January 26, 2012

Lassen Volcanic National Park

--a wonderland of volcanoes and thermal features

• Lassen Peak, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range,explosively erupted in 1915, devastating nearby areas and raining volcanic ash as far away as 200 miles to the east
• Lassen National Park, in addition to prominent volcanic areas,contains the most spectacular array of thermal features in the Cascade Range including fumaroles, bubbling mud pots, and a boiling lake
• A new USGS map shows volcanic centers in unprecedented detail,enabling development of products to better evaluate and assess regional volcanic hazards

Flyer: jan12flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

February 23, 2012

Mapping a Flood..... Before it Happens

-- the new USGS FloodPath early warning system

• Historically, floods have been the most destructive natural hazard in the Nation
• The USGS and National Weather Service have developed an early warning system that produces online maps of tomorrow's floods today
• The new USGS FloodPath system maps a forecast flood 3 days before it happens, showing when and where floodwaters will be and the likely water depths

Flyer: feb12flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

March 22, 2012

Projected Climate Change Impacts in California

--the consequences of increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases

• How will decisions that the global community makes about emissions likely affect the future of the western U.S.?
• How will rising sea level likely affect coastal human communities and vulnerable ecological systems along the Pacific coast?
• What might changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations mean to human land-use and environmental systems throughout California, and the San Francisco Bay Area?
• What might Sierra snowpack, sensitive fire regimes, and species distributions look like in our children's and grandchildren's generations?

Flyer: mar12flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)

April 26, 2012

ShakeAlert!

--building an earthquake early warning system for California

• Millions of Japanese citizens received advance warning of the 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake -- can such a system be built for use in California?
• University researchers and government agencies are working together to create an Earthquake Early Warning system in California to reduce earthquake losses
• April is Earthquake Awareness Month in California -- how could you and your family best prepare for severe ground shaking using 30 seconds of advance warning?

Flyer: april12flyer.pdf (Acrobat PDF)