Climate and Ag in the news
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Growing Georgia published an article today which discusses the adverse impacts of heat on dairy cattle. In particular, the article points out that heat-stressed cows produce less milk and also suffer reduced fertility. Some steps that farmers can take to keep their cows happy include providing adequate water, sprinkling to improve cooling, ventilating and providing…
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Today is notable for two unique anniversaries, related to climate and humans’ impact on the environment. The United Kingdom Meteorology Office tweeted today, “Today is the first time for almost 70 years that there have been no tropical storms active anywhere in the world on 1st September.” Considering that this is the peak of hurricane…
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How has winter precipitation changed over time in the Southeast? If you look at trends from 1970 to 2012, there has been a decrease in December through February precipitation in most climate divisions in our region. Climate Central produced a map which shows the biggest declines have been in Georgia and the Carolinas. Precipitation has…
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That was the headline this morning on a Yahoo News story about the California drought. A new study coming out in the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Climate indicates that the possibility of a decade-long drought in the Southwest could be as high as 90 percent, and there is even a 50 percent probability of…
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Volcanologists and climatologists are watching the current eruption of Mount Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea closely to see how long and intense the current eruption lasts. The volcano erupted so strongly on Friday that Qantas airline had to reroute flights between Sydney and Tokyo as well as Sydney and Shanghai to avoid the clouds of…
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The UN General Assembly recently decided to designate 2015 as the International Year of Soils to recognize the importance of soils for food security as well as ecosystem functions. Agricultural producers recognize the importance of good soil management to maintaining their farms’ economic viability and health. You can read more about the UN declaration here.…
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If you work outdoors in summer, you know that air quality can be a concern. High ozone levels near the surface (as opposed to the upper-level ozone which protects us from ultraviolet rays) are caused by interactions of sunlight and air pollution, particularly from emissions from automobiles but also to some extent from agriculture and…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news