The deep dive of episode 5 is the greenhouse effect. For a full list of references, see the post on my website:
Listen here: https://raisedbeaches.buzzsprout.com/
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@evangowan
Episode 5 – Intro
I discuss what I have been doing from late December 2024 to the end of February 2025, including watching Sakurajima volcano erupt, and an earthquake I felt in January. I discuss downloading sediment core data from NOAA and the attacks on the government science institutions in the United States. Finally, I have a discussion on DEI.
My recently published papers:
- Rovere et al (2025) – Reconstructing past sea-level changes from storm-built beach ridges: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109659
- Gowan et al (2025) – Impact of topographic change on the East Asian monsoon in Japan and Eastern Asia during the Last Glacial Maximum: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-024-00681-4
References:
- Earthquake, January 13, 2025: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000pjny/executive
- Earthquake, January 13, 2025: https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/press/2501/13a/202501132315.html
- Project 2025 on NOAA: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-what-project-2025-says-about-the-national-weather-service-and-noaa
- DOGE enters NOAA: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/doge-noaa-headquarters
- People being fired from the NSF: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/climate/trump-nsf-cuts-antarctica.html
Episode 5 Deep Dive – Greenhouse Effect
I introduce the Greenhouse Effect, and why even though the concentration of greenhouse gases are small, they play a large role in keeping the planet at a livable temperature.
References:
- Electromagnetic Radiation on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_radiation
- Radiation spectrum values at National Resources Canada: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/maps-tools-publications/satellite-elevation-air-photos/electromagnetic-spectrum
- Water on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water
- Carbon Dioxide on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide
- Vibrating molecules: https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/atmosphere/molecular-vibration-modes
- Four laws of Radiation by David Babb: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/meteo101/l3_p3.html
- Absorption of radation by the atmosphere by NOAA: https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/satellites/absorb
- Gases in the atmosphere by NOAA: https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmosphere
- Absorption of radiation by gases in the atmosphere, Ackerman and Knox, 2015, via NASA: https://pace.oceansciences.org/atmos_light.cgi
- Greenhouse gas Absorption by Rhwentworth via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas
- Absorption bands on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_band
Episode 5 – More on the Greenhouse Effect
I discuss the historical background on how the Greenhouse Effect was discovered, as well as how it came to be called the “greenhouse effect”. I also discuss the greenhouse effect on Venus and Mars.
References:
- Joseph Fourier on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Fourier
- Ray Pierrehumbert’s translation of Mémoire sur les Températures du Globe Terrestre et des Espaces Planétaires by Joseph Fourier: https://geosci.uchicago.edu/~rtp1/papers/Fourier1827Trans.pdf
- Eunice Foote on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_Newton_Foote
- Foote (1856) – Circumstances affecting the heat of the sun’s rays: https://archive.org/details/mobot31753002152491/page/381/mode/2up
- John Tyndall on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyndall
- Tyndall (1861) – On the absorption and radiation of heat by gases and vapours, and on the physical connexion of radiation, absorption, and conduction: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstl.1861.0001
- Nils Gustaf Ekholm on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nils_Gustaf_Ekholm
- Ekholm (1901) – On the variations of the climate of the geological and historical past and their causes: https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49702711702
- John Henry Poynting on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Poynting
- Poynting (1907) – On Prof. Lowell’s method for evaluating the surface-temperatures of the planets: https://doi.org/10.1080/14786440709463737
- Venus on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus
- Mars on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars
Episode 5 – Papers
The first paper I go over is on determining paleo sea level from a beach ridge in Argentina. This research was part of the WARMCOASTS project, which I was part of. I briefly go through four other papers. Barker et al describe a rule to determine the timing of deglaciation and the start of a glacial cycle from orbital theory. Creel et al find that sea level was higher than present for a large chunk of the Holocene. de Wit et al present a compilation of Holocene sea level change in the Netherlands. Finally, Vacchi et al compile paleo sea level data from western Africa.
References:
- Rovere et al (2025) – Reconstructing past sea-level changes from storm-built beach ridges: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109659
- Barker et al (2025) – Distinct Roles for precession, obliquity, and eccentricity in Pleistocene 100-kyr cycles: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp3491
- Creel et al (2024) – Global mean sea level likely higher than present during the holocene: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54535-0
- de Wit et al (2025) – HOLSEA-NL: a Holocene water level and sea level indicator dataset for the Netherlands: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-545-2025
- Vacchi et al (2025) – Sea level since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Atlantic coast of Africa: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56721-0
Thanks to Alessio Rovere for some of the pictures used here, and of course for being a great mentor on investigating raised coastal deposits!
WARMCOASTS – Sea level and extreme waves in the Last Interglacial: This project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 802414)
Thank you to:
Raised Beaches Podcast logo by Aurooj: https://www.instagram.com/artbytinyleaf/
Sean for the Raised Beaches Podcast theme song
That Blasted Salami, who helped me get started: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5GTc4yWm-yiBFTuV3MsGaQ
Follow Dr. Evan J. Gowan on social media:
Mastodon: @DrEvanGowan@fediscience.org
Bluesky: @evangowan.bsky.social
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