Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
october 2014

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natural hazards

NASA to test unmanned aerial systems for wildfire detection

October 7, 2014

NASA’s Langley Research Center and the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have entered into a one-year agreement to test small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for detecting brush and forest fires in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Suffolk, VA. UAS could offer a safer, more cost-effective alternative than manned aircraft for surveying potential fires.

Wildfires often occur as a result of lightning strikes and can only be spotted by an aerial survey. Researchers from Langley came up with the idea after a 2011 lightning-sparked forest fire in the refuge lasted almost four months and cost more than $10 million to extinguish.

Following approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, the team plans to fly the UAS over the refuge after lightning strikes. The aircraft will use both an “out-of-the-nose” camera to spot rising smoke plumes and an infrared camera housed in the body to detect heat signatures. The cameras will transmit video to a mobile ground station for review by scientists.

Source: NASA

Scientists and policymakers continue efforts to study and prepare for earthquakes

October 17, 2014

This October marks the 25th anniversary of the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake, which struck the San Francisco Bay Area on October 17, 1989. Since then, scientists and policymakers have worked to better understand seismic hazards and implement strategies to reduce vulnerability. These strategies include updating hazard maps to reflect variations in ground shaking and revising building codes, as well as engaging the public through activities like the Great California ShakeOut and making earthquake information available in real time through an effort called ShakeAlert.

On October 16, more than 10 million Californians participated in the Great California ShakeOut, an annual exercise in earthquake preparedness. Approximately 25 million people worldwide participate each year. The ShakeOut is an opportunity for people to learn and practice what actions they will take before, during, and after a large earthquake.

Another effort currently under development is ShakeAlert, an earthquake early warning system that would provide seconds to minutes of warning before a quake. This added warning would allow trains to stop, power plants to shut down, and people to move to a safer location, saving lives and money. The system designers estimate the cost of a fully operational system in California to be $80 million over five years.

Sources: Emergency Management, The Great California ShakeOut, ShakeAlert, U.S. Geological Survey

Updated 11/4/2014

U.S. Forest Service study will examine wildfire effects on watersheds

October 16, 2014

U.S. Forest Service (USFS) scientists are beginning a three-year study to examine how wildfires affect water supplies. Water shortages are a major concern in the arid regions of the western U.S., and the risk of large wildfires increases as global temperatures rise. This study will help identify which watersheds are at highest risk and explore how problems could be mitigated.

Wildfires can affect both water quality and quantity downstream. For example, a large, high-intensity fire can burn most trees in a watershed, so that very little rainfall is retained by the bare soil. As a result, large volumes of water flow into drainages, leading to erosion, landslides, flash floods, and an influx of ash and sediment into the water supply. Conversely, overgrowth of vegetation due to lack of fire in an ecosystem can pull water from the soil and decrease runoff.

USFS scientists will investigate mitigation strategies like forest thinning and prescribed burns on a larger scale than previous work. The study results will have implications for more than 180 million people that rely on watersheds under USFS management.

Sources: E&E News, U.S. Forest Service

White House introduces new plan to protect federal lands from climate change

October 8, 2014

On October 8, the White House unveiled a new agenda to protect federal lands against the impacts of changing climate by conserving and restoring natural resources and carbon sinks. The agenda makes up part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, and details strategies to promote climate resiliency, community preparedness, and natural carbon sequestration.

The new agenda, “Enhancing the Climate Resilience of America’s Natural Resources,” outlines partnerships between federal agencies and local communities to monitor ecosystems and improve land-use management, and identifies four key strategies to protect federal lands. The strategies include fostering climate-resilient lands and waters, managing and enhancing carbon sinks, enhancing community preparedness through natural resource management, and modernizing federal programs to improve climate resilience.

The agenda was accompanied by climate-related programs and reports from several federal agencies. The Department of Agriculture announced a new competition to promote sustainable use of wood, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced plans to enhance resilience in coastal economies. The Army Corps of Engineers also released a report demonstrating that a third of its coastal projects will be impacted by sea level rise resulting from climate change.

Sources: E&E News, White House

Updated 11/4/2014