Natural Disasters

Explore Every Tornado Across the United States Since 1980 Through This Interactive Map

See why they call it Tornado Alley, but don't be fooled into thinking a tornado can't happen in your own backyard

A Haitian woman collects peanuts in 2012.

California's Not the Only Place With a Drought, and Haitians are Faring Much, Much Worse

A string of disasters has made it hard for Haitians to weather the ongoing drought

Aerial view of the damaged site at Dawlish taken from the Network Rail helicopter

Flooding in the UK Causing Travel Nightmares

Last week, the seawall holding up part of a key railway line went down

20 Years Ago Today, the Northridge Earthquake Rocked L.A.

Sixty people died and thousands were left homeless in one of the most deadly earthquakes in American history

Nuclear tests, such as Operation Redwing in 1956, deposited radioactive plutonium and cesium in the atmosphere.

Plutonium From Nuclear Tests Lingers in the Atmosphere

Don’t worry, scientists say that it’s not a threat to human health but instead could be a marker of how air circulates

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Costa Rica on September 5, 2012, producing a strong shaking through much of the country.

Scientists Successfully Forecasted the Size and Location of an Earthquake

Well before Costa Rica shook in a magnitude 7.6 quake in September 2012, geoscientists forecasted that the region was due for a magnitude 7.7 to 7.8 quake

This Past November Was the Hottest November Ever Recorded

In the 134-year observational record, we've never had a hotter November

Scientists had to use a remotely operated vehicle to retrieve temperature sensors from a borehole drilled into the Japan Trench, 6,900 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Fault That Caused Japan's 2011 Earthquake Is Thin and Slippery

A group of scientists drilled miles beneath the Pacific Ocean, uncovering conditions that made the Tohoku-Oki earthquake and tsunami so devastating

Large swaths of Brazil’s Amazon have been wiped out, but deforestation there is starting to slow.

Hotspots of Deforestation Revealed in New Maps

New maps of global forest loss find that while Brazil is decreasing its rate of deforestation, many other nations are rapidly losing forest cover

The accelerometer chip in iPhones can accurately detect seismic movement, and perhaps even provide a few crucial seconds of warning before the most energetic waves from an earthquake arrive.

Your Smartphone Could Someday Warn You That Earthquake Waves Are About to Hit

The accelerometer chip in iPhones can detect seismic movement and may even provide a few seconds of warning before the most violent shaking strikes

Risk analysis groups have detected an increased frequency of Atlantic hurricanes due to climate change, forcing insurance companies to rethink their models.

How the Insurance Industry Is Dealing With Climate Change

The rising chance of extreme weather is forcing insurance companies to adjust their models as they take on more risk

None

We Can Handle a Hurricane or Tornado, But What About a Mega-Disaster?

None

Warming, Rising Acidity and Pollution: Top Threats to the Ocean

Since the last World Oceans Day, we've documented trash in the deep sea, sea snails with acid-weakened shells, high ocean temperatures and more

None

Which Primate Is the Most Likely Source of the Next Pandemic?

To help anticipate the next outbreak of an emerging infectious disease, scientists scrutinize our closest relatives in the animal kingdom

None

The Colorado: America’s Most Endangered River

A new report points to drought, climate change and increased demand for water as the reasons the iconic river no longer reaches the sea

None

New Web Tool Helps Avoid Flooding by Finding the Best Spots to Build Wetlands

Specifically placed small wetlands can help capture watershed runoff, helping city planners to guard against flood disasters

Landslides can be both sudden and devastating to people living in the shadows of mountains. This one, which slid in 2006 in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte, killed more than 1000 people.

Landslide “Quakes” Give Clues to the Location and Size of Debris Flows

Scientists can now quickly assess characteristics of a landslide soon after slopes fail, based on its seismic signature

Locusts covering a bush during the 2004 swarm near the Red Sea cost in Israel.

A Plague of Locusts Descends Upon the Holy Land, Just in Time for Passover

Israel battles a swarm of millions of locusts that flew from Egypt that is giving rise to a host of ecological, political and agricultural issues

Melting sea ice is a threat to many Arctic species, including polar bears.

How Climate Change Affects the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough looks at how our scientists are studying our changing climate

A dark Manhattan after Superstorm Sandy

Can We Ever Stop Worrying About Blackouts?

Only if utility companies are able to make their power grids smart enough to spot outages and "heal" themselves

Page 18 of 21