Peter K. Haff

Bio and Research:

I work on problems involving modeling of earth surface processes, such as the effects of erosion, weathering and creep, typically using cellular automata methods. Recently, I have become interested in neogeomorphology, the study of the change of the earth’s surface as a result of human activity. Today the surface of the earth is undergoing a change as profound as that that occurred in the Silurian with the emergence of vegetation onto the continents. By an incredible stroke of luck (for a geomorphologist), we are alive at a time when it is possible to observe the rare phenomenon of a global transformation of the earth’s outermost layer as neogeomorphology redefines classical geomorphology. More information on Earth Surface Processes A second area of interest is the changing technological environment. As technology accelerates, the technological sphere exerts an increasing influence on humans relative to the natural sphere. Our technological environment is expanding while our natural environment is contracting. Part of my work is devoted to understanding the implications for human beings of this difference in rate of change. Masters of Environmental Management: Projects in the Technological Environment I am also interested in the philosophy and practice of modeling and prediction. The ability of science to predict lies at the base of social support for science (including earth science), and in a rapidly changing world prediction of the future behavior and form of the surface of the earth is increasingly required. I am interested in the extent to which limitations on our predictive abilities lie in the models we make of earth systems, versus the extent to which such limitations lie in the nature of earth surface processes themselves.