Tag: Flooding

Impacts of Urbanization on U.S. Watersheds

by Casey Conrad, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
Urbanization is inevitable with a growing population, but what consequences does this have for the water we rely on? Cheng Li, a former visiting scholar at North Carolina State University from the Guangdong Academy of Sciences, along with USDA Forest Service scientists Ge Sun, Peter Caldwell, and Erika Mack modeled the effects of urbanization on…  More 

Climate Change, Streamflow, and Social Vulnerability: Locating Increased Risks

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
What happens when climate change or urbanization increases the frequency or severity of floods? How well can different downstream communities prepare for and respond to those catastrophic events? USDA Forest Service scientists and approached these questions in a new way. They developed a risk matrix that pairs the likelihood of high streamflow events – which…  More 

Invasive Plants Follow Land Abandonment after Hurricane Katrina

by Jennifer Moore Myers, SRS Science Communications  • 
The lot is overgrown, crowded with unruly shrubs, vines, and waist-high weeds. It is littered with old tires and garbage and is now home to a rusted Toyota Tercel. The air is heavy and buzzing with mosquitoes. This is the Lower 9th Ward, where U.S. Forest Service research forester Wayne Zipperer studied the vegetation on…  More