New Geophysics Department Head: Jonathan Ajo-Franklin - Earth and Environmental Sciences Area

Jonathan Ajo-Franklin

Susan Hubbard, ALD for the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA), has announced that Jonathan Ajo-Franklin will assume the role of the Department Head for Geophysics, effective June 15, 2017.

Jonathan’s research focuses on using geophysical techniques to understand dynamic alterations in subsurface properties of relevance to the environmental and energy sectors. He received his PhD in Geophysics from Stanford University in 2005, and was a postdoc at MIT before joining Berkeley Lab in 2007.

In addition to his work in using rock physics and time-lapse seismic data to advance understanding of processes critical for geothermal, hydraulic fracturing, and carbon sequestration strategies, he is also at the forefront of advancing fiber based monitoring approaches relevant for infrastructure and natural hazard applications. Jonathan is involved in many projects, and also serves as the lead of the Reservoir Processes group in the Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic Carbon (NCGC), a U.S. DOE Energy Frontier Research Center.

“Jonathan is a pioneer in geological imaging across scales, from 4D synchrotron imaging at the ALS to the development of novel field approaches, including semi-permanent seismic sources and fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing,” Hubbard says. “His background—as well as familiarity with EESA and with lab, field and computational approaches—provides an outstanding foundation for success as the new Geophysics Department Head.”

A big thank you goes out to Tom Daley, who has led the Geophysics Department since 2015.

News & Events

Three EESA scientists receive DOE Early Career Research Awards

August 10, 2017

Three Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) scientists receive the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Early Career Research Award for 2017. Congratulations to Nick Bouskill, Charlie Koven, and Neslihan Tas Baas.

EESA Develops New Approach to Restock California’s Groundwater via Almond Orchards, Vineyards

August 3, 2017

Groundwater—the water stored underneath the Earth’s surface between the cracks and spaces in soil, sand, and bedrock—is essential for the California residents and farmers who rely on it for up to 46 percent of their annual water use. Yet during the 2012-2017 drought, the state’s surface water supply was not sufficient to meet demand, resulting in excess groundwater pumping that caused land subsidence of up to 13 inches in some parts of the San Joaquin Valley.

Now a team of scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Earth & Environmental Sciences Area are working with farmers and partners like the Almond Board of California and UC Davis to test on-farm banking, a new approach that has the potential to manage groundwater more sustainably. It’s an improvement on the age-old method of groundwater recharge, the process of replenishing aquifers by infiltrating water from the surface into shallow aquifers.

“On-farm banking has the promise of making the most productive use of the greatest amount of land possible while increasing the reliability and resiliency of California’s groundwater supply,” says EESA scientist Peter Nico, a soil and environmental biogeochemist.

EESA Scientist Builds Cross-Border Collaborations for Geothermal Research

August 1, 2017

Thirty-five years ago, Berkeley Lab’s Earth & Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) scientist Patrick Dobson began his career as a graduate student by conducting field mapping, collecting fluid samples, and learning the ropes from local scientists at the Los Azufres geothermal field in Michoacán, Mexico. During his summer doing field work in Mexico, he met Berkeley Lab’s Marcelo Lippmann, who was attending a symposium on the Cerro Prieto geothermal field, the subject of a collaborative research project between the Lab (funded by the U.S. Department of Energy) and the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Mexico’s state-owned utility.

Now—after decades of leading geothermal exploration projects all over the world, including Indonesia, Central America, and South America— Dobson’s work has come full circle.

Earlier this year, he spent two weeks in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico as a Fulbright Specialist in geothermal research. Hosted by the Center for Scientific Investigation and Higher Education in Ensenada (CICESE), one of the main hubs for geothermal work in the country, Dobson met with Mexican researchers to share knowledge, identify areas of mutual interest, and explore potential areas of collaboration.

Berkeley Lab Scientists Brief California Science Advisory Panel for Food and Agriculture

July 28, 2017

As two-thirds of the fruits and nuts—and over a third of the vegetables—produced in the United States are grown in California, it’s crucial that the Golden State cultivate healthy soils that are resilient to stresses such as climate change, drought, and groundwater overuse. Now scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Earth & Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) and Biosciences Area are contributing to the effort by sharing their expertise with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)’s Science Advisory Panel, a group comprised of farmers, agriculture professionals, and experts in areas such as water, conservation, and resource management. Last week, EESA scientist Peter Nico hosted the panel at the Lab to brief them on research related to developing healthy soils, sustainable groundwater management strategies, and climate-adaptive agriculture.