Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific Northwest
The Oregon Hazards Lab is a research lab within the University of Oregon's Department of Earth Sciences. We currently partner in these efforts:
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
Along with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington, we monitor ground motion to better understand earthquake and volcano hazards and their impacts on communities in Oregon and Washington.
ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System
Since 2014, the Oregon Hazards Lab has been an instrumental partner in building and promoting the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system.
Wildfire Detection Cameras
With hundreds of mountaintop cameras installed throughout the western United States, this high-speed wildfire detection network provides firefighters and first responders a new way to spot and track wildfires.
Wildfire Smoke Sensors
As part of our partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, we are deploying 30 smoke sensors across Western Oregon and testing their effectiveness at detecting emerging wildfires.
Sage Continuum
We are building a continent-spanning network of smart sensors to improve the flow of information between scientists and the natural world.
Willamette Watershed Project
The Oregon Hazards Lab is developing resilient communications infrastructure for the Santiam, Sisters, and McKenzie River corridors that will support a natural disaster monitoring and alerting network.
219
ShakeAlert Seismic Stations
54
Wildfire Detection Cameras
30
Wildfire Smoke Sensors
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
24
Full-Time Staff
7
Student Researchers
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
Oregon Hazards Lab Newsletter – November 2024
The quarterly Oregon Hazards Lab newsletter has arrived. The November 2024 edition recaps summer field work, the impacts of wildfire cameras during fire season, the buildout of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and our partnership with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments.
University of Oregon’s Wildfire Camera Network Continues to Grow
The frequency and severity of wildfires are rising, driven by climate change, decades of fire suppression, and growth in the wildland-urban interface. But a lab at the University of Oregon has deployed a wildfire intelligence platform that gives counties new tools to spot and track wildfires.
What To Do in a Disaster: Everything You Need to Know if a Big Earthquake Hits Oregon
At two earthquake preparedness events associated with the Great Oregon ShakeOut, experts from the Oregon Hazards Lab, the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center, and local and state governments shared how Oregonians can prepare for future earthquakes.