Climate and Ag in the news
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A recent study published in Nature Communications by scientists from Texas and Hong Kong described new research on how fast flash droughts can develop. “Flash droughts” are primarily driven by little rain combined with high temperatures and mainly affect agriculture because of the plants’ needs for regular infusions of water. According to an article in…
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According to meteorologist Barb Mayes Boustead, the Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index, or AWSSI (pronounced like “Aussie”), which she developed, tallies a “score” throughout the winter season based on temperatures, snowfall, and snowpack on the ground. According to this year’s map, most of the Southeast was categorized as mild or moderate, with limited winter weather.…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
Over the years, climate models have improved in their ability to predict both short-term climate shifts and longer shifts in climate patterns. As climate models have become more sophisticated, the different models are in closer agreement with projections of what climate is likely to be like in the future, although there are still questions about…
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Hurricane Michael came onshore near Panama City, FL, in October 2018. It rapidly intensified just before it made landfall, bringing winds of up to 155 mph along with a devastating storm surge that devastated areas near the coast as well as inland. But in spite of the fact that several years have passed, some lower-income…
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If you like to hear stories about citizen science and the weather, you will love this one. According to a recent story in The Conversation, 66,000 pieces of paper containing very old weather records in the United Kingdom were digitized by volunteers during the pandemic. The records were handwritten, mostly in cursive, which made them…
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A recent article from the National Science Foundation describes the result of a study on when new leaves appear on plants in spring by scientists at Ohio State University and published in Nature Climate Change. The study shows that while warmer temperatures are the primary cause of earlier leaf occurrence, the number of days of…
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In the Southeast, we get severe weather every month of the year, but the busiest season is spring, with a secondary maximum in late fall. This year, the La Nina has pushed the main jet stream to the north into the Ohio River Valley, which leaves the Southeast in an increased chance for warm moist…