Climate and Ag in the news
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The December solstice marks the sun’s southernmost point in the sky, for the entire globe, for this entire year. On this solstice, the sun will be overhead at noon as viewed from the Tropic of Capricorn. In 2023, the December solstice falls at 3:27 UTC on December 22 (9:27 p.m. CST on December 21). For us in the Northern…
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Rising temperatures across the country and the world are changing the patterns of warm and cold temperatures over the year. This is resulting in fewer days with very cold temperatures and longer periods that are suitable for the development of insect pests. A recent study by USDA scientists looked at the effects of these climate…
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We know that weather and climate can affect many aspects of human and animal behavior. Here is one I did not know about. An article this week in Atlas Obscura discusses languages in different parts of the world and notes that linguists have determined that languages developed in warm parts of the world have developed…
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After many years, Georgia and Alabama have apparently come to an agreement with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers on how much water will be allocated to each state in future years. The agreement still has to be approved by the COE after a period of public comment, so it will be a while…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
If you’ve ever been close to a tornado, you might have heard it. Some people describe it as a freight train, others like a swarm of angry bees. But scientists are now looking at infrasonic sound waves at very low frequencies (1 to 10 Hertz) to see if those sounds can be used to predict…
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The next time you go outside to do yard work, take the time to consider what kind of power tools you are using. If you are using gas-powered blowers and other yard equipment, you may be contributing to the particulate load in your neighborhood. Garden equipment generally has very inefficient motors that spew a lot…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
One way that farmers in the Southeast are adapting to our changing climate is by planting new crops to replace those that either don’t do so well in the warmer Southeast or are not economically viable anymore. Some of the farmers I work with are planting things like satsuma and other citrus, olives, and pomegranates.…