The western United States needs more water. The 2022-2023 winter season brought record amounts of snowpack and has filled reservoirs across the west, but it is a temporary respite from a problem that has plagued settlers since the 19th century. Two-thirds of agricultural irrigation in the U.S. is in the…
In 2013, wind and solar power combined to produce less than 5 percent of all U.S. utility-scale electricity. In 2022, that number was 13.6 percent. Renewable energy sources are expected to make up at least 33 percent of all U.S. power generation by 2030 without major changes to energy policy….
Hydropower has been used for hundreds of years at small scales to power windmills on farms but has massive potential to provide commercial electricity for entire cities and parts of the country. Hydroelectric dams can either harness the power of fast-flowing rivers or release a large amount of water that…
As the U.S. comes out of hurricane season and the Infrastructure and Jobs Act allocates multi-million dollar resources for infrastructure repairs, flood mitigation infrastructure stands to benefit from a long-awaited influx of funds. Dam failures and massive flooding have struck numerous communities on the coast and inland as the impacts…
The state of South Carolina is no stranger to extreme weather. South Carolina is especially vulnerable to flooding hazards with its subtropical climate, low-lying topography, severe thunderstorms, numerous rivers, and large coastal zone. As of 2020, the state had experienced six major flood-related disasters in five years, resulting in the…
Coastal tides are a naturally occurring process caused by the moon’s gravitational pull on the oceans of the world. In the U.S., tidal changes vary wildly from coast to coast, with the highest tidal range in Anchorage, Alaska spanning up to forty feet. While the natural movement of water flowing…
Farming has been around since the dawn of man and has always managed to keep pace with our needs. Technology has changed many aspects of farming, making it quicker, easier, and more efficient. However, when considering limitations on land and growth in population, there is only so much that technology…
