Landscapes will respond to hydroclimatic changes associated with modern global warming, such as increasing extreme storms and wildfire, but to what extent is physical landscape change already evident?
United States
Saving Lives by Predicting Dust Storms
In the southwestern United States, dust storms form suddenly, quickly reducing visibility to zero. A new warning system may allow motorists to avoid these deadly hazards.
Modeling Groundwater and Crop Production in the U.S. High Plains
Innovative new research by a team of international scholars borrows modeling methods from ecology and applies them to groundwater sustainability.
An Unfought Geoscience Battle in U.S. Prisons
Prisoners, activists, and lawyers are fighting to protect incarcerated people from pollution and the dangers of climate change. There’s a place for geoscientists in the fight too.
Wildfires Threaten West Coast’s Seismic Network
A dense seismic network keeps vigil over the western United States, sensing quakes soon after they begin so people nearby can brace themselves. How do wildfires affect these guardians of the West Coast?
Winter Drought Relief Unlikely in Western U.S.
This year is still on track to be one of the hottest years on record around the globe.
Decrease in Lightning Recorded over the Lower 48
Researchers mining data from the National Lightning Detection Network found a 32% decrease in lightning counts in May and June 2020 compared with previous years.
Committed U.S. Power Emissions Incompatible with Paris Agreement
Without a significant reduction in usage, committed emissions from coal and gas plants in the United States are already incompatible with the country’s pledges under the Paris climate agreement.
Machine Learning Predicts Subsidence from Groundwater Pumping
Machine learning and data on aquifer type, sediment thickness, and proxies for irrigation water use has been used to produce the most comprehensive map of land subsidence in the western U.S. to date.
Sudden Oak Death Taking a Toll on U.S. West Coast
Researchers have been modeling effects of the plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum on coastal forests in California and Oregon since it arrived on the West Coast 3 decades ago.
