Tuesday, March 7th, 2017
New U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maps identify potential ground-shaking hazards in 2017 from human-induced and natural earthquakes in the central and eastern United States (CEUS). This is the second consecutive year both types of hazards are forecasted, as previous USGS maps only identified hazards from natural earthquakes. This research recently was published in Seismological Research
Tuesday, February 28th, 2017
In the second half of 2018, the European Space Agency (ESA) Vega small launcher is set to demonstrate its extended capability to deploy multiple light satellites using its new versatile Small Satellites Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser. This demonstration provides the first of the launch opportunities under the new Light satellite, Low-cost Launch opportunity (LLLor L3)
Tuesday, February 21st, 2017
The emerald golfing greens have seen better days. According to the U.S. National Golf Foundation, the number of players has steadily declined from over 30 million in 2005 (pre-recession) to 24.7 million today; 680 US and 158 Canadian courses have closed. “Golf course owners are working smarter to manage resources like water and labor more
Monday, February 6th, 2017
After Rwanda made waves in early 2016 for allegedly being the first country to approve drone delivery, people payed attention. The country, with its rolling hills and one of the fastest-growing economies in Central Africa, now has established regulations regarding drones and has become a vanguard of sorts for the region. “My impression is that
Wednesday, February 1st, 2017
More accurate, immediate and economical information on severe weather phenomena such as hurricanes soon could be available thanks to the Weather Hazard Alert and Awareness Technology Radiation Radiosonde (WHAATRR) Glider. According to project manager Scott Wiley, the vehicle could potentially save the National Weather Service up to $15 million a year compared to current methods.
Tuesday, January 24th, 2017
Hydrologists at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center are providing streamflow forecasts for watersheds within the Colorado River Basin, which includes some of the most parched land in the United States. “The forecasts we get from the center provide crucial information for managing our water resources and reservoir facilities,” said Dave Kanzer, a deputy chief
Tuesday, January 17th, 2017
The SWAP camera onboard the European Space Agency (ESA) Proba-2 satellite takes advantage of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths to capture the hot turbulent atmosphere of the Sun’s solar corona. To illustrate what SWAP does and what it can teach, ESA and the Royal Observatory of Belgium collected and published 366 solar images—one for each day of
Tuesday, January 10th, 2017
As part of the UK Space Agency’s recently launched International Partnership Programme (IPP) and its related Forests 2020 project, the agency awarded a contract worth more than £14 million to sustainability software and data company Ecometrica. The Forests 2020 project is expected to help countries improve management and protection across 300 million hectares of
Thursday, January 5th, 2017
A new study using a NASA satellite instrument orbiting Earth found that small, environmental changes in polar food webs significantly influence the boom-and-bust cycles of phytoplankton. These findings, recently published in Nature Geoscience, will supply important data for ecosystem management, commercial fisheries and understanding of the interactions among Earth’s climate and key ocean ecosystems. “It’s
Tuesday, December 20th, 2016
The Chinese seizure of a U.S. underwater drone in waters near The Philippines is raising international concern as well as highlighting the growing strategic and tactical significance of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). According to a statement from Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, “Using appropriate government-to-government channels, the Department of Defense has called upon China to immediately