"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Author: Isaac Gendler
How Growing Transmission Needs Can Be Detrimental for Resilience
12/29/19
“Why is the growing demand for electricity potentially a resilience liability?”
With the growing demand for renewable energy and electricity in general, transmission lines are expected to grow in the future. however, having more transmission lines also increases liability to natural disasters, whether it be from hurricanes or wildfires. This is How Growing Transmission Needs Can Be Detrimental for Resilience.
Why Resilience Needs More Common Definitions
12/28/19
“Why does the field of resilience need to have more common definitions?”
The field of resilience is pipe nascent as a professional form and is growing rapidly. Because of this, people from a myriad of different fields are entering and contributing their own ideas born from their backgrounds. however, a lot of these people become siloed and isolated from each other, and as a result, can’t even agree upon some basic definitions! This is Why Resilience Needs More Common Definitions, so professionals can work together to advance the field. For example, what does it mean to be resilient and how does one build resilience are questions that need to be answered.
Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop
12/27/19
“Why is it that wildfires will move from treetop to treetop?”
Wildfires are some of the most powerful dangerous in areas with Mediterranean climates. However, How exactly do they physically spread? Well, Let’s think about this like an engineer would. We know that fire can spread very quickly when one object touches an inflamed object. And we also know that the parts of an object that protrude the most are the most likely to come into contact with others. So when it comes to trees spreading fire, it would be logical for the treetop to spread fire to other treetops as those are the parts that bend the most outward. This is Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop.
Image credit ichef.bbci.co.uk
Why Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires
12/26/19
“Why will fires start even if there are no transmission lines above ground?”
Undergrounding transmission lines is often talked about as one of the most effective actions that can be taken to stop wildfires from occurring. However, even if the entire grid goes underground wildfires can start from a variety of other causes. These can include anywhere ranging from camping mistakes to a car causing an ignition. This is Why Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires.
Image credit http://www.transmissionhub.com
How Waveform Analytics Can Help Grid Resiliency
12/25/19
“How can we use waveforms to analyze the stability of the electric grid?”
The electrical grid is prone to crashing whether it be because of natural or human causes. When this happens, the waveform signals get distorted. As such, waveform analysis in real-time can help detect when the rent goes down and went to respond. This is How Waveform Analytics Can Help Grid Resiliency.
Atmospheric Rivers
12/24/19
“How can there be flying rivers of water?”
Rain is usually delivered through means of water vapor held in clouds dissipating. By coastal areas, water can build up in the atmosphere from evaporation from the ocean and then move landside where it can hit elevation, become colder, and then burst and create serious downpours. These Atmospheric Rivers can give up words of over 50% of California’s annual rainwater.
Image credit http://www.frontiersin.org
How Insurance Companies Can Go Bankrupt from Climate Change
12/23/19
“How can insurance companies go bankrupt just from climate change?”
Climate change is wreaking havoc on finances everywhere. And insurance companies are often responsible for securing the losses that their customers face. In 2018, the Paradise Fire in Northern California destroyed properties whose combined claims were valued at 64 million USD to the Merced Property & Casualty Company. The problem is, the company only had 23 million USD in assets! This caused the 112-year-old company to file for bankruptcy, illustrating How Insurance Companies Can Go Bankrupt from Climate Change. As time goes on, these companies will have to be more careful about their insurance policies and how their organizations operate.
How the Evolution of Early Warning Systems Are Already Saving Lives
12/22/19
“How are early warning systems to disasters already saving the lives of many?”
Environmental disasters are becoming more and more frequent with the advent of climate change. As a result governments around the world are looking into ways to build resilience in the new climate paradigm. One very simple yet effective method to implement is early warning systems. Early warning systems use sensors to monitor external conditions and parlay them into a mathematical algorithm to see if a disaster is coming. Examples could be the sensor that monitors the dryness of the air, the local temperature, and the wind speed to assess if a wildfire will begin and a system that measures the frequency and intensity of waves to check if there is an incoming tsunami. As the signal is triggered, nearby citizens can evacuate in time. When put in place, loss of life from disasters tend to go downwards. This can be seen from Zambia to Mumbai.
Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires
12/21/19
“Why are Mediterranean climates more prone to wildfires?”
Mediterranean regions are world-renowned for their natural beauty, temperate climates, and mellow settings. These zones usually start the year with a short, mild, and moist winter season followed by a long, warm dry, summer season. This means that a lot of foliage grows when it rains and then dies when the rain stops. This abundance of fuel in hot and dry conditions makes the perfect ingredient for wildfires to occur, which is Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires. This will only become more intense with the advent of climate change, as the Winter season is becoming shorter and wetter and the Summer longer and drier.
