Climate and Ag in the news
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Modern Farmer has an article this week talking about palm trees and their association with tropical weather. Palms actually do well in a variety of climate conditions, but don’t do well with freezing temperatures. Scientists have noted that the range of common palm varieties is creeping northward with warmer temperatures, but as long as they…
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I love maps and was excited to discover this new mapping tool that allows you to look at climate diversity and change over time across the globe. It was designed by a University of Cincinnati professor and is interactive. You may want to look at the manual (red box at top right) to get the…
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A new study linking extreme winter weather in the U.S. East with a warmer Arctic has drawn fire from some global warming skeptics. Some argue the record is too short to make good conclusions, and others say that correlation is not the same as causation. How do we know if this study is accurate? Are…
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This time of year farmers are chomping at the bit to get out into the fields and start planting their crops for the season. I’ve seen a number of comments online that planting of corn is well underway in southern Georgia already. But this article from AgWeb points out that planting when the soil is…
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Futurity.org posted an interesting article recently about how shifts in temperature and precipitation in the eastern US are changing the populations of tree species around the regions. While some of the changes are expected due to an increase in temperature over time, some of the other changes are unexpected. For example, changes in the carbon…
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Every month I post maps and links to the latest seasonal forecasts from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. Most of you read them, and some of you even believe them. Here in the Southeast we generally have a better chance of skill because our winter climate is tied to the ENSO phase (currently coming out of…
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A major weather or climate disaster like floods, wildfires or drought can affect tourism into the area for months after the event ends. We saw this in 2016 in the Southeast with the wildfires in the southern Appalachians, where visits to Gatlinburg TN and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were reduced by peoples’ perceptions…