Builders everywhere rely on environmental engineers to make sure their building sites are safe and up to code. Learn all about these skilled professionals and what makes environmental engineers so special. Examples of Environmental Engineering Duties Environmental engineers take years to learn the ins and outs of the trade, and these professionals end up…
Also known as soils reports and geotechnical investigations, soil engineering reports are investigations undertaken by geotechnical engineers to discover the properties of soil and earthworks at a proposed or existing building site. These geotechnical soils reports help developers understand the status of the ground where they plan to build structures, and they also help contractors…
The name speaks for itself: a sinkhole is a hole that has formed from the originally normal ground that has sunk in, but how and why do they form? Sinkholes are just one example of the potential instability you might face when considering an area for new construction – and they’re a reminder of the…
In recent years, discussions surrounding climate change have focused on agriculture, and animal agriculture in particular. The amount of methane emitted from livestock accounts for a significant percentage of the overall carbon emission volume. Since the advent of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), this problem has intensified — beef raising operations alone count for half…
Is California still in a drought? That’s what many Californians are wondering after a winter of storms, snow and heavy rain. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor–a partnership that consolidates drought data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Drought Mitigation Center and dozens of weather agencies–no area in California is currently experiencing…
Have you ever heard of “cover crops?” If not, get used to hearing about them. Cover crops are special and specific types of crops which build soil fertility, reduce fertilizer run-off, and help reduce atmospheric CO2 levels. Think of them as a way to maximize agricultural efficiency while simultaneously looking out for this planet of…
As witnessed by the recent weather events of scorching wildfires and damaging rain, mudslides are a very real and present danger to California residents. Heavy winter storms that produced record rain and snowfall have triggered massive amounts of debris flows. Rain saturated soil eroded in northern and southern California areas hardest hit by recent wildfires.…
The 2018 wildfire season in California was the largest and most destructive the state had seen to date, resulting in nearly 2 million acres of burned land, thousands of destroyed structures and the loss of 44 lives. Large fires have always been a part of California’s past, but experts believe that the increase in severity…
Geotechnical engineering plays an enormously important role in the building of any structure. The soil and rock the building sits atop will form the all-important foundation, and needs to be solid enough to support whatever is being built upon it. Without a proper foundation, a building could soon collapse and cause catastrophic damage or loss…
Geology and Climate Change – It’s A Lot More Than Just Studying Rocks People unfamiliar with our science might mistakenly assume that geology is little more than the study of rocks, minerals, dirt, and other such things. While some geologists do study the rockier aspects of our planet, the larger discipline of geology analyzes far…
