• INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTIONBurying Short Sections of Power Lines Could Drastically Reduce Hurricanes' Impact on Coastal Residents

    As Earth warms, people living near the coasts not only face a higher risk of major hurricanes but are also more likely to experience heat waves while grappling with widespread power outages. Strategically burying just 5% of power lines — specifically those near main distribution points — would almost halve the number of affected residents.

  • DISASTERSPuerto Rico’s Vulnerability to Hurricanes Is Magnified by Weak Government and Bureaucratic Roadblocks

    By Carlos A. Suárez Carrasquillo and Fernando Tormos-Aponte

    Hurricane Maria caused extensive damage to Puerto Rico’s power grid in 2017 that left many residents without electricity for months. Rebuilding it has been hampered by technical, political and financial challenges. Now Hurricane Fiona has, again, exposed the sorry state of Puerto power grid.

  • COASTAL CHALLENGESRapid Land Sinking Leaves Cities Vulnerable to Rising Seas

    Sea levels are rising as Earth’s ice sheets melt and as warming sea water expands, but many densely populated coastal cities around the world are more vulnerable to sea level rise because large amounts of their land are sinking. They suggest that an increase in industrial processes such as the extraction of groundwater, oil, and gas, as well as the rapid construction of buildings and other urban infrastructure may be contributing to this vulnerability.

  • EARTHQUAKESCracking the Secrets to Earthquake Safety, One Shake Simulation at a Time

    A new experimental capability, designed to replicate realistic earthquakes in the laboratory, paired with the world’s fastest supercomputers, will help lead to resilient buildings and infrastructure across the U.S.

  • COASTAL CHALLENGESRising Seas Threaten Tax Bases as Private Property Falls Below Tidelines

    New analysis from Climate Central quantifies the risk of sea level rise to the tax bases of hundreds of coastal counties across 24 states and Washington, D.C. as more land falls beneath the tideline. More than 48,000 properties are projected to be entirely below their states’ tidal boundary levels by 2050, with roughly 64,000 buildings at least partially below the high tide line. By 2100 more than one million properties with a combined assessed value exceeding $108 billion are projected to be at least partly submerged at high tide.

  • COASTAL CHALLENGESModeling Thawing at Base of Antarctic Ice Sheet

    Across Antarctica, some parts of the base of the ice sheet are frozen, while others are thawed. Scientists show that if some currently frozen areas were also to thaw, it could increase ice loss from glaciers that are not currently major sea-level contributors.

  • CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTUREThree Iranian Nationals Charged with Cyber Plots Against U.S. Critical Infrastructure Providers

    An indictment was unsealed Wednesday charging three Iranian nationals with allegedly orchestrating a scheme to hack into the computer networks of multiple U.S. victims, including critical infrastructure providers. The defendants’ hacking campaign exploited known vulnerabilities in commonly used network devices and software applications to gain access and exfiltrate data and information from victims’ computer systems.

  • POWER-GRID RESILIENCEBetter Human-Machine Coordination to Thwart Growing Threats to the U.S. Power Grid

    The U.S. electrical grid faces a mounting barrage of threats which could trigger a butterfly effect – floods, superstorms, heat waves, cyberattacks, not to mention its own ballooning complexity and size – which the nation is unprepared to handle. Researchers have plans to prevent and respond to potential power grid failures.

  • RISK PREDICTIONS“Prediction Markets” Could Improve Climate Risk Policies and Investment Decisions

    A market-led approach could be key to guiding policy, research and business decisions about future climate risks, a new study outlines. The paper details how expert ‘prediction markets’ could improve the climate-risk forecasts that guide key business and regulatory decisions.

  • CYBERSECURITY EDUCATIONNYU to Create Comprehensive Cybersecurity and Resiliency Program

    The quantity, velocity and variety of cybersecurity attacks worldwide reflect the proliferation of connected devices, advances in extended reality systems, AI, telecommunications, and global supply chains powered by the Internet. At the same time, there is a shortfall of cybersecurity and resiliency experts with real-world training and immersion in cutting-edge research and technology to face these challenges.

  • EMP THREATWhat Would It Take to Survive an EMP Attack?

    By Forrest M. Mims III

    We are increasingly vulnerable to both natural disruptions and military attacks on our power grids. An electromagnetic pulse impulses (EMPs) would destroy your electronics, leaving you and your surroundings intact — but without easy means of survival. Remember, almost all conventional power sources and the entire internet would be knocked out and might take many months to replace.

  • EMP THREATProtecting National Public Warning System from EMPs

    DHS released a report of operational approaches to protect the National Public Warning System from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The report summarizes recommendations that federal, state, local agencies, and private sector critical infrastructure owners and operators can employ to protect against the effects of an EMP event.

  • INFRASTRUCTUREIntense Heat Waves and Flooding Are Battering Electricity and Water Systems, as America’s Aging Infrastructure Sags Under the Pressure of Climate Change

    By Paul Chinowsky

    The underlying issue for infrastructure failure is age, resulting in the failure of critical parts such as pumps and motors. Compounding the problem of age is the lack of funds to modernize critical systems and perform essential maintenance. The consequences of inadequate maintenance are compounded by climate change, which is accelerating infrastructure failure with increased flooding, extreme heat and growing storm intensity.

  • COASTAL CHALLENGESAntarctica’s Thwaites Glacier Retreat Faster than Expected – with Spine-Chilling Consequences

    The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica – about the size of Florida — is already in a phase of fast retreat leading to widespread concern about exactly how much, or how fast, it may give up its ice to the ocean. The potential impact of Thwaites’ retreat is spine-chilling: a total loss of the glacier and surrounding icy basins could raise sea level from three to ten feet.

  • CRITICAL MINERALSHelping Alaska Map Critical Mineral Resources

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that Alaska will receive more than $6.75 million to conduct geologic mapping, airborne geophysical surveying, and geochemical sampling in support of critical mineral resource studies in the state.