| CAUSAL INFERENCE FOR CLIMATE RESEARCH, DEPT OF EARTH AND CLIMATE SCIENCES |
Speaker:- Prof. Dr. Jakob Runge
Head of Causal Inference group, Institute of Data Science, German Aerospace Center, Jena, Germany and Guest professor of Climate Informatics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
Title:- Causal inference for climate research
In the past decades machine learning has had a rapidly growing impact on many fields of natural-, life- and social sciences as well as engineering. Climate research is one of the more recent fields of application. Machine learning excels at classification and regression tasks from complex heterogeneous datasets and can answer questions like "What statistical associations or correlations can we see in the data?", "What objects are in this picture?", or "What is the most likely next data point?". But many questions in science, engineering, and politics, and especially in climate research, are about "What are the causal relations underlying the data?" or "What if a certain variable changes or is changed?" or "What would have happened if some variable had another value?". Data-driven machine learning alone fails to answer such questions. Causal inference provides the theory and methods to learn and utilize qualitative knowledge about causal relations. Together with machine learning it enables causal reasoning given complex data.
Furthermore, causal methods can be used to intercompare and validate physical simulation models. In this talk I will present an overview of this exciting and widely applicable framework and illustrate it with some examples from Earth sciences and beyond.
Short bio:
Jakob Runge heads the Causal Inference group at the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Data Science in Jena since 2017 and is guest professor of computer science at TU Berlin since 2021. His group combines innovative data science methods from different fields (graphical models, causal inference, nonlinear dynamics, deep learning) and closely works with experts in the climate sciences
Meeting Recording:
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Access Passcode: rcu&Tv87 |
| ECS WEBINAR: The magmatic evolution, eruptive history and geothermal reservoir assessment of the Paka volcano, Northern Kenya Rift |
Dr. Geoffrey Mibei is working for the Geothermal Development Company as a Volcanologist. He has over 11 years’ experience in geothermal exploration within several fields in Kenya including Suswa, Olkaria, Menengai, Baringo, Korosi, Paka and Silali volcanic areas. He has also been involved in geothermal exploration consultancy work in Tanzania as a lead geologist. Other experience include being a member of the project implementation team (PIT) for the Baringo-Silali project. He was recently appointed to the well siting committee at GDC and as a geothermal training instructor in the annual international geothermal training program in Kenya.
Geoffrey has a BSc. Geology, an MSc. in Environmental geology from University of Nairobi and a Ph.D. from the University of Iceland majoring in Volcanology and Geochemistry. He has published 5 papers in peer reviewed journal and over 10 conference papers.
Start Time: Mar 2, 2022 01:38 PM
Meeting Recording Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/tCMcL3H39a2plbhvDrHdvmgiitNnfyW8v7ckRQdzfc-KYtnHQCVGAWudbFLnASRI.qMwgWDjyYaq8SpZt |
| Interim results of seismic imaging and earthquake analyses of the Turkana Depression region, Kenya and Ethiopia by Prof. CYNTHIA EBINGER |
CYNTHIA EBINGER
Marshall-Heape Chair, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA New Orleans, Louisiana
Professional Preparation
Duke University, Durham, NC BS, Marine Geology
MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography PhD, Marine Geology & Geophysics
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Nat. Acad. Sci. Postdoctoral Associate
University of Leeds, UK NATO Postdoctoral Fellow
Appointments
2006-16: Professor, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
1999-06: Reader, Professor, Royal Holloway, University of London
1991-98: Lecturer, University of Leeds, Leeds
Fellow, Geol Soc America and American Geophysical Union
Chair, American Geophysical Union College of Fellows
International Lithospheric Panel Advisory Board
East Africa Institute for Fundamental Research-ICTP Advisory Board (Kigali, Rwanda)
Talk abstract
We report the first results of the multi-stage, inter-disciplinary TRAILS project in the unusually wide Turkana depression of Kenya and S Ethiopia. The magma-rich Eastern rift, E. Africa formed near the eastern edge of the Archaean Tanzania craton in northeastern Tanzania, which has been affected by a deep-seated mantle upwelling, and provides an example of active rifting in a region with large lateral heterogeneities of lithospheric structure. Patterns of active faulting and magmatism in the East African rift indicate that lateral heterogeneities in crust and mantle structure influence the distribution of earthquakes, rift basins and volcanoes. Our results indicate that active faulting, magmatism, and lithospheric thinning occurs across a narrow part of the rift, and that the largest and most frequent earthquakes are concentrated at kinks or bends in the rift. Tomographic imaging indicates that the source of magma is located east of the rift, suggesting that the rift
Start Time: Jun 29, 2021 10:
Meeting Recording Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/uXRhihL-l34NsqfmkSxM28qWclzRQKOz-HuWIhdSWKIQQFLJV-Xb7fsX6TqZ6eEO.zEFsgYDvHxSGUaEI |
| LEVERAGING COP26 EXPERIENCES, LESSONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN COP27 |
The Institute for Climate Change& Adaptation (ICCA), Department of Earth and Climate Sciences.
Virtual Webinar: 8 June 2022 2 – 4 p.m. EAT
The ICCA Research Support Group (ICRSG) through the Institute for Climate Change & Adaptation (ICCA) and under the auspices of the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, University of Nairobi, invites students at the University of Nairobi to a webinar on engagement opportunities ahead of COP27 which will happen from 8 -20 November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Building on experiences and lessons learned from COP26 processes (pre, during, & post), the webinar will enhance capacity of students to 1) use their research agency to influence climate action in Africa and 2) leverage the COP27 platform, international research networks, and article 2.1 (c) negotiations in accelerating transformative adaptation research in Africa. This webinar, therefore, seeks to improve the preparedness of the University of Nairobi students for COP27 and beyond..
Start Time: Jun 8, 2022 01:43 PM
Meeting Recording:
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Access Passcode: !G0vR0zD |
| PUBLISHING IN THE NATURE JOURNALS - VIRTUAL LAB VISIT |
Speaker: Ms. SIlvana Lakeman
Description:
Publications are the currency of the research enterprise, however what happens after you click submit to a journal is often a black box. The goal of this session is to illuminate what happens behind the scenes in publishing. As an editor who primarily handles research articles, Silvana Lakeman will provide an overview of the process. The session will cover journal selection and the differences between various Nature outlets, and the editorial process – from initial submission to final publication. This includes how to overcome common hurdles in ensuring your paper is catching the attention of editors and reviewers for the right reasons, and examples of successful papers. Any and all questions on this topic, as well as on the Editorial career track, are welcome.
Biography:
Silvana has worked as an Editor at Nature Communications (a journal in the Nature family) since March 2021. She is a social scientist by training, with an MA in International Relations from Leiden University, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Bremen. In her own research, she has focused on environmental governance at the international organizational level, climate change mitigation policy, and disaster risk reduction, response and adaptation. At Nature Communications, she handles all manuscripts related to environmental social sciences, and is based in the journal’s Berlin office.
When: Jul 18, 2022 12:00 PM Nairobi
Topic: WEBINAR:- PUBLISHING IN THE NATURE JOURNALS - VIRTUAL LAB VISIT
Date: Jul 18, 2022 11:42 AM Nairobi
Meeting Recording:
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Access Passcode: j.N28jy9 |
| SEMINAR : GROUNDWATER RECHARGE AND THE AMPLIFICATION OF RAINFALL EXTREMES UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE by Prof. Richard Taylor, University College London |
Groundwater recharge and the amplification of rainfall extremes under climate change
Global warming presents major challenges to efforts seeking to expand and sustain water supplies across
tropical Africa in pursuit of UN SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 6 (Water and Sanitation for All), and 11 (Climate Action)
among others. Notwithstanding persistent uncertainty in the projected direction of change illustrated by the
East African Paradox, one robust universal impact of global warming, pronounced in the tropics, is the
intensification of precipitation, which is characterized by a shift towards fewer but heavier rainfalls.
1. Whatis the impact of this transition on terrestrial water balances and specifically the replenishment of
vital groundwater supplies?
2. Whatis the evidence to date from observations and how do these to compare to models used to
project climate change impacts?
Re How might these changes impact freshwater demand?
This webinar will interrogate these questions and seek to draw out potential policy implications to inform |_|
adaptation strategies resilient to climate change.
Start Time: Feb 3, 2022 01:43 PM
Meeting Recording Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/zqomiLyUlaIBfCvDPemVGAjM21rV0JkAqwNnWkQhrp_IhpfE2H-Fs0u9aozxOoYw.f6Pv_N13EDeilj_Y
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| THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH |
The Department of Earth and Climate Sciences of the University of Nairobi organized a free online webinar and discussions on the impacts of COVID-19 on geoscience research. The webinar will provided insights into impacts on departmental learning operations and field-based research, as well as an understanding of the impacts of the pandemic on the communities in the field-based laboratories (research areas). In addition, the webinar included student perspectives on CoVID 19 in the learning environment.
The REACH Kenya Programme based in the Institute of Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA) hosted the webinar. REACH is, in brief, a nine-year (2015-2024) programme to improve water security for five million poor people in Africa and South Asia by delivering world-class science that transforms policy and practice. The programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), brings together a consortium of global leaders in water science, policy and practice. In Kenya, the REACH Programme has established the Turkana and Kitui Observatories. Further information can be obtained from [http://reachwater.org.uk/]."
Topic: WEBINAR:- THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH
Time: Jun 28, 2022 02:00 PM Nairobi
Meeting Recording:
CLICK HERE
Access Passcode: 8JrtuG@b |
| WEBINAR: Observed urban groundwater contamination from heavy rainfalls: evidence from Uganda and Senegal Start Time: Mar 3, 2022 01:55 PM |
Prof. Richard Taylor, Hydrology University College London
Adjunct Professor of Hydrogeology at Makerere University, Uganda
On-site water supply and sanitation systems play a vital role in the pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water and sanitation for all) in many rural and low-income urban communities globally. Sustaining this conjunctive use of the subsurface for water supplies (e.g. shallow wells, springs) and sanitation (e.g. pit latrines, septic tanks) is especially challenging under conditions of rapid urbanization taking place in many African cities. High-frequency monitoring of groundwater quality reveals, in places, episodic faecal contamination in association of heavy rain events (>10 mm/day). What are key factors that determine the vulnerability of on-site water and sanitation facilities to contamination? What pathways does the rapid transmission of faecal pathogens to groundwater trace? To what extent might climate change exacerbate the risk of contamination to untreated, on-site water supplies? This seminar will interrogate these questions and explore not only the implications of these observations for how we measure access to safe water and sanitation, but also the potential of a new instant method for monitoring faecal contamination of water supplies based on fluorescence.
Start Time: Mar 3, 2022 01:55 PM
Meeting Recording Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/socqZD8NilXwZMEanFHlXxZdm_uVz-hQNQxis9jL7IiddMLQuXGtnPg9UfI0XN_H.XDoDtMQ02qyxTjqw |
