Climate science
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In the last few years meteorologists have become increasingly aware that some of the most intense rainstorms on the West Coast are caused by concentrated bands of moisture that pour water vapor into the region. These bands are called “atmospheric rivers” because they act like a conduit to bring high volume rain events to California,…
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This week there have been a number of stories on attitudes about climate change and global warming in the news. Since many of you communicate about weather and climate impacts on agriculture to people with a broad variety of perspectives, I wanted to point out some stories that might be helpful in setting the debate…
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How do we know what the climate was before official measurements were taken? The historical instrumental records only go back to about the 1820s, when surgeons were the official observers at forts across the United States. To look at longer-term climate records, you have to use climate markers like tree rings to determine what the climate…
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On this rainy Friday, I want to highlight a recent study which was published in Nature Communications. From Wikipedia: Petrichor (/ˈpɛtrɨkɔər/) is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Greek, petra, meaning ‘stone’ + ichor, the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek…
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NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory has put out a video which shows the change in carbon dioxide over time in the atmosphere on a variety of time scales. It is interesting to see the difference between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Northern Hemisphere has more land and less ocean than the Southern Hemisphere…
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If you enjoy reading about history as much as I do, you will be fascinated about this brief history of weather forecasting put together by Chris Robbins, who runs iWeatherNet.com. Official weather forecasts have been produced by meteorologists for well over 100 years, first by the US Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau and now by…
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Cosmos Magazine has a long and interesting article about the importance of terroir in wine-making. That term is hard to describe exactly, but encompasses the local conditions under which a wine is made, including the particular soil qualities, the micro-climate, and even the type of microbes in the area, which can impart unique flavors to the…