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Sharp increase in cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure
The number of reported cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure increased sharply – from 9 incidents in 2009 to 198 in 2011; water sector-specific incidents, when added to the incidents which affected several sectors, accounted for more than half of the incidents; in more than half of the most serious cases, implementing best practices such as login limitation or properly configured firewall, would have deterred the attack, reduced the time it would have taken to detect an attack, and minimize its impact
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Infrastructure security market to reach $32.55 billion in 2012
The global infrastructure security market, in terms of government spending, will reach a value of $32.55 billion in 2012; a new report says that spending on bolstering the cyber aspects of infrastructure security has little utility by itself unless the physical integrity of the infrastructure is also appropriately safeguarded
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More effective radiation detection of cargo, baggage
A new technique for radiation detection that could make radiation detection in cargo and baggage more effective and less costly for homeland security inspectors; the novel detection method relies on spectral shape discrimination (SSD), taking advantage of a new class of nanoporous materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)
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B612 Foundation unveils first privately funded deep space mission
A private group plans to launch its own space telescope and place it in orbit around the sun; the mission will collect information about Earth-threatening asteroids, but also look for asteroids that may contain valuable raw materials for mining
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Seismic sensors seek source of Spokane quakes
It has been a decade since a swarm of relatively mild earthquakes shook up parts of Spokane, Washington; now, armed with the right tools, scientists want to find out what was at fault
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First-of-its-kind CO2 sensor network deployed in Oakland
The City of Oakland will be ground zero for the first urban sensor network to provide real-time, neighborhood-by-neighborhood measurements of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants; the prototype network, being installed by chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, will employ forty sensors spread over a twenty-seven square-mile grid
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Greater L.A. to heat up an average 4 to 5 degrees by mid-century
A groundbreaking new study shows that temperatures in the Los Angeles region to rise by an average of 4 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the middle of this century, tripling the number of extremely hot days in the downtown area and quadrupling the number in the valleys and at high elevations
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Significant sea-level rise in a 2-degree warming world
Sea levels around the world can be expected to rise by several meters in coming centuries, if global warming carries on; even if global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius, global-mean sea level could continue to rise, reaching between 1.5 and 4 meters above present-day levels by the year 2300
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California coastal infrastructure at risk from rising sea levels
An exhaustive study by the National research Council finds projects that the sea level off most of California is likely to rise about one meter over the next century, an amount slightly higher than projected for global sea levels; this will place much of the state coastal infrastructure at risk, because significant development along the coast — such as airports, naval air stations, freeways, sports stadiums, and housing developments — has been built only a few feet above the highest tides; for example, the San Francisco International Airport could flood with as little as 40 centimeters of sea-level rise
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Seeping Arctic methane to pose serious problems for Florida coastline
Large quantities of methane gas are buried under the Arctic permafrost; the melting of ice caps in the Arctic causes this gas to escape into the atmosphere through vents; until recently, cryosphere (frozen soil and ice) has served to plug or block these vents, but thawing conditions have allowed the conduits to open, and deep geologic methane now escapes; methane is a very strong greenhouse gas, and its presence in the atmosphere has grown three times faster than carbon dioxide since the industrial era
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nCircle’s new solution offers coverage for six SCADA suppliers
Critical infrastructure is designated by DHS and the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) as the assets, systems, and networks so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, and public health or safety; nCircle offers a security solution which covers vulnerabilities from six SCADA equipment suppliers
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Carbon capture and storage likely to cause earthquakes
Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is a major component of the world’s greenhouse gas reduction strategy; to make a significant contribution to emission reduction, however, CCS would need to operate on a massive scale, potentially sequestering upward of 3.5 billion metric tons of CO2 each year; researchers say that the injection of massive quantities of CO2 would be likely to induce small temblors which would break the reservoirs’ seals and release the stored CO2 into the atmosphere
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Automated pavement crack detection and sealing system to extend roadways life
Researchers from the Georgia Tech Research Institute developed a prototype automated pavement crack detection and sealing system; in road tests, the system was able to detect cracks smaller than one-eighth-inch wide and efficiently fill cracks from a vehicle moving at a speed of three miles per hour
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New research into flood impacts in the South of England -
Researchers have developed and applied a method for understanding the effects and impacts of coastal flooding across the south coast of the United Kingdom, which could contribute to more effective flood forecasting, defense design, and land use planning
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Explaining extreme months
Two months in Midwest history — March 2012 and December 1889 — stand out as the warmest winter months in more than a century of weather records; scientists investigated why these months, separated by 123 years, were so exceptional
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More headlines
The long view
Helping Strengthen America’s Critical Infrastructure
By Corinne Dionisio
Everyday life depends on a robust infrastructure network that provides access to running water, communications technology and electricity, among other basic necessities. The experts who keep our national infrastructure secure and resilient also need a strong network to share their knowledge and train the next generation of professionals capable of solving complex infrastructure challenges.
AI and the Future of the U.S. Electric Grid
By Doug Irving
Despite its age, the U.S. electric grid remains one of the great workhorses of modern life. Whether it can maintain that performance over the next few years may determine how well the U.S. competes in an AI-driven world.