Monthly Archives: May 2011

Levees and the illusion of flood control

Levees have their uses in protecting communities from flooding – but they also create the illusion of safety that promotes further settlement and development of floodplain lands. Continue reading

Categories: by Anne, geohazards, hydrology, society

Chris talks earthquakes in Chicago

If any of you happen to live in the Chicago area, you’re at a loose end tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, and you fancy hearing yours truly talk about earthquakes, then I’ve been invited to give a talk at East-West University in … Continue reading

Categories: public science

New at Erratics – Biofuels: state of the science and industry

Will Dalen Rice becomes our fourth contributor to Earth Science Erratics with the first of three posts on The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, held in Washington, DC in April. Will offers the newbie’s perspective on the state of the biofuels … Continue reading

Categories: conferences, environment, links

Natural disasters may not always hit hardest where you’d expect

For many natural hazards, the actual risk is not purely a function of frequency and magnitude: politics, regulation and psychology are also a large influence on the potential human impact. Continue reading

Categories: earthquakes, geohazards, society

Flooding along the Mississippi River

In case other events have crowded it out of your news feed, there’s record-breaking flooding going on in the Mississippi River basin. Snowmelt in the headwaters, combined with weeks of heavy rains in the middle reaches of the river basin, … Continue reading

Categories: by Anne, geohazards, hydrology, Uncategorized