Stanford Prof Uses Computer Models To Study Earth's Chemistry

PALO ALTO, CA — Earth system science professor Kate Maher discusses how researchers use computer modeling to better understand the chemical reactions in Earth’s subsurface that impact water supplies, energy waste storage and climate change, Stanford News Service reported.

An incredibly complex system lives beneath the feet of Earth's inhabitants, transporting metals to Earth’s crust and undergoing a myriad chemical reactions that influence our daily lives. These environmental interactions affect everything from our ability to use soil to produce food and the cleanliness of our drinking water to how citizens might mitigate the changing climate, the news service indicated.

Humans have a huge impact on Earth’s subsurface – through mining, fossil fuel extraction, irrigation and energy waste storage – making dealing with the environmental problems crucial.

To virtually peer into the ground, many researchers use complex modeling approaches that account for factors like the interactions among microorganisms and how plants absorb and return water and nutrients. These biogeochemical approaches – essential tools for the Earth sciences and other fields – are the bread and butter of research by Kate Maher, an associate professor of Earth system science at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.