David William Leverington, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Geosciences

My present research emphasis is on terrestrial and planetary surface processes, arctic and subarctic studies, Quaternary studies, and remote sensing.

Much of my recent work has focused on 1) the study of surface processes and landforms on Mars, the Moon, and Venus, 2) the study of glacial Lake Agassiz and its impact on late-glacial North America, and 3) the development and evaluation of algorithms and techniques for generating geoscientific information from satellite images and other spatial databases, with an emphasis on studies related to surface materials and processes in northern environments.

Graduate student projects are available in areas including the following: 1) hyperspectral remote sensing of surface cover; 2) ground-based laser scanning of landforms for quantification of rates of surface processes; 3) topographic modeling of deglacial landscapes; and 4) investigations regarding surface materials and processes at Mars, Venus, and the Moon.

Courses taught in the Department of Geosciences:

1) GEOL 1303: Introduction to Physical Geology
2) GEOL 3301: Geomorphology
3) GEOL 5001: Problems in the Geosciences
4) GEOL 5341/4331: Digital Imagery in the Geosciences

Supplementary course materials for GEOL 1303 (Spring 2008) are available for Section 1 here; materials for GEOL 5341/4331 (Spring, 2008) are available here (passwords required).


CAREER AND EDUCATION

2005-pres.
Assistant Professor (tenure track), Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.

2001-2005.
Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate, Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

2001-2001.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

1996-2001
Ph.D., Geological Sciences, Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Thesis: "Discriminating Lithology in Arctic Environments from Earth Orbit: An Evaluation of Satellite Imagery and Classification Algorithms".

1993-1995
M.Sc., Earth Science, Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.
Thesis: "Prediction of 'Depth to Late-Summer Frozen Ground' Using Satellite Imagery and Digital Topographic Data, Mayo, Yukon Territory".

1988-1992
B.A. (Hon.), Physical Geography, (Magna Cum Laude), Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.


JOURNAL AND CHAPTER CONTRIBUTIONS

Leverington, D.W., 2007, "Was the Mangala Valles system incised by volcanic flows?", Journal of Geophysical Research. 112, E11005, doi:10.1029/2007JE002896.

Thompson, T.W., Campbell, B.A., Ghent, R.R., Hawke, B.R., Leverington, D.W., 2006, "Radar probing of planetary regoliths: An example from the northern rim of Imbrium Basin", Journal of Geophysical Research, 111: E06S14, doi:10.1029/2005JE002566.

Leverington, D.W., 2006, "Volcanic processes as alternative mechanisms of landform development at a candidate crater-lake site near Tyrrhena Patera, Mars", Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, E11002, doi:10.1029/2004JE002382.

Duguay, C.R., Zhang, T., Leverington, D.W., Romanovsky, V.E., 2005, "Satellite remote sensing of permafrost and seasonally frozen ground", In Remote Sensing in Northern Hydrology: Measuring Environmental Change (C.R. Duguay and A. Pietroniro, Eds), Geophysical Monograph 163, American Geophysical Union, pp.91-118.

Leverington, D.W., Moon, W.M., 2005, "On the use of consensus algorithms to address variability in the results of neural network classifications: Preliminary tests involving two northern study areas", Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 31: 269-273.

Clarke, G.K.C., Leverington, D.W., Teller, J.T., Dyke, A.S., Marshall, S.J., 2005, "Fresh arguments against the Shaw megaflood hypothesis - A reply to comments by David Sharpe", Correspondence, Quaternary Science Reviews, 24: 1533-1541.

Ghent, R.R., Leverington, D.W., Campbell, B.A., Hawke, B.R., Campbell, D.B., 2005, "Earth-based observations of radar-dark crater haloes on the Moon: Implications for regolith properties", Journal of Geophysical Research, 110: E02005, doi:10.1029/2004JE002366.

Leverington, D.W., 2004. "Volcanic rilles, streamlined islands, and the origin of outflow channels on Mars", Journal of Geophysical Research, 109: E10011, doi:10.1029/2004JE002311.

Leverington, D.W., Maxwell, T.A., 2004. "An igneous origin for features of a candidate crater-lake system in western Memnonia, Mars", Journal of Geophysical Research, 109: E06006, doi:10.1029/2004JE002237.

Teller, J.T., Leverington, D.W., 2004. "Glacial Lake Agassiz: A 5000-year history of change and its relationship to the del 18O record of Greenland", Geological Society of America Bulletin, 116: 729-742.

Leverington, D.W., Ghent, R.R., 2004. "Differential subsidence and rebound in response to changes in water loading on Mars: Possible effects on the geometry of ancient shorelines", Journal of Geophysical Research, 109: E01005, doi:10.1029/2003JE002141.

Clarke, G.K.C., Leverington, D.W., Teller, J.T., Dyke, A.S., 2004. "Paleohydraulics of the last outburst flood from glacial Lake Agassiz and the 8200 BP cold event", Quaternary Science Reviews, 23: 389-407.

Leverington, D.W., Teller, J.T., 2003. "Paleotopographic reconstructions of the eastern outlets of glacial Lake Agassiz", Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 40: 1259-1278.

Clarke, G.K.C., Leverington, D.W., Teller, J.T., Dyke, A.S., 2003. "Superlakes, megafloods, and abrupt climate change", invited 'Perspectives' article, Science, 301: 922-923.

Irwin, R.P., Maxwell, T.A., Howard, A.D., Craddock, R.A., Leverington, D.W., 2002. "A large paleolake basin at the head of Ma'adim Vallis, Mars", Science, 296: 2209-2212.

Leverington, D.W., Mann, J.D., Teller, J.T., 2002. "Changes in the bathymetry and volume of glacial Lake Agassiz between 9200 and 7600 14C yr B.P.", Quaternary Research, 57: 244-252.

Teller, J.T., Leverington, D.W., Mann, J.D., 2002. Freshwater outbursts to the oceans from glacial Lake Agassiz and global change during the last deglaciation", Quaternary Science Reviews, 21: 879-887.

Leverington, D.W., Teller, J.T., Mann, J.D., 2002. "A GIS method for reconstruction of Late Quaternary landscapes from isobase data and modern topography", Computers and Geosciences, 28: 631-639.

Leverington, D.W., Mann, J.D., Teller, J.T., 2000. "Changes in the bathymetry and volume of glacial Lake Agassiz between 11,000 and 9300 14C yr B.P.", Quaternary Research, 54: 174-181.

Mann, J.D., Leverington, D.W., Rayburn, J.A., Teller, J.T., 1999. "The volume and paleobathymetry of glacial Lake Agassiz", Journal of Paleolimnology, 22: 71-80.

Leverington, D.W., Duguay, C.R., 1997. "A neural network method to determine the presence or absence of permafrost near Mayo, Yukon Territory, Canada", Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 8: 205-215.

Leverington, D.W., Duguay, C.R., 1996. "Evaluation of three supervised classifiers in mapping 'depth to late-summer frozen ground', central Yukon Territory", Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 22: 163-174.

Leverington, D.W., 1995. "A field survey of 'late-summer depths to frozen ground' at two study areas near Mayo, Y.T., Canada", Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 6: 373-379.


SELECTED RECENT CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTIONS

Leverington, D.W., 2007. "Was the Mangala Valles system incised by volcanic flows?", Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Abstract 1458, Houston, Texas, March.

Leverington, D.W., Matile, G., 2006. "Correlation of Lake Agassiz shoreline deposits through reconstruction of late-glacial paleotopography", Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Abstract H53B-0633, San Francisco, California, December.

Leverington, D.W., 2006. “Discrimination of surface lithologies on eastern Melville Island, Canadian High Arctic: Ongoing investigations involving TM and Hyperion datasets”, 9th Bi-Annual Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium, Seward, Alaska, May.

Leverington, D.W., 2005. “Evaluation of candidate crater-lake sites on Mars”, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Abstract 1522, Houston, Texas, March.

Leverington, D.W., 2004. “Volcanic resurfacing as an alternative mechanism for formation of Martian crater lake features”, American Geophysical Union Annual Spring Meeting, Abstract P33D-08, Montreal, Quebec, May.

Leverington, D.W., Maxwell, T.A., 2004. "A critical evaluation of crater lake systems in Memnonia Quadrangle, Mars", Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Abstract 1439, Houston, Texas, March.

Leverington, D.W., Teller, J.T., 2003. “Catastrophic floods through the eastern outlets of glacial Lake Agassiz: Drainage routes and event magnitudes”, Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Abstract H52A-1180, San Francisco, California, December.

Leverington, D.W., 2003. “Preliminary results from a survey of candidate permafrost and periglacial features on Mars”, Third International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration, Abstract 8013, Lake Louise, Alberta, October.

Leverington, D.W., 2002. “Empirical determinations of the extent and form of ice-proximal water bodies in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago during the last deglaciation”, American Geophysical Union Annual Spring Meeting, Abstract U42A-13, Washington, DC, May.


ACADEMIC AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

2001 Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
2001 Winthrop Spencer Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Geological Research, U.Manitoba
2000 Geological Association of Canada - Graduate Seminar Prize, University of Manitoba
1999 University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship
1998 TransCanada Pipelines Graduate Fellowship in Science, University of Manitoba
1998 Dr. George Brownell Memorial Prize, University of Manitoba
1998 Rita Wadien Memorial Scholarship, University of Manitoba
1998 UMSU Scholarship for Excellence in Academics, University of Manitoba
1998 J.S. Lightcap Award, University of Manitoba
1998 Duff Roblin Graduate Fellowship, University of Manitoba
1997 UMSU Scholarship for Excellence in Academics, University of Manitoba
1996 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship, U.Manitoba
1996 University of Ottawa Excellence Scholarship
1994 Supplementary Research Scholarship, University of Ottawa
1993 Supplementary Research Scholarship, University of Ottawa
1993 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship, U.Ottawa
1992 University of Ottawa Excellence Scholarship
1991 Summer Internship: Lunar and Planetary Institute / NASA Johnson Space Center
1990 Zaborski-Castonguay Scholarship, University of Ottawa

Returning to base camp along the shore of Tingmisut Lake, Melville Island, Canadian High Arctic
(photo by Ian Fieldhouse)