On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, the Science, Technology and Business Division will welcome NASA Goddard Scientist, Dr. George J. Huffman, to the Library’s Pickford Theater at 11:30AM to discuss NASA’s use of satellite and surface data to understand the processes that create precipitation and how the results can be applied to analyze floods, droughts, and global weather and climate patterns; manage freshwater supplies, provide microinsurance against weather disasters in developing countries, and aid in forecasting agricultural production and outbreaks of some diseases.
When we think of natural disasters, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires and floods often come to mind, but landslides are one of the most prevalent hazards that exist. NASA scientists study all of these, and the next speaker in our NASA/Goddard lecture series, Dalia Kirschbaum, specializes in the remote sensing and modeling of landslides. Dr. Kirschbaum will …
The universe is full of plasma and magnetic fields actively swirling, spiraling, and colliding. These mighty magnetic mysteries can cause gigantic explosions of energy such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms which often enhance the Earth’s auroras. Space weather is influenced by these highly charged events which can then cause havoc with …
Did I get your attention? Then read on!! Can you imagine a world where you stepped out for a five minute walk on a nice day and came back with a sunburn? You could be living in that world if scientists and policy makers hadn’t worked together back in the 1980’s to avoid it. Remember …
If you live west of the Mississippi, then you are no stranger to living with the threat of wildfires. Generally speaking, the western half of the country is more fire prone, compared to the more industrialized East, with large tracts of forest and grasslands on state and federal lands–national forests, state and national parks, and …
There is no way around it- we live in the sun’s extended atmosphere. The dynamic activity of the sun and its changing behavior impacts us all. Why this might concern the citizens of Earth is that solar storms, however beautiful, can be a threat to our planet- specifically our electrical grid and technologies such as …
It is difficult to increase the accuracy of hurricane-intensity forecasts, but such improvements have the potential to save lives and property. Starting 50 years ago, scientists have pursued a line of inquiry that has tried to connect hurricane-intensity change to the existence of tall storm cells, called “hot towers,” that occasionally form near the eyes …
