The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy

May 17, 2018

Streamgages: Infrastructure to Protect Infrastructure

Today’s post is written by Sandra M. Eberts, U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologist and Deputy Program Coordinator (Acting), Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program Everyone is talking about infrastructure, especially the high cost of deferred maintenance and reconstruction. If only it were possible to keep infrastructure from degrading in the first place. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages can help do just that. The USGS National Streamflow Network has more than 8,200 streamgages—operated …

May 16, 2018

Infrastructure Week: NEHRP and the Threat from Below

Editor’s Note: During infrastructure week, AGU Public Affairs is highlighting how science helps to protect our infrastructure. Below is a re-post of a recent blog by leadership of AGU’s Seismology Section regarding current legislation to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and improve our nation’s resiliency to seismological activity. This legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Feinstein and Murkowski. AGU, in partnership with other societies like …

May 15, 2018

Can Supercomputers Do More for Future Human Resilience Than the Abacus?

Today’s post is written by David Trossman, Research Associate, University of Texas-Austin’s Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences Scientists like Joseph Fourier, John Tyndall, and Eunice Foot made discoveries that led Svante Arrhenius to calculate how doubling the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would affect global temperatures. This was one of the first qualitatively accurate models of the Earth system. And this was in the 1800s. The additional …

May 14, 2018

Infrastructure Helps Us, But Who’s Helping Infrastructure?

Imagine your (perhaps idealized) morning routine: your alarm goes off, you promptly arise and heat up some breakfast, read the news, shower and brush your teeth, and skip out the door to work. No part of this routine would be nearly so simple without waste and water management systems, telecommunications networks, the electric grid, or roads and public transit. However, it’s easy to overlook the infrastructure that supports our daily …

December 4, 2017

The Threat from Below: The Case for Reauthorizing NEHRP

Editor’s Note: This piece was written by the leadership of AGU’s Seismology Section, including: Greg Beroza (Wayne Loel Professor of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University, AGU Seismology Section Past-President); Doug Wiens (University of Washington, St. Louis, AGU Seismology Section President); Anne Sheehan (University of Colorado, Boulder, AGU Seismology Section President-Elect); and Eliza Richardson (Pennsylvania State University, AGU Seismology Section Secretary). The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) was established …

March 2, 2017

Amidst Cabinet Nominations, Congress Considers Science Legislation

The 115th Congress is now in full swing. With the flurry of cabinet nominations being considered, it’s easy to miss the legislation that has been or is being considered in Congress. In this blog post, we will give you an overview of some of the science-related legislation that is up for consideration or has recently been passed. Department of Energy Research & Innovation Act (H.R. 589)—Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX): The …

October 14, 2016

Crowdsourcing Geoscience: Transforming interest into data

As part of Earth Science Week, we’ll be highlighting different leaders in the geosciences – from research to education and community outreach. We are posting Q&A’s on The Bridge asking geoscientists about the work they do. Today’s theme is Geologic Map Day and one of our featured AGU members is Sudhir Raj Shrestha. Sudhir works at Esri as a Solution Engineer. He has a MS in both Physical Land Resource and Soil Erosion …

Mapping Earth’s History with an Eye on the Future

As part of Earth Science Week, we’ll be highlighting different leaders in the geosciences – from research to education and community outreach. We are posting Q&A’s on The Bridge asking geoscientists about the work they do. Today’s theme is Geologic Map Day and one of our featured AGU members is Margaret E. Berry. Margaret works for the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) and helps to create maps that reveal our planet’s intricate layers. She is part …

June 14, 2016

Congressman’s idea to privatize NWS forecasts gets icy reception among broadcast meteorologists.

By Dan Satterfield I’m hearing a lot of talk among my fellow forecasters about legislation (introduced by an Oklahoma congressman) that would privatize many forecast functions of the NWS. You might think that private sector meteorologists would support this, but almost every broadcast metr. I know has panned the idea. The quality of public weather forecasts is due to the cooperation between the public and private sector, and a survey of …

May 31, 2016

Geoscience research essential to national security, experts say

By Lauren Lipuma WASHINGTON, DC — Government investment in basic science research is critical to protecting U.S. national security, according to a group of government and academic researchers. Basic geoscience research has helped the U.S. develop nuclear weapons experts, protect satellites from space weather and manage critical water supplies, scientists said during a recent congressional briefing on Capitol Hill. The May 12 briefing highlighted national security as an important, but …