January 2016
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As a meteorologist, I love to read weather and climate-related stories by nature writers, and enjoyed this essay by Scottish author Karen Emslie about her experiences living in places with extreme winds. If you are interested, you can read it here.
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The US Golf Association recently published an article describing the impacts of the wet conditions associated with El Niño on golf courses across the Southeast. The impacts include saturated soils, increased rutting from golf carts, higher than normal water hazards, and stress on greens. If you manage turfgrass, on or off the golf course, or…
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Like policemen, fire fighters, doctors and nurses, you often don’t notice meteorologists doing their work when things are going well. But when the weather gets bad and severe weather or winter storms threaten, meteorologists are one of the groups of people we as a society depend on to help tell us what is going on…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The Modesto Bee published the results of a study this week on the advantages of digesters for dairy waste, as reported by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Digesters use bacteria to break down animal waste and use it to produce energy while eliminating emissions of methane from the waste. This reduces carbon emission…
Posted in: Livestock -
The storm that brought snow and wintry conditions to some parts of the Southeast has moved up the East Coast and is still hitting DC and New York as I write this, but we should see some respite this weekend after the lingering flurries end. The next storm system should move through the Southeast starting…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
There have been a number of stories about the impacts of the recent extreme weather on crops and production. Here are a few examples. The Packer reported here that January wind and rain have caused problems for corn growers in southern Florida. The rain and wind knocked down corn plants, ruining any potential harvest. This…
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If you’ve ever been out in an area covered by a significant snowfall, you may have noticed the “hush” that often occurs. Some of the quietness is probably due to the lack of traffic on nearby streets, but snow actually has a sound-deadening effect. You can read more about it here at the University of…