Low-cost infrasound sensors, deployed in large numbers, provide a practical means of data collection near volcanoes, earthquakes, wildfires, and other geophysical phenomena.
wildfires
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Want to Predict Wildfire Severity? Look to the State of Vegetation
A new study connects satellite data on vegetation condition, topography, and weather conditions to examine the predicted versus actual burn severity of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Wildfires Worsen Flood Risk
A new approach to analyzing watersheds shows how storms occurring after a wildfire can have higher flooding risk than similar storms that occurred before a fire.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Weather Radar Data Reveal the Dynamics of Rapidly Spreading Wildfires
New research demonstrates the use of operational weather radar measurements to track long-range ember fallout and rapid spread of intense wildfires.
Posted inNews
Alaska’s Wildfires Heat the Planet, but Canada’s Cool It
Using 2 decades of satellite data, researchers learned that wildfires in North America don’t follow the same script: In western Canada, snow reflectivity drives a cooling effect, whereas in Alaska, permafrost burning leads to net warming.
Posted inScience Updates
An Art-Science Partnership Offering New Views of Dynamic Landscapes
The immersive and interactive WILDLAND exhibition allowed the public—and the exhibition’s creators—to explore connections among water, trees, fire, and other natural and human-made materials expressed across a spectrum of artistic approaches.
Posted inResearch & Developments, Uncategorized
Senate Committee Approves Bill to Expand NOAA Capabilities
The markup meeting, to discuss the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2026 and the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026, lasted less than 20 minutes.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Satellite View of the California Wildfires of January 2025
Satellite observations of the southern California wildfires of 2025 reveal that almost all the burned areas were reached by fire within 24 hours, and wildfires in residential areas burned more intensely than nearby natural vegetation fires at night.
Posted inNews
Wildfire Smoke Linked to 17,000 Strokes Annually in the United States
A study of 25 million Medicare participants adds to a body of evidence suggesting that prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke is more harmful to human health than other forms of air pollution.
Posted inNews
Fungal Spores in Wildfire Smoke Could Cause Lung Disease
Mice exposed to fungi spready by wildfires developed symptoms, exposing a potential health hazard to humans that has been understudied.