Climate and Ag in the news
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A few days ago I posted a story about the extreme drought in France and how it was affecting farmers there. There have been a number of stories in the press since then. One of the most interesting stories is about how this drought, estimated to be a 500-year-event, has caused streamflow to be so…
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A new study released this week shows that many toxic chemicals related to plastics have been found in rainwater and snow as far south as Antarctica. This chemicals are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment but stay around forever. These chemicals have non-stick or stain-repellent properties that make them…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
One of the ways that producers might be able to adapt to the changing climate is by producing new crop varieties that are more resistant to drought, since drought is expected to increase in the future as temperatures get warmer and evaporation and evapotranspiration increase. Plant breeders are looking for plants that have characteristics that…
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While most farmers this year have been grateful for the transition to a rainier pattern after a dry June, it has caused some problems for farmers. Hot temperatures and saturated soils meant an early end to pollination and the early end of the squash and cucumber seasons. The wet soil also hindered harvest of some…
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I am speaking at a workshop this week in Atlanta that looks at drought prediction and impacts in the Southeast. One of the main topics of the workshop is flash drought, a drought that rapidly intensifies as rainfall drops to near zero in a prolonged dry spell and temperatures rise well above average. If you…
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Communicating the risks of extreme weather can be difficult even when you are speaking to native English speakers because of the specialized language and the amount of jargon that is often used. It becomes much more difficult when you are trying to get warnings to non-English speakers because many of the terms do not even…
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Earlier this week NOAA came out with their revised forecast for the number of tropical storms and hurricanes expected in the Atlantic Ocean this season. Even though it has been relatively quiet, that is expected to change in the next couple of week and NOAA is still expecting an above average number of named storms.…