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Professor of Geology John Ritter |
"It's exotic, with beautiful beaches, rainforests, tropical foods and animals, indigenous music and minimal tourism," Ritter said.
Trinidad may be culturally remarkable, but it is not without its problems, according to Ritter. The Northern Range of Trinidad, which holds a large part of the population, is slowly sinking.
"The coastal communities in Trinidad and Venezuela will be impacted by rising sea level due to both climate change and tectonics as the western edge of the island subsides, which will have to be addressed by the respective governments," Ritter said.
He explained that the reason the Northern Range is sinking is that the lithosphere is thinning as it is stretched as the Gulf of Paria (the gulf between Trinidad and Venezuela) opens up. Ritter returned to Trinidad in July for an eight-day excursion, which included field trips, presentations, meetings and field work.
The trip was a part of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago's fourth Geological Conference. Ritter presented two papers - one dealing with the uplift of the Northern Range, and one evaluating the impact that development may have on future flooding and landslides.
Another motive for returning to Trinidad this summer was the opportunity to co-lead one of four field trips across the Northern Range, which included approximately 30 other geologists, many in the oil and gas industry. During the field trip, he "examined field evidence in its formation and change over time - in part the uplift and subsidence of the Northern Range."
"We presented our findings to geologists from Trinidad and international geologists working in Trinidad," he said. "A videographer, who accompanied us on the field trip and the producer of the documentary on coastal erosion also were able to gather information, footage and interviews of this work."
"I always hope my own science is important to others and benefits others," Ritter added. "The work that scientists do should have practical application and the implications of the work should be addressed. In this case, the work has important implications for evaluating coastal changes and erosion, and planning for future coastal development."
Ritter hopes to bring students to experience the tropical environment first-hand.
"The couple of days I spent in the field also allowed me to look at potential outcrops that we can use to further support some of this work in the future - hopefully next summer, with a student or two interested in geology or marine geology," he said.
Written By: Kelly Juravic '08
Photo By: John Strawn
098-07
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