Climate and Ag in the news
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The Packer published an article this week saying that strawberries from Florida were running about a week behind normal. They attributed it to cooler than normal evening temperatures early in the season. This is expected to result in a decrease in volumes for the next couple of weeks due to slower blooms. You can read…
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The Washington Post noted in a blog posting this week that this is the first year ever that Anchorage, Alaska, never went below zero. Record lows for this time of year are around -20 to -25 F, so this is a significant departure from what you might expect in the coldest years. The blog noted…
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Several of my meteorologists friends posted this image on Facebook yesterday from NWS Amarillo (picture by Joshua Thomas on 1-9-2015 in New Mexico): This is one of the best pictures of atmospheric optics I have seen, particularly for an area outside of Antarctica. Atmospheric optics is the study of how light moves through water…
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A new large-scale study by University of Washington scientists shows that agriculture as well as oil and gas production is contributing to the darkening of snow fields across the Northern Hemisphere, according to Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. This is of concern for long term climate balance since normally white snow reflects most sunlight back…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The first global summary of 2014 annual temperature is out, and it shows that 2014 was the warmest year on record for the globe. The Japan Meteorological Agency is one of four major independent groups studying the trends in global climate, and released their estimate of the 2014 global temperature last week. Their graph of…
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Yahoo News posted a story yesterday about one of the newest threats to climate change in the US–beavers! The critters have been making a comeback across the country, building dams which back up water into ponds. The ponds are great for improving water storage and providing habitat for a variety of other animals, but also…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The Southeast is one of the best regions in the country for the development of solar power due to its abundant sunshine, available acreage, and closeness to major cities and other power users. The Athens Banner-Herald posted a column today describing the state’s growing stature as a national leader in solar energy. You can read…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news