california

Planning for Coastal Storm and Erosion Hazards

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Coastal hazards are a widespread challenge that cost millions (and sometimes billions) of dollars in the U.S. every year due to property loss and spending on mitigation measures. Based on the most recent U.S. Census, over 39% of the U.S. population lives in areas that may undergo significant coastal flooding during a 100-year flood event1. Additionally, six of the ten most expensive weather-related disasters in U.S. history have been caused by coastal storms1,2. Reducing risk and responding to coastal hazards is an ongoing challenge that relies on close coordination and cooperation between geoscientists, coastal planners, emergency managers, and communities at all levels.

An introductory talk and three case studies from around the U.S. cover coastal storm and erosion hazards in the U.S., as well as examples of coastal hazard planning from the Pacific, Gulf, and Atlantic coasts, with a focus on how geoscience informs planning at all levels. Speakers from California, Texas, and Georgia discuss the impacts of coastal storms and erosion, tools used for coastal hazard mitigation planning in their regions, and examples of community engagement and coordination.

Our speakers are:

Webinar Co-Sponsors: 
American Institute of Professional Geologists; American Meteorological Society; Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists; Consortium for Ocean Leadership; Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society; Federal Emergency Management Agency; Geological Society of America; Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers; International Association of Emergency Managers; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Geological Survey.

References:

1 Coastal Flood Risks: Achieving Resilience Together. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2 Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Table of Events. National Centers for Environmental Information

CEU Credits

To earn CEU credits, please complete the associated on-demand GOLI course that was developed from this webinar with a grade of 70% or higher and then submit your application for CEUs. CEUs are awarded from the American Institute of Professional Geologists. To view the full list of on-demand GOLI courses, please browse the GOLI course catalog.

Resources to learn more:

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets about coastal hazards.

Coastal Hazards: Coastal Storms and Erosion: Managing for an Uncertain Future

Interactive map of coal resources in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey's National Coal Resources Data System comes with an interactive map that provides a huge amount of information on the distribution, thickness, and classification of coal in the United States.

The interactive map contains over 250,000 data points, each typically representing a core sample, drill hole, or driller's log in a specific location. You can use the "Filter" tool to focus in on specific areas, or on data collected by specific organizations. Commonly available data include:

Interactive map of historical oil and gas production in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey provides an interactive map of historical oil and gas production in the United States from 1859 to 2005, including Alaska and Hawaii. In this map, the country is split into quarter-mile cells and the production status of all wells in that cell are aggregated for each time period.

The map can be filtered to show oil and gas production pre-1900, for each decade of the 20th century, and for 2000-2005.

Interactive map of wind farms in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey's interactive windFarm map provides detailed information on wind farms across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

By zooming in on the map, users can find the precise location of tens of thousands of individual turbines, with information for each turbine including the owner, generating capacity, on-line date, type of tower, blade length, total height, and the confidence with which this information can be given.

Water Infrastructure Project Wins a top ASCE Civil Engineering Award #water

Submitted by mmoses on

Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers
Photo taken from a helicopter of the Olivenhain Dam and reservoir near Escondido, CA. Photo by Phil Konstantin
San Diego county can rest a bit more easily should a major earthquake, or another disaster disrupt supply of water it imports. The 25 year project investing in San Diego's water infrastructure won the American Society of Civil Engineers' Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award.

Explore California Tectonics with AWG, Tanya Atwater and Art Sylvester

Submitted by mmoses on

Association for Women Geoscientists
Aerial view of the San Andreas Fault
The Association for Women Geoscientists announced that their 2017 field trip will explore California tectonics lead by pioneer of west coast plate tectonics, Tanya Atwater, and accompanied the first few days by Art Sylvester, co-author of Roadside Geology of Southern California (2016).

Atmospheric Rivers Increase Water Supply in California - But Only to a Point

Submitted by jlilek on

A series of "atmospheric river" storms have brought thirst-quenching rain to much of California, but much of that water is contributing to high - and in some cases dangerous, as seen with the Oroville Dam - levels of runoff. In the April comment for EARTH Magazine, Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center, provides timely insight into what he calls "a blessing and a challenge for California water managers." Read more in EARTH Magazine's April comment, live today at EARTH online.

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