with a 210-pound pumpkin? 💥 Hudson did, and won! 🏆 Catch more pumpkin-smashing, leaf-crunching, fall fun during #ZooBoo, October 18 & 19. 🎃🐾

A GPS station setup displayed indoors. On the left is a solar panel mounted above an equipment box containing wiring and batteries. On the right is a metal tripod supporting a GPS antenna, which is cut in half and partially covered by a gray half-dome radome.

When you see photos of GPS stations, you’re usually looking at the protective radome cover and not the GPS antenna itself. The gray radome helps shield the antenna from rain, snow, and debris buildup and protects it against general wear.

So far, the suspected AI has been fairly obvious (big, fancy words; stilted language; generic statements of praise for my work with paper titles inserted in brackets). I always do zoom interviews before encouraging them to go further in the process. I think that will become even more important.

My department encourages students to contact potential advisors before applying as our admissions process requires a faculty sponsor. I respond to anyone who uses my name/seems to know what I do. Emails addressed to Dear Sir get deleted immediately. Everyone I've accepted has reached out beforehand.

⚒️🌋

A puppy from Kwigillingok with a label "#85, Female, Kwig - Fox, light brown lab 4 month puppy"

They have dogs coming in from Kwigillingok (aka "Kwig") as well and this is how some are getting tagged. Lots of Typhoon Dogs getting rescued from the YK-Delta, and the folks doing it could use your help. Donate here: www.bethelfriendsofcanines.com/donate.html

We're hiring! The Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) at the University of Minnesota is seeking a Geospatial and Remote Sensing Data Specialist to join our team.
💼 Hybrid position (based in Minneapolis, MN)
💰 Salary range: $83K–$98K
📅 Apply now through the UMN job portal.

www.pgc.umn.edu/careers/posi...

Bethel Friends of Canines Bethel Friends of Canines is a non-profit dog rescue based in the rural Alaskan village of Bethel. Not only do we rescue dogs in Bethel, but we also rescue dogs all over the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta...

This is the Western Alaska animal nonprofit working to rescue the pets in Kipnuk.

The residents of Kipnuk are under a mandatory evac order but can not bring their pets with them. Supporting this group will help with charter aircraft, etc.

www.bethelfriendsofcanines.com

'Miserable': Hundreds sheltering in Western Alaska schools in dire conditions The state is evacuating the vulnerable and trying to find safe shelter for all. "We're moving as fast as we can," the incident commander said. "We know that folks are miserable."

‘Miserable’: Hundreds sheltering in Western Alaska schools in dire conditions

"In Kwigillingok, some 400 people were sheltering at the school, without functioning toilets ... in Kipnuk, where the water plant wasn’t working and electricity was limited."

www.ktoo.org/2025/10/15/m...

A salmon, a bear, and a surging glacier walk into a bar...