A warmer atmosphere can hold more water – and that makes floods harder to predict. To help, we improved one common tool used to predict floods.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public research university devoted to engineering and applied science. It has the highest admissions standards of any public university in Colorado and among the highest of any public university in the U.S.
Mines has distinguished itself by developing a curriculum and research program geared towards responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources. In addition to strong education and research programs in traditional fields of science and engineering, Mines is one of a very few institutions in the world having broad expertise in resource exploration, extraction, production and utilization. As such, Mines occupies a unique position among the world’s institutions of higher education.
Since its founding in 1874, the translation of the school’s mission into educational programs has been influenced by the needs of society. Those needs are now focused more clearly than ever before. The world faces a crisis in balancing resource availability with environmental protection and Mines and its programs are central to the solution.
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Much disaster reporting simply chronicles events, but good journalism digs deeper and examines causes. Stories about Colorado wildfires have raised questions about risk, especially on fire anniversaries.
Newly released data show how the hundreds of abandoned mines in the western US discharge the same volume as the Gold King Mine spill every two days.
The dramatic wastewater spill in the Animas River is past its critical phase but given the long history of untreated mine waste, there will surely be more like it.
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Authors
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Assistant Professor, Division of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Colorado School of Mines
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PhD Candidate in Space Resources, Colorado School of Mines
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Postdoctoral fellow, Colorado School of Mines
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Fellow, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines
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Non-resident Fellow, Payne Institute of Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines
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Director for Technology and Innovation at the International Renewable Energy Agency and Payne Institute Fellow, Colorado School of Mines
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Professor of International Studies, Colorado School of Mines
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Payne Institute Program Manager, Colorado School of Mines
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PhD Student in Hydrology, Colorado School of Mines
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Assistant Professor of Geophysics and Hydrologic Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
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Professor of Public Policy and Director, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines
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Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
