Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific NorthwestSupport the Oregon Hazards Lab!
The Oregon State Legislature is considering a bill that would provide state funding to our program. This bill would help OHAZ continue monitoring natural disasters and delivering life-saving alerts to Oregonians.
223+
PNSN Seismic Monitoring Stations Across Oregon
63+
OHAZ Wildfire Detection Cameras Across Oregon
4.2Mil
Oregonians With Access to ShakeAlert EEW Alerts
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
26
OHAZ Staff
7
Student Researchers
Work at the Oregon Hazards Lab
We are hiring a Data & Devices Specialist to coordinate, configure, and administer our digital processes and devices with an emphasis on upkeep of real-time data and field operations.
The Oregon Hazards Lab is a program within the University of Oregon's Department of Earth Sciences. We currently partner in these efforts:
Mobile Deployment Units
The Oregon Hazards Lab is building out a stock of lightweight portable wildfire camera kits that public land management agencies can rapidly deploy to monitor new ignitions.
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 a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, we deployed 30 smoke sensors across Western Oregon in 2023 and tested 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.
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
How the UO College of Arts and Sciences is Addressing Climate Change
The urgency of climate change can’t be overstated. Hear from Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences Dean Chris Poulsen—who’s also a climatologist whose work is focused on understanding the planet’s climate variability from the deep geologic past to the future—about how the College of Arts and Sciences is responding to climate change.
Before the Shaking Starts: UO Professor Investigates Responses to Earthquake Early Warning Alerts
An alert from the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System can buy you life-saving seconds to protect yourself before dangerous shaking arrives. But in Oregon, where most earthquakes are minor enough to go unnoticed, how well-prepared are people to make the most of these precious seconds? University of Oregon research will improve families’ effectiveness at responding to earthquake early-warning alerts.
Oregon Hazards Lab Newsletter – March 2025
The March 2025 Oregon Hazards Lab newsletter is here! We share the impacts of wildfire cameras on the Los Angeles Fires, recap ShakeAlert performance during the December offshore Cape Mendocino earthquake, and share our plans for the 2025 field season. We also share more information about HB 3219, proposed state legislation that would make OHAZ a state program, and how you can advocate for our work with your state representative!