Weather and Earth Sciences Information

General

Weather plays an important part in emergency management, and frequently is the cause of natural disasters. Every year the U.S. is subject to tropical weather systems, severe thunderstorms, tornados, and other weather phenomenon which can cause floods, lightning damage, wind damage, damage from hail, flying debris, snowstorms, ice storms, extreme heat and other weather-related events. Weather in the form of lightning can be and frequently is the cause of wild fires. 

Click on the Weather tab to the left, and then on “Weather Links,” to be taken to the weather-related links page.

To date, weather related events have accounted for the vast majority of disasters that have occurred in the United States.

Geologic Events

Earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions are events which can also occur at any time. They can affect large areas of the country, and in the case of tsunamis caused by volcanic eruption initiated landslides, the entire globe. As with weather related events, it is important to remember geologic events play an important role in emergency management, even if the initial event was in another region of the country. They can even originate in another part of the earth. Volcanic ash plumes from a volcanic eruption in the U.S., as well as other countries have affected large areas of the U.S. in the past, and they will again.

Click on the Weather tab to the left, and then on “Geology Links,” to be taken to the Geology-related links page.

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Notice: This web site is copyrighted. The information and links contained herein are provided “as is,” and even though every effort has been made to assure their accuracy, no guarantee of accuracy is to be assumed, and is not claimed.

Landslides can be caused by heavy prolonged rainfall, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. If they are large enough, they can devastate an entire community. 

Academic Research and Labs

Academic research into weather phenomenon has dramatically increased in the last 25 years, and plays an important role in emergency management as well as our understanding of how and why severe weather occurs. Research labs work in partnership with Federal, state, and county agencies to provide timely information on severe weather events, so agency managers can better plan for and respond to weather-related events. 

See the Research page for links to research programs and labs.

Polar Weather

Polar weather is becoming increasingly important as it relates to global weather and climate change, thus the incidence of weather-related disasters. As emergency managers plan for future disasters, they will need to look ever more closely at how polar weather affects weather-related events in the U.S., and planning for future events.

Oceanography

Oceanographers who have been members of multidisciplined scientific expeditions have added significantly to our understanding of how earth’s oceans affect weather, how undersea events have caused disasters, e.g., the December 26, 2004 tsunami which devastated South Asia.

Global Climate Change

There has been much debate in the last few years regarding global climate change, and more so since the release of former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” On the Global Climate Change page I present a large number of links to web sites and research programs around the world which focus primarily on this important topic. Numerous television programs have and continue to focus on the topic as well. While I have my own opinions regarding global climate change, you are urged to look at what I present here, research additional sites and information on your own, and to formulae your own opinion.

Click on the Weather tab to the left, and then on “Climate Change Links,” to be taken to the Global Climate Change-related links page, or click here.

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