Hurricanes and tornadoes seem to get all the press, but flooding kills more people annually than the other two potential catastrophes combined. “Flooding is so deadly because it can occur just about anywhere, and the rapid onset of the rainfall and the floodwaters often catches people off guard.” says Dr. Russ Schumacher, an assistant professor in atmospheric sciences.

“Although weather forecasting has advanced in a number of ways,” he says, “we are still way behind in getting the word out to people about flash floods. The deadly floods in Arkansas and Texas this summer highlight the need for improved forecasts and warnings.” Schumacher will devote the next five years investigating ways to better predict when and where heavy rains will occur and to determine if there are better ways to warn the public about the resulting flooding. Granted a $600,000 CAREER award over 5 years from the National Science Foundation, Schumacher will lead an investigation examining the difficulties of forecasting late spring and summer precipitation that often induce flash flooding. “Despite the great need for accurate precipitation forecasts and flood warnings, the prediction of warm-season heavy rainfall continues to be one of the greatest challenges in weather forecasting,” Schumacher said.

Experts say scientific ocean drilling legacy will last for generations

Scientific ocean drilling projects have broadened mankind's knowledge of Earth, opened doors to new fields and raised key questions for future groundbreaking endeavors, said speakers attending the National Research Council's Committee on Scientific Ocean Drilling.

A crew of scientists has returned to an undersea formation that has been an object of intrigue for half a century. The team is investigating one of the Earth's largest oceanic plateaus, Shatsky Rise, located about 1500 kilometers off the coast of Japan in the northern Pacific. Oceanic plateaus are immense underwater volcanic mountain ranges whose origin is poorly understood.