The leak took place along a preexisting section of the Keystone Pipeline. This is the pipeline’s fourth spill in 9 years.
Hazards & Disasters
Manure Happens: The Environmental Toll of Livestock Antibiotics
New findings suggest antibiotics in cow manure can alter soil microbial activity, with implications for soil fertility and carbon emissions.
Where Does the Carbon Go When Permafrost Coasts Erode?
Arctic coastlines have not been considered carefully in carbon cycles for long, but new research suggests that eroding permafrost may emit more greenhouse gases than previously thought.
Road Dust: A Health Hazard Hidden in Plain Sight
Legacy heavy metals from past industrial activity combine with traffic paint; asphalt; and bits of tires, brakes, and car parts to create toxic dust on our roadways.
Asbestos Fibers Thread Through Rocks and Dust Outside Vegas
Scientists found natural asbestos minerals in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The health implications aren’t clear, nor are the impacts on development.
The Hazard Cascade That Led to the Anak Krakatau Landslide
Researchers used a combination of ground and space-based measures to look for warning signs for the flank collapse at Anak Krakatau in 2018, which triggered a tsunami that killed hundreds.
For the Benefit of Humanity
This month for our Centennial, we look to AGU’s newest science, geohealth, and the related study of natural disasters.
Society’s High Stakes Game of Chance Against Nature
We can better understand the risks of natural hazards and develop more effective mitigation strategies when geoscience and social science perspectives are combined.
Future Remote Sensing Mission Holds Promise for Flood Monitoring
The 2021 Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will measure water surface elevation, slopes, and inundations of rivers as narrow as 50 meters.
Could Seismic Networks Reveal Hard-to-Detect Nuclear Tests?
In the age of monitoring nuclear weapons testing, existing regional seismic networks may be a key to discovering small, undetected explosions around the world.
