NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of the Gulf of Mexico on April 25, 2010, using its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument. With the Mississippi Delta on the left, the silvery swirling oil slick from the April 20 explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform is highly visible. Some of the more than $60 billion paid by BP, which operated Deepwater Horizon, will go toward restoring the barrier islands, wetlands, and oyster reefs damaged by the spill.
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Photograph courtesy NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team
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Environmental Hazards
The environmental hazards you face depend on where you live. For example, if you live in northern California you are more likely to be impacted by a wildfire, landslide, or earthquake than if you live in Charleston, South Carolina, but less likely to be hit by a hurricane. This is because the physical conditions in each place are different. The active San Andreas fault runs through California and causes regular earthquakes, while the warm waters transported by the Gulf Stream can intensify a storm heading for South Carolina. These environmental hazards shape human activity regionally. Building codes in California require builders to meet standards set to minimize structural damage in an earthquake and coastal cities have building code to reinforce roofs and walls to resist a storm’s high winds. Learn more about environmental hazards with this curated resource collection.
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Environmental Hazards
The environmental hazards you face depend on where you live. For example, if you live in northern California you are more likely to be impacted by a wildfire, landslide, or earthquake than if you live in Charleston, South Carolina, but less likely to be hit by a hurricane. This is because the physical conditions in each place are different. The active San Andreas fault runs through California and causes regular earthquakes, while the warm waters transported by the Gulf Stream can intensify a storm heading for South Carolina. These environmental hazards shape human activity regionally. Building codes in California require builders to meet standards set to minimize structural damage in an earthquake and coastal cities have building code to reinforce roofs and walls to resist a storm’s high winds. Learn more about environmental hazards with this curated resource collection.