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Disaster Management

Understanding disasters in advance so we can be prepared in the moment. Our research explores the human, environmental and economic impacts of disasters, enabling us to proactively prevent–and reactively recover–from emergencies.

nighttime photo of cars in the foreground, wildfire in the background

Six roads to safety: New study finds a critical threshold for wildfire survival

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CERT training
Photo Credit
Sarah Kidwell

Help is on the way: UCSB staff train to pitch in during a disaster
David Valentine
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
David Valentine

Discoveries from Disasters: A conversation with oceanographer David Valentine
a barnacle in a jar
Photo Credit
Sonia Fernandez
Sessile creatures like this barnacle were the key to determining when the oil pipeline was compromised, an event that eventually led to the oil spill

How Marine Science Institute researchers helped solve the 2021 Huntington Beach oil spill
Flames from the Thomas Fire reflect in the waves at night.
Photo Credit
Ray Ford / Noozhawk
Flames from the Thomas Fire reflect in the waves just west of Ventura. Its proximity to the ocean provided researchers a unique opportunity.

Thomas Fire research reveals that ash can fertilize the oceans
Burned facade of Lahaina Store
Photo Credit
Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Foster/ Wikimedia commons

Unite to Light sends solar lamps and chargers to Lahaina
Palms blow in a storm.
Photo Credit
ChiehCheng via iStock
The El Niño Southern Oscillation influences weather patterns across the world.

El Niño and La Niña multi-year events could become more common
Burning hillside at Sedgwick Preserve
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
A flame torched hillside at Sedgwick Reserve is the site of a prescribed burn.

Taming Fire: Controlled burns can be a boon to our landscape

Shifting Winds in Fire Management

First-of-its-Kind Study Reveals Surprising Ecological Effects of Earthquake and Tsunami
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