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Flooding, surface scientists and Spanish quakes
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May 11, 2011
Manitoba flood situation worsens
The federal government is calling in more troops to deal with the latest development in Manitoba’s flood zone. Officials are calling this year’s Assiniboine River flood a once-in-a-300-year event. One plan is to divert river water into a watershed, which could flood an area more than 200 kilometres wide. SFU earth sciences professor Brent Ward has been monitoring the situation closely. “The flooding in Manitoba has resulted in public officials having to make difficult decisions,” he says. “If the dykes are going to fail, is it better to trigger a failure to direct the floodwaters into areas perceived to have a lower impact, or have the dykes breached in urban areas where impacts will be worse?”
Brent Ward, 778.782.4229, bcward@sfu.ca
Spain shaken by two quakes
A pair of earthquakes struck southeast Spain today and officials are reporting 10 deaths so far, plus dozens of injuries and damaged buildings. SFU earth science professor Brent Ward says even though the quakes were 5.4 magnitude, they were very shallow and, combined with old, non-earthquake resistant buildings, resulted in considerable damage. “The Mediterranean is a tectonically active area with a long history of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes,” Ward says. “The recent earthquake in Spain is a result of the interaction between the Iberian and African plates.”
Brent Ward, 778.782.4229, bcward@sfu.ca
SFU Burnaby hosts surface and interface scientists
SFU is hosting the 2011 Surface Canada conference May 13-16 at its Burnaby campus. The meeting will feature speakers from across Canada, oral and poster competitions by students, and networking opportunities. “Surface Canada is the main forum for surface and interface scientists to come together and meet in an intimate and focused environment,” says SFU chemistry professor Byron Gates. “The aim of this forum is to provide an opportunity to present state-of-the-art developments in the field of surface science and its related applications, and to discuss these advances with the broader surface science community, including national and international leaders in the field.”
Byron Gates, 778.782.8066, bgates@sfu.ca
The federal government is calling in more troops to deal with the latest development in Manitoba’s flood zone. Officials are calling this year’s Assiniboine River flood a once-in-a-300-year event. One plan is to divert river water into a watershed, which could flood an area more than 200 kilometres wide. SFU earth sciences professor Brent Ward has been monitoring the situation closely. “The flooding in Manitoba has resulted in public officials having to make difficult decisions,” he says. “If the dykes are going to fail, is it better to trigger a failure to direct the floodwaters into areas perceived to have a lower impact, or have the dykes breached in urban areas where impacts will be worse?”
Brent Ward, 778.782.4229, bcward@sfu.ca
Spain shaken by two quakes
A pair of earthquakes struck southeast Spain today and officials are reporting 10 deaths so far, plus dozens of injuries and damaged buildings. SFU earth science professor Brent Ward says even though the quakes were 5.4 magnitude, they were very shallow and, combined with old, non-earthquake resistant buildings, resulted in considerable damage. “The Mediterranean is a tectonically active area with a long history of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes,” Ward says. “The recent earthquake in Spain is a result of the interaction between the Iberian and African plates.”
Brent Ward, 778.782.4229, bcward@sfu.ca
SFU Burnaby hosts surface and interface scientists
SFU is hosting the 2011 Surface Canada conference May 13-16 at its Burnaby campus. The meeting will feature speakers from across Canada, oral and poster competitions by students, and networking opportunities. “Surface Canada is the main forum for surface and interface scientists to come together and meet in an intimate and focused environment,” says SFU chemistry professor Byron Gates. “The aim of this forum is to provide an opportunity to present state-of-the-art developments in the field of surface science and its related applications, and to discuss these advances with the broader surface science community, including national and international leaders in the field.”
Byron Gates, 778.782.8066, bgates@sfu.ca