Climate and Ag in the news
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Last year at this time, an unexpected early season blizzard in South Dakota killed over 40,000 head of cattle. Many ranchers were caught unprepared by the unseasonable weather and had not moved their cattle to their winter pastures yet, which increased the losses. Cattle were also still in summer coats and were soaked by the…
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Meteorologists often hear folks say that they are the only people that get paid whether or not they are right. In reality, weather forecasts have improved immensely over the years and a five-day forecast now is as accurate as the two-day forecasts were a couple of decades ago. This is due to improvements in computers,…
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A recent study published by the University of Florida shows that soils in the warm and moist conditions of Florida and the Southeast can sequester extra carbon from the atmosphere, helping to reduce greenhouse gases. Carbon is pulled out of the air by crops, mesic upland forests, pine lands and areas converted from pine forests…
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Hydrologists often use the period from October 1 to September 30 as the “Water Year” to describe rainfall over time. They choose this period because it is the end of the summer depletion of soil moisture and the average start of the fall and winter recharge period. Often, the end of the water year corresponds…
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There have been a number of interesting stories on the impacts of rain and drought in the last couple of weeks. Here is a sample: Farmers in South Dakota are struggling with production issues after a record-setting wet June. Some farmers have reported total losses in some fields due to standing water and others are…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
Yesterday Orlando tied its all-time record for number of days with measurable rain in the month of September. You can read a story about the record here at the Orlando Sentinel website. The airport in Orlando reported more rain today, which means that they have set a new record for the month. Several other cities…
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If you have outdoor workers who are susceptible to asthma attacks, you may be interested in this recently published research by UGA scientist Andrew Grundstein. Dr. Grundstein points out that usually rain is linked to lower pollen and dust amounts and reduced asthma symptoms. However, in his research he found that thunderstorms often have the…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news