Climate and Ag in the news
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According to the History Channel, “on this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm and collects a charge in a Leyden jar when the kite is struck by lightning, enabling him to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightning. Franklin became interested in electricity in the mid-1740s, a time when much was…
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Sometimes you can see rain falling from the sky and evaporating as it falls through a drier layer of air near the surface. This can show up on radar too as an echo with nothing hitting the ground, since radar measures rainfall above the surface. This is called “virga” and it is fairly common, especially…
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You may have seen my recent post on the uncertain future of the regional climate centers, which are on the chopping block in the budget currently being promoted by President Trump. If you have not already done so, it’s not too late to sign an online petition to support them. If you are not familiar…
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Extreme weather has hit several regions around the world in recent weeks. According to Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground, “The last week of May 2017 and first week of June brought one the most extraordinary heatwaves in world history to Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The mercury shot up to an astonishing 53.5°C (128.3°F)…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
In spite of continuing a continuing drought designation by Georgia’s EPD due to low water supplies in Lake Lanier, rain has returned to much of northeast Georgia. Grape growers are very pleased at this year’s wetter conditions and say that their vines are looking great, according to the Gainesville Times here. Now they are hoping…
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Unless you’re Matt Damon, you’re unlikely to think about agriculture on Mars anytime soon, but it’s still interesting to speculate on what the weather might have been like there in the past. EarthSky posted a story this week about how geologists and other scientists are determining the past weather on Mars and the signs for…
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Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground has a discussion today about climate conditions for the upcoming summer based on the latest forecast from Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society. It shows that parts of the US, particularly the intermountain west including Denver and Salt Lake City have the highest chance of above…