scholarly journals Will Updated Electricity Infrastructure Security Protect the Grid? A Case Study Modeling Electrical Substation Attacks

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
The North ◽  
Modeling Analysis ◽  
Electricity Reliability ◽  
Security Standards ◽  
Electrical Substation ◽  
Electricity Infrastructure

As targeted attacks continue to threaten electricity infrastructure, the North American Electricity Reliability Corporation (NERC) and private utilities companies are revising and updating the physical and cybersecurity standards for grid infrastructure in the United States (U.S.). Using information collected about past physical attacks, feasible physical and cyber-physical attacks are modeled against the proposed updated security standards for a U.S.-based generic electric substation. Utilizing the software program Joint Conflict and Tactical Simulation (JCATS), a series of increasingly sophisticated physical attacks are simulated on the substation, as are a set of cyber-enabled physical attacks. The purpose of this study is to determine which of the security upgrades will be most effective at mitigating damages to the electrical infrastructure from an attack. The findings indicate that some of the utility and agency-proposed security measures are more effective than others. Specifically, additional barriers around the substation and physical armored protection of transformers are most effective at mitigating damages from attacks. In contrast, increased lighting at the substation and reducing the surrounding foliage are not as effective. This case study demonstrates a modeling analysis approach to testing the efficacy of physical security measures that can assist in utility and agency decision-making for critical infrastructure security.

scholarly journals Lessons of the Blackout

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (08) ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
James Fama
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Power Generation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Power Industry ◽  
Voluntary Organization ◽  
Electrical Transmission ◽  
Reliability Measures ◽  
The North ◽  
The Us ◽  
Electricity Reliability

The US–Canadian blackout in 2003 demonstrated the need for new reliability measures in the field of the power industry. The Edison Electric Institute, the trade organization for the investor-owned utilities that generate about 70 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States, is taking reliability to Congress. The voluntary organization that oversees bulk electrical transmission on the continent—The North American Electricity Reliability Council, or NERC—began to implement measures to address many of the recommendations later detailed in the report, key among them was reformatting and clarifying its reliability standards. A research insists that in order to balance power generation and demand continuously, production by generators must be scheduled and dispatched to meet constantly changing demands, and adjusted continuously.

Earl Grey’s Public Diplomacy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Bowman
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
Fishing Rights ◽  
Cultural Assumptions ◽  
The North ◽  
The Us ◽  
The North Atlantic

This chapter focuses on the banquet held by the New York branch of the Pilgrims Society in March 1906 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for Earl Grey, the Governor General of Canada. This dinner provides a case study of the ways in which the Society served as a network for British and American diplomats and provides one of the clearest examples of its public diplomacy activities. The banquet was held during a dispute between Britain, Canada, and the United States over fishing rights in the North Atlantic and the speeches given at the dinner by Earl Grey and Elihu Root, the US Secretary of State, were designed to mobilise public opinion in an effort to bring the dispute to an amicable end. Part of this public diplomacy effort was Earl Grey’s heavily-publicised gift to the US of a portrait of Benjamin Franklin that had been in his family’s possession since the American Revolution. The rhetoric surrounding this gift provides evidence about the cultural assumptions underpinning the Pilgrims’ public and cultural diplomacy.

scholarly journals Meteorological Drivers of Permian Basin Methane Anomalies Derived from TROPOMI

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 896
Author(s):  
Erik Crosman
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variations ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
The North ◽  
Low Wind Speed ◽  
Westerly Winds ◽  
Meteorological Observations ◽  
Low Wind Speeds

The launch of the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on the Sentinel-5 Precursor (S-5P) satellite has revolutionized pollution observations from space. The purpose of this study was to link spatiotemporal variations in TROPOMI methane (CH4) columns to meteorological flow patterns over the Permian Basin, the largest oil and second-largest natural gas producing region in the United States. Over a two-year period (1 December 2018–1 December 2020), the largest average CH4 enhancements were observed near and to the north and west of the primary emission regions. Four case study periods—two with moderate westerly winds associated with passing weather disturbances (8–15 March 2019 and 1 April–10 May 2019) and two other periods dominated by high pressure and low wind speeds (16–23 March 2019 and 24 September–9 October 2020)—were analyzed to better understand meteorological drivers of the variability in CH4. Meteorological observations and analyses combined with TROPOMI observations suggest that weakened transport out of the Basin during low wind speed periods contributes to CH4 enhancements throughout the Basin, while valley and slope flows may explain the observed western expansion of the Permian Basin CH4 anomaly.

America’s Proxy War in Laos

Proxy War ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 125-156
Author(s):  
Tyrone L. Groh
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
The North ◽  
Proxy War

This chapter presents a case study for how the United States failed to persuade the Royal Lao Government to commit to counterinsurgency efforts against the communist Pathet Lao and therefore cultivated an indigenous proxy in the Hmong. International conditions did not support U.S. involvement at any level, yet the United States gained significant benefits from the arrangement with comparatively small costs. This case represents one of the rare instances when an intervening state supports a proxy that is essentially unaffiliated with the sitting government. Although the Hmong had already begun to band together to fight the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao, it was not until the United States got involved that the Hmong became an influential factor in the Laotian conflict.

An evaluation of security measures implemented to address physical threats to water infrastructure in the state of Mississippi

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Jason R. Barrett, PhD Candidate ◽  
P. Edward French, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Security Measures

The events of September 11, 2001, increased and intensified domestic preparedness efforts in the United States against terrorism and other threats. The heightened focus on protecting this nation’s critical infrastructure included legislation requiring implementation of extensive new security measures to better defend water supply systems against physical, chemical/ biological, and cyber attacks. In response, municipal officials have implemented numerous safeguards to reduce the vulnerability of these systems to purposeful intrusions including ongoing vulnerability assessments, extensive personnel training, and highly detailed emergency response and communication plans. This study evaluates fiscal year 2010 annual compliance assessments of public water systems with security measures that were implemented by Mississippi’s Department of Health as a response to federal requirements to address these potential terrorist threats to water distribution systems. The results show that 20 percent of the water systems in this state had at least one security violation on their 2010 Capacity Development Assessment, and continued perseverance from local governments is needed to enhance the resiliency and robustness of these systems against physical threats.

Solarities or Solarculture

2021 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-150
Author(s):  
Sheena Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Water Treatment Plant ◽  
Energy Futures ◽  
The North ◽  
Plant Site ◽  
Infrastructure Project ◽  
Solar Powered ◽  
The City

This article takes the E. L. Smith Solar Farm, a proposed municipal solar energy infrastructure project in Edmonton, Alberta, as a case study of solar imaginaries as they intertwine with material and social realities. Set for installation at the E. L. Smith Water Treatment Plant site on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton’s River Valley, the largest urban greenspace in North America, this solar project has evoked divergent, sometimes unanticipated responses as stakeholders speculate about what futures are possible and preferable. The article examines the possibilities and challenges that the proposed E. L. Smith Solar Farm holds, as a municipal energy project, to positively disrupt oil-loyal provincial and federal power relations, specifically given the City of Edmonton’s August 2019 declaration of a climate emergency, the Wet’suwet’en cause and other solidarity blockades in Alberta and across Canada in early 2020, and Alberta’s subsequent Critical Infrastructure Bill 1, passed in early 2020. Investigating the ways in which the issues are being debated by various constituencies throughout the approval/rejection process, the article extrapolates approaches and strategies that might inform policy and proposes that not all solar powered projects are equal. While some produce solarities (more just energy futures), others operationalize solar energy’s good press towards solarcultural futures that are little more than an extension of the petrocultural status quo.

scholarly journals Reconstructing Heritage and Cultural Identity in Marginalised and Hinterland Communities: Case Studies from Western Newfoundland

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Baehre
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
Treaty Rights ◽  
The North ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Face ◽  
Humber River ◽  
Basin Region

This essay examines the issue of missing heritage, cultural identity, and regeneration of two historically marginalised communities in the Humber River Basin region of western Newfoundland, Canada: Woods Island and Crow Gulch. This region was shaped by the implementation of international treaties which restricted settlement until the turn of the twentieth century by Britain, France and the United States. The first case study focuses on a former fishing community in the Bay of Islands, Woods Island, whose prosperity once coincided with the need by large fish producers based in Gloucester, Massachusetts; they relied on the Bay of Islands for a herring bait fishery to conduct their operations, making the location one of the most important sources of supply in the North Atlantic. Issues surrounding treaty rights and access to this region’s resources resulted in international arbitration and The Hague Tribunal of 1910, and set a legal precedent for opening up global access to the world’s oceans. A half-century later, in the face of the forces of ‘modernisation’, Woods Island was resettled under pressure from the Newfoundland government, as part of a larger strategy to transform the island’s society and economy. Its heritage remains however important to former residents and their families in understanding a world now lost. The second case study explores an abandoned underclass community, consisting mostly of residents with French/Aboriginal background who were largely discriminated against because of their ethnicity. While also no longer in existence, Crow Gulch in its iconic role is significant in the wake of a recent major Mi’kmaw resurgence in Western Newfoundland. Together, these studies demonstrate how to conserve tangible and intangible culture of marginalised communities by linking micro-history to macro-history and how to preserve the past for future cultural benefit.

Mexican fresh tomato exports in the North American market: A case study of the effects of productivity on competitiveness

2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 839-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes Borja-Bravo ◽  
José Alberto García-Salazar ◽  
Rhonda K. Skaggs
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North American ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
The North ◽  
North American Market ◽  
The Us ◽  
Fresh Tomato ◽  
The Impact

Borja-Bravo, M., García-Salazar, J. A. and Skaggs, R. K. 2013. Mexican fresh tomato exports in the North American market: A case study of the effects of productivity on competitiveness. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 839–850. The North American market for fresh tomatoes (Lycopersicon escolentum Mill.) involves a complicated web of bilateral trading relationships between the United States, Mexico and Canada. Trade in fresh tomatoes between the three countries has changed significantly in recent years. In particular, Mexico's share of total US fresh tomato imports from all countries decreased from 93 to 88%, while Canada's share of US fresh tomato imports increased from 3 to 11% between 1996 and 2009. Mexico's declining competitive position in the US fresh tomato market is also evidenced by the fact that the Mexican share of combined Mexico–Canada exports to the United States decreased from 97% to 89% between 1996 and 2009. A spatial and inter-temporal model was used to analyze the impact of increased Mexican tomato yields on the North American fresh tomato market. Results indicate that for the average year between 2005 and 2008, 20% higher yields would have resulted in a 15.1% increase in Mexico's tomato production and a 28.9% increase in fresh tomato exports from Mexico to the United States. As a result of higher Mexican tomato sector productivity, Canadian and US producers’ shares of the US fresh tomato market would decrease and Mexico's would increase from 35.0 to 41.9%. The model shows that Mexico's share of US fresh tomato imports from both Mexico and Canada would grow from 88.1 to 90.3% as a result of the increased productivity. These results lead to the recommendation that increasing yields of this important export crop are key to maintaining and increasing the North American market competitiveness of Mexican-produced fresh tomatoes.

North Korea

2020 ◽  
pp. 180-193
Author(s):  
Rupal N. Mehta
Keyword(s):  
North Korea ◽  
The United States ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Nuclear Program ◽  
The North ◽  
Peace And Security ◽  
History Of ◽  
The U.S

In the last of the three comparative case study analyses, this chapter explores the greatest remaining challenge to the non-proliferation regime: North Korea. Its recent rise in belligerence toward its neighbors in the region and the United States presents a troubling prospect about peace and security in the region, especially in light of its continued nuclear and missile tests. Despite continued efforts by the U.S. and other key members of the international community to negotiate with Pyongyang, North Korea remains committed to its nuclear program. This chapter examines the history of the North Korean program and the myriad attempts by American leaders (beginning primarily with the Clinton Administration) to persuade the North Korean leadership to abandon its nuclear pursuit. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the current efforts to engage the North Koreans, the implications of this policy, and potential policy recommendations to help mitigate the challenges posed by the DPRK.

scholarly journals Rapid convective outflow from the U.S. to the upper troposphere over the North Atlantic during the NASA INTEX-NA airborne campaign: flight 13 case study

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 17367-17400
Author(s):  
S. Y. Kim ◽  
R. Talbot ◽  
H. Mao ◽  
D. Blake ◽  
S. Vay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
The United States ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
The North ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The U.S

Abstract. A case study of convective outflow from the United States (U.S.) was examined using airborne measurements from NASA DC-8 flight 13 during the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment – North America (INTEX-NA). Mixing ratios of methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) at 8–11 km altitude over the North Atlantic were elevated to 1843 ppbv and 134 ppbv respectively, while those of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbonyl sulfide (COS) were reduced to 372.4 ppmv and 411 pptv respectively. In this region, urban and industrial influence was evidenced by elevated mixing ratios and good linear relationships between urban and industrial tracers compared to North Atlantic background air. Moreover, low mixing ratios and a good correlation between COS and CO2 showed a fingerprint of terrestrial uptake and minimal dilution during rapid transport over a 1–2 day time period. Analysis of synoptic conditions, backward trajectories, and photochemical aging estimates based on C3H8/C2H6 strongly suggested that elevated anthropogenic tracers in the upper troposphere of the flight region were the result of fast transport via convective uplifting of boundary layer air over the southeastern U.S. This mechanism is supported by the similar slopes values of linear correlations between long-lived (months) anthropogenic tracers (e.g., C2Cl4 and CHCl3) from the flight region and the planetary boundary layer in the southeastern U.S. In addition, the aircraft measurements suggest that outflow from the U.S. augmented the entire tropospheric column at mid-latitudes over the North Atlantic. Overall, the flight 13 data demonstrate a pervasive impact of U.S. anthropogenic emissions on the troposphere over the North Atlantic.

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