Hazards
Site news
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Stanford scientists have developed a new method for identifying rare earthquakes in the Earth’s upper mantle, under the continents. The research enhances understanding of how continental mantle earthquakes relate to broader seismic activity, which may lead to improved earthquake risk assessment and preparedness.
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Ripples of air known as atmospheric gravity waves can influence the polar vortex, severe winter weather, and long-term climate patterns. Using AI and machine learning, researchers have developed a way to realistically represent their effects in global climate models.
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An ambitious initiative is tackling the pervasive issue of lead contamination, which exerts a heavy toll on global health. Researchers aim to identify major sources of lead exposure and develop affordable detection methods in communities worldwide.
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What drives atmospheric rivers? Da Yang explains how these "rivers in the sky" gain and lose momentum, and how researchers are studying their physical properties to improve forecasts and reduce risks.
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Scientists have discovered wintertime seismic activity in the ocean around Antarctica controls summer growth of phytoplankton, tiny organisms that fuel the marine food web and sequester huge amounts of carbon from Earth’s atmosphere.
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Adam Pellegrini engages in collaborations and field experiments across the globe to examine how ecosystems respond to global change and predict their resilience to major disturbances, such as wildfires, droughts, and disease outbreaks.
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Using AI to analyze Google Street View images of damaged buildings across 16 states, Stanford researchers found that destroyed buildings in poor areas often remained empty lots for years, while those in wealthy areas were rebuilt bigger and better than before.
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Gas and propane stoves emit substantial amounts of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to higher risks of asthma, heart and lung disease, and other conditions. A Stanford-led study finds switching from a gas to electric stove would cut nitrogen dioxide exposure across the U.S. by over one half, reducing the risk of asthma.
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Weather patterns that produced five severe heat waves in Europe over the past 30 years could kill thousands more people if repeated in today’s hotter global climate, a new study finds. Rapid acceleration of efforts to adapt to greater extremes could save lives.
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New research finds damage to rice crops has accelerated in recent decades due to rainstorms that increasingly submerge young plants for a week or more. Adoption of flood-resistant rice varieties in vulnerable regions could help avert future losses.
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In many parts of the world, staple crops such as maize and wheat are dependent on rainfall recycled from land rather than oceans, making them more vulnerable to drought. Researchers at Stanford and the University of California San Diego identified a critical threshold in atmospheric moisture sources that could help predict and prevent future crop failures.
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Analysis by Stanford researchers shows how strategic investment in undergrounding power lines could shave hours off some long lasting blackouts tied to extreme weather.
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Wildfires are threatening lives, infrastructure, and public health systems across the West. Bay Area fire management officials are implementing effective prevention measures – from prescribed burns to home-hardening rebate programs – yet crucial research gaps remain.
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Stanford researchers are uncovering the journey of microplastics in our environment and their effects on human health, while developing practical solutions to mitigate their impact.
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Wildfire smoke increasingly threatens lives across the country. A new study shows smoke exposure in the coming decades will cause tens of thousands of excess deaths and predicts where exposure will occur so communities and policymakers can prepare for the health burden.
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A new global study finds that extreme weather may trap many populations in place even as it increases migrations of other groups. The analysis shows that age and education strongly shape who migrates in response to severe heat, cold, floods, and droughts.
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A new AI model detects thousands of previously unseen earthquakes in near real time, helping scientists understand changes in an Italian volcanic area where earthquakes have been intensifying since 2018.
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Scholars including Daniel Neamati, a TomKat Center Graduate Fellow, and Tadashi Fukami, a professor of Earth system science, rely on aerial imagery to enhance their understanding of landscape changes and ecological recovery at at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma).
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How do extreme weather events and disasters affect communities long term? Solomon Hsiang explains the consequences for economic growth and human health, and how research can inform better emergency management, mitigation planning, and response.
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While rising temperatures in California are causing fewer cold-related deaths, new research shows hotter temperatures significantly increase emergency department visits – a previously overlooked consequence of climate change that could place greater burden on the healthcare system.
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Adolescents living in flood-prone areas of Bangladesh face dramatically higher rates of anxiety and depression than their peers in lower-risk regions, according to a Stanford-led study that highlights a hidden cost of climate change with potentially devastating long-term consequences.
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Ettore Biondi uses fiber sensing technologies and dense seismic sensor networks to understand the underlying mechanisms and subsurface structures driving geophysical processes such as volcanic system dynamics and earthquake physics.
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How can air quality policies adapt to the new world of pollution trends shaped by wildfire smoke? Learn about the growing problem of air polluted by wildfire smoke, and what the data show about policies that can make a difference.
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With support from the TomKat Center’s Graduate Fellowship in Translational Research, PhD student Daniel Neamati is modeling prescribed burns to better manage wildfires.
