As lawmakers debate planned power outages as a Band-Aid to the nation’s wildfire problem, science hangs in the balance.
California
Posted inFeatures
Scientists Scramble to Collect Data After Ridgecrest Earthquakes
Ground shaking in Southern California, including a magnitude 7.1 temblor, triggered a massive mobilization effort to collect seismological, geological, and geodetic data.
Posted inNews
The Layered Legacy of Clyde Wahrhaftig
As the geologist’s beloved guidebook gets a digital makeover, his personal contributions to the field shed light on who he was as a scientist.
Posted inNews
Iconic Palms Add to Fire Danger in Southern California
As fires burn across Southern California, researchers examine what role nonnative vegetation plays.
Posted inNews
California Launches Nation’s First Earthquake Early Warning System
The country’s first publicly available, statewide warning system could give California residents crucial seconds to duck and cover before a quake.
Posted inNews
The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall
New research tracking 1.8 million trees found that tall trees died at more than twice the rate of smaller ones toward the end of extreme and persistent drought.
Posted inScience Updates
Exposing Los Angeles’s Shaky Geologic Underbelly
Current calculations might underestimate the susceptibility of Los Angeles to earthquake shaking, so researchers and volunteers are deploying seismic networks near the city to remedy a data shortage.
Posted inNews
Foretelling Forest Death from Above
A satellite-based early-warning signal may spot the start of a forest’s decline and give forest managers more time to save its life.
Posted inNews
Golden State Blazes Contributed to Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
A new case study investigates causes and effects of California’s 2017 wildfire season.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Most Southern California Mainshocks Follow Foreshocks
New research using a highly complete earthquake catalog shows that 72% of M4+ mainshocks are preceded by foreshocks, implying that foreshock activity is much more prevalent than previously thought.