Re: what does a geomorphologist do?

Dear Ally, For those who don't know, a geomorphologist is a person (a geologist) that studies the landforms of the earth like mountains, valleys, sea shores and glaciers. We try to answer the BIG questions, like: Why are some mountains so high and some so low? Why do some mountains have ragged peaks and others have really smooth tops? Why are there no mountains in Kansas? So, you want to know WHAT we do. Well, we do a lot of traveling because we usually have to go to the landforms in order to study them. This is called field work and it is the best part of the job. I have been to Hawaii three times now for my work - that is a nice bonus! Field work usually involves surveying, digging holes or trenches, studying the rocks at the site, mapping, installing monitoring equipment or checking the readings on equipment. For instance, I can survey the changes in a stream's width and depth after a large flood and then I would make a map of those changes to compare to earlier maps of the stream. Digging holes or trenches in the ground allows us see soil layers which are often clues of previous geologic changes like flooding, mudslides or earthquakes. Then we return to the office and review what we have seen in the field. We do most of our work on computers which allow us to create and print maps, look at satellite information and photos, do calculations and perform computer modeling. The basic job of a geomorphologist is really to make comparisons. All the field work and computer work gives us the information we need to compare similar landforms (volcanoes, for instance) or to compare how the same stream may change over the years. Some geomorphologists I know actually compare Earth's volcanoes to the volcanoes on the other planets! I recommend the web site "Geomorphology from Space" as a great reference. The book by the same title is now out of print but has been reproduced on the web site. You can find it at the following address http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/DAAC_DOCS/geomorphology/GEO_HOME_PAGE.html Best of luck on your repor