Speaker: Dr. Douglas Edmonds
Rivers are among Earth's most dynamic features, constantly reshaping our planet's surface through powerful processes that operate across vastly different timescales. This movement creates and destroys land, poses significant hazards to communities worldwide, and over geological time, forms the subsurface reservoirs that store much of our oil and natural gas resources.
In this presentation, Dr. Edmonds will explore the fascinating mechanisms behind river movement, from the gradual meandering of channels to the dramatic sudden diversions called avulsions that can permanently alter entire landscapes. We'll examine how sediment transport, fluid dynamics, and topography interact to drive these processes. From the Mississippi River Delta to meandering streams in Indiana, this presentation will illuminate the complex forces that govern how rivers move—and why their movement matters more than ever in our changing world.
Dr. Douglas Edmonds is a Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the Malcolm and Sylvia Boyce Chair in Geological Sciences at Indiana University. He earned his Ph.D. (2009) from Pennsylvania State University and his B.S. (2003) from St. Louis University. His research focuses on sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geomorphology of depositional systems, studying how sediment movement, fluid flow, and bed topography create rivers, deltas, and coastlines. His research has been published in high-impact journals including Nature and Science. Edmonds work has bee
Sponsored by Karen Bumb
