Interactive map of coastal flooding impacts from sea level rise

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts data viewer provides a preliminary look at how different amounts of sea level rise would affect coastal flooding in the United States.

In addition to overall flooding estimates, users can see the relative social vulnerability of coastal regions; areas currently already subject to coastal flooding; impacts on marshes; and the different levels of confidence with which predictions can be made in different areas.

Offshore Energy

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Background:

Offshore energy is a huge and growing resource:

About 18 percent of U.S. oil and natural gas is produced offshore and production is growing. Globally, the offshore provides 30 percent of oil and natural gas.
Offshore wind is also a growing source of electricity, especially in Europe. The U.S. has significant offshore wind power potential, but no commercial wind facilities are in development [2017 update: the first offshore wind project in the United States went live in December 2016 off the coast of Rhode Island].

Ongoing technological advancements assure all these resources will continue to grow while addressing heightened environmental concerns.

Our speakers are:

Buford Pollett, Assistant Professor of Energy Law, University of Tulsa | Slides Video
Eric van Oort, Professor of Petroleum Engineering, University of Texas at Austin | Slides Video
James Bennett, U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management | Slides Video

Webinar Co-Sponsors:

American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Geophysical Union, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Geological Society of America

Resources to learn more:

View this webinar's Question & Answer session
U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's Annual Report 2015
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2015, 2014-2015 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets about offshore energy.

Advances in Earth Science - Offshore Energy - Historical Perspective

Interactive map of the chemistry and mineralogy of soils in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey provides geochemical and mineralogical maps for the conterminous United States, based on sampling data with a spatial resolution of 1 sample per 1,600 square km, for a total of 4857 sites across the country. The resulting interactive maps allow users to see regional variations in soil chemistry at different depths in the soil.

Interactive map of carbon dioxide storage potential in the United States

The results of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Geologic CO₂ Storage Assessment (2013) are available in interactive map form. Detailed information is available on published and unpublished storage assessments for 36 sedimentary basins. Each basin can be clicked on for more information, including:

Interactive map of the United States' geology and natural resources

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Mineral Resources Program's interactive Geologic Map of U.S. States provides a large amount of information on geology, natural resources, and environmental data for every U.S. state, including:

Surface and bedrock geology
Mineral resources
Geochemical and geophysical data
Water monitoring sites
Partial soil and land use data

All of the maps are also available as Google Earth files that can be downloaded and used on personal computers and mobile devices.

Visualization of average per person energy use for each state

The U.S. Department of Energy's visualization of per person energy use allows you to explore what the average energy usage for your state looks like in the form of burritos, dynamite, and other more relatable metrics. Because most people can't visualize what it means to use 148,600,000 BTU, this visualization is particularly useful for putting personal energy usage into perspective.

The data for this visualization come from the EIA State Energy Data System and represent 2012 energy use.

Interactive drought risk map for the United States

National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC)

Interactive map of weather hazard warnings in the United States

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service Watch, Warning, and Advisory Display map shows up-to-date weather warnings and advisories for the continental U.S. The map covers a wide range of weather hazards including tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, tropical storms, flash and coastal floods, blizzards, winter storms, snow, freezing rain and ice storms, and high winds.

Users can click on individual parts of the map for more specific information down to the county level.

Interactive map of the geology of South Carolina

The South Carolina Geological Survey's interactive map provides an overview of the geology of South Carolina. Users can explore the map's simplified geologic units of the state's geology that were created by generalizing more detailed, larger scale information. The map can be used to determine the types of rocks and sediments that can be found in specific areas of South Carolina.

Click here to access the interactive map of the geology of South Carolina.

Interactive map of operating nuclear power reactors in the United States

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Operating Nuclear Power Reactors interactive map shows all the nuclear power reactors that are regulated by the NRC and provides information about the operator, model, and power output for each reactor.

Click here to access the Operating Nuclear Power Reactors interactive map

Source: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

American Geosciences Institute

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