Documents suggest that in more than 80 U.S. locations, the failure of an aging dam could flood a major toxic waste site.
hardware & infrastructure
A New Tool May Make Geological Microscopy Data More Accessible
PiAutoStage can automatically digitize and send microscope samples to students and researchers on the cheap and from a distance.
Ocean Sensors Record Rare Triple Tsunami near New Zealand
A new suite of DART buoys in the South Pacific Ocean spotted waves set in motion by three tsunamigenic earthquakes that occurred within hours of one another.
Development and Climate Change Contribute to a Himalayan Tragedy
Infrastructure projects like roads and dams destabilize slopes and compound the effects of glacial floods and avalanches, scientists say.
Students Monitor Campus Noise in Seismic Silence
Researchers are engaging their students with low-cost seismology research to monitor local noise on campus.
Beast of the Central Arctic
Feast your eyes on Beast, the first remotely operated vehicle to brave the Arctic for 1 year.
A Floating Buoy Fleet Could Help Scientists Track Rising Seas
A new observing system to track mean sea level could piggyback on infrastructure already in place and extend the geographic area over which sea level is monitored.
How Infrastructure Standards Miss the Mark on Snowmelt
Nationwide, civil engineers consider precipitation values from NOAA to design their structures. But those values are missing another contributor to flood risk: snowmelt.
Fibers Pick Up Silicon Valley Traffic Changes During Quarantine
Fiber-optic cables measured a 50% decline in Sand Hill Road traffic in March.
Using Dirt to Clean Up Construction
The construction industry is one of the world’s largest emitters of carbon dioxide. Whether it can reduce those emissions depends on replacing its most common building material.