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earthquakes

Radar Satellites And Hazard Mitigation | Earth Wise

May 26, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Using satellites to keep tabs on natural disasters

Scientists have concluded that the changing climate is primarily the result of increased human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.  Some of the effects of global climate change include melting glaciers, warming oceans, intensifying storms, and rising seas.

Another consequence of global climate change is natural disasters like floods and wildfires.  Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires and increasing the odds of record-breaking floods in many parts of the United States and all around the world.

As a result, scientists in Australia have turned to technology for better assistance in keeping tabs on these climate change-driven natural disasters.  Researchers from Curtin University in Perth, Australia have found that satellites can improve the ability to detect, monitor, prepare for, and withstand natural disasters, including floods, wildfires, and earthquakes.

The research team used Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, which was acquired by the European Space Agency Sentinel-1 satellite.  The researchers also used data acquired by other satellites to evaluate these Australia-specific case studies.

According to the researchers, SAR data provides remote monitoring capabilities of Earth’s surface around the clock and in all weather, which is something that traditional optical Earth Observation (EO) imagery cannot do. The ability to function through fog, clouds, rainfall, and smoke is what makes SAR so valuable.

The research team says that the data can be used to improve how people track and respond to natural disasters, by precisely mapping topography, tracking movements of the ground, and mapping damage to infrastructure. 

As the climate continues to change, the ability to mitigate hazards like floods and wildfires will be increasingly important. 

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Radar satellites can better protect against bushfires and floods

Photo, posted May 11, 2007, courtesy of Bert Knottenbeld via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Drilling In California

May 16, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

More than one million acres of public and private land in California may soon be opened up to oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing, according to a plan recently released by the Trump Administration.  The proposal raises environmental concerns, and comes at a time when opposition to oil and gas drilling in the state is growing.  

The plan, put forth by the Bureau of Land Management, would end a five-year moratorium in the state on leasing federal public land to oil and gas developers.  In 2013, a federal judge put the moratorium in place until the environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, could be better evaluated.

Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure underground in order to crack open rocks and extract oil or gas.  Well-documented risks associated with fracking include air and water pollution, as well as increased risks of oil spills and earthquakes.

Nevertheless, the Bureau of Land Management, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, released its 174-page environmental impact statement with the proposal to open up 1,011,470 acres of land to fossil fuel extraction, impacting the California counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura. 

Unsurprisingly, the draft plan has been praised by industry groups who say concerns are misguided, and slammed by environmentalists who say the move poses a serious public health risk and could lead to a “fracking frenzy.”

The proposal is now subject to a 45-day period for public comment, after which the Interior Department will determine how to proceed.  A link to weigh in on the proposal can be found here.

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Trump fracking plan targets over 1 million acres in California

Bakersfield Field Office Hydraulic Fracturing Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Photo, posted March 14, 2010, courtesy of Mike Baird via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Earthquakes And Injection Wells

October 8, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-08-18-Earthquakes-and-Injection-Wells.mp3

The expanded use of injection wells and fracking has brought about a significant increase in earthquakes in places that didn’t have very many before.  Wastewater injection in Oklahoma increased earthquake totals from dozens per year to over 900 in 2015 before collapsing oil prices reduced the use of the technique.  Increased earthquakes in Alberta, Canada were triggered by fracking in that area.

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The Threat Of Man-Made Earthquakes

April 14, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EW-04-14-17-Man-Made-Earthquakes.mp3

According to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey, millions of people living in Oklahoma and parts of Kansas face significant potential for damaging earthquakes this year as a result of human activity.  The only other part of the continental United States facing a similar danger is California, which has natural faults lines slicing through the state.

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Fracking And Earthquakes

January 5, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/EW-01-05-17-Fracking-and-Earthquakes.mp3

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process in which water, chemicals and sand are injected at high pressure to split apart rock thousands of feet below Earth’s surface and release oil or natural gas.  And it’s a controversial practice. 

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The Zombieless Apocalypse

November 29, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/EW-11-29-16-The-Zombieless-Apocalypse.mp3

Post-apocalyptic fiction is all the rage these days.  There are numerous stories featuring an endless list of civilization-ending disasters:  asteroid collisions, cataclysmic earthquakes, nuclear wars, supervolcanoes, pandemics…  the list goes on and on.   Most of the time, humanity either perishes entirely, is reduced to a handful of heroic and astonishingly resourceful souls, or ends up inexplicably as zombies staggering around the landscape in search of brains.

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Human-Caused Earthquakes

May 10, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EW-05-10-16-Human-Caused-Earthquakes.mp3

Oklahoma has had its share of disasters over the years.  It has seen tornado outbreaks, massive wildfires, huge dust storms and even onslaughts of tumbleweeds.  But one thing it was not known for is earthquakes.

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Land, Water and Energy

January 28, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/EW-01-28-16-Land-Water-and-Energy.mp3

The city of Holtville in California is sometimes called the “Carrot Capital of the World.”  This agricultural community has signed an agreement with Australian company Infratech to build a floating solar power system for its water treatment plant.

[Read more…] about Land, Water and Energy

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