NBII - National Biological Information Infrastructure
Geographic Perspectives - Central Southwest & Gulf Coast
Science and the Storms
(External)
Science and the Storms: the USGS Response to the Hurricanes of 2005
(External) Science and the Storms: the USGS Response to the Hurricanes of 2005 is designed to give a view of the immediate response of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to four major hurricanes of 2005: Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
Topics vary from flooding and water quality to landscape and ecosystem impacts, from geotechnical reconnaissance to analyzing the collapse of bridges and estimating the volume of debris.
The purpose of this report is to inform the American people of the USGS science that is available and ongoing in regard to hurricanes. It is the hope that such science will help inform the decisions of those citizens and officials tasked with coastal restoration and planning for future hurricanes.
Central Southwest Gulf Coast Information Node
CSWGCIN Map
Welcome to the Central Southwest Gulf Coast Information Node (CSWGCIN), your gateway to biological information for Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico, including the coastal areas of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. This biologically diverse region is undergoing rapid population growth. CSWGCIN will address the biodiversity aspects of sustainable development within the region through research into the applications of new geospatial data analysis and visualization technologies. CSWGCIN will create the foundation of a standardized, accessible, and digital collection of useful biological information maintained by a variety of partners, including governmental agencies, non-governmental and private sector organizations, and academic institutions.
Shortcut URL to this page: http://www.nbii.gov/CSWGC
Drought Information and Resources
What is drought?
Drought is a natural regular feature of any regional climate, including the Central Southwest Gulf Coast Region. Drought is defined as a deficiency in normal precipitation over a protracted time period, but can be exacerbated by unusually high temperatures and winds or unusually low levels of humidity.
Drought has a profound effect on people and the environment and although it is considered a natural disaster, the human demand for water magnifies its negative impacts. Drought can be very costly and destructive and the effects of drought are both direct (i.e. loss of crops) and indirect (higher food costs). In fact, the US spends more on drought mitigation every year than it does on any other natural disaster.
Check out CSWGCIN's Drought page to see information on drought in the region, with data information from September 2008-September 2009, and future drought indices.
Conferences of Interest
Partner Spotlight
In a non-partisan and collaborative manner, (External) Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) is a conduit from basic research to action that fosters the implementation of policies and technologies based on rigorous principles of social science, natural science, and engineering. HARC's research themes support sustainability solutions in ecosystems, water, air & climate, clean energy, the built environment, and environmental health.
(External) The National Wetlands Research Center of the USGS is a source and clearinghouse of science information about wetlands in the United States and the world for fellow agencies, private entities, academia, and the public at large. Staff members obtain and provide this information by performing original scientific research and developing research results into literature and technological tools. They then disseminate that information through a variety of means.
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