The biggest oil spill in history resulted in billions of dollars in settlements—and a massive scientific movement.
Hazards & Disasters
Posted inFeatures
Deepwater Horizon and the Rise of the Omics
Microbial genomics techniques came of age following the Deepwater Horizon spill, offering researchers unparalleled insights into how ecosystems respond to such environmental disasters.
Posted inFeatures
Modeling Under Pressure
At a critical moment in the effort to end one of the world’s worst oil spills, one scientist holed up in his office and pulled an all-nighter to calculate the well’s aquifer support.
Posted inNews
Podcast: Et Tu, Etna?
Global environmental calamity followed the death of Caesar. The source may have been a volcano in Sicily.
Posted inFeatures
High Water: Prolonged Flooding on the Deltaic Mississippi River
Changing climate and land use practices are bringing extended periods of high water to the lower Mississippi River. New management practices are needed to protect people, industry, and the land.
Posted inNews
Geodetic Data Pinpoint Earthquake-Prone Regions of the Himalayas
GPS measurements of the Indian and Eurasian plates reveal four locked segments most likely to produce large earthquakes.
Posted inOpinions
It’s Time to Revise Estimates of River Flood Hazards
Accurately assessing flood hazards requires a better understanding of the feedbacks between natural and human influences on the characteristics of rivers.
Posted inNews
Mapping Lightning Strikes from Space
A new technique spatially tracks lightning in real time and has been adapted by the National Weather Service.
Posted inFeatures
U.S. Readies Health Response for the Next Big Eruption
Forty years after the explosive eruption of Mount St. Helens, scientists, communities, and civic officials are evaluating plans to best protect public health before, during, and after an eruption.
Posted inNews
UN Report: 2019 Was Likely the Second-Warmest Year in Recorded History
In response to the World Meteorological Organization analysis, United Nations head António Guterres called 2020 a pivotal year to address climate change.