Climate science
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If you have a dog (or cat) that you take on walks, you have probably heard that you have to be careful of burning their feet on a day that is very warm, since pavement can get hotter than the air. Here is a table that compares surface temperatures of grass, air, and various kinds…
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I don’t talk about space weather too often because it usually does not affect climate or agriculture, but this is too interesting not to share. A new Mars expedition, the Emirates Mars Mission, the first interplanetary exploration undertaken by an Arab nation, today released stunning images of Mars’ mysterious auroras, including some new never-before seen…
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In the past, television meteorologists were often hesitant to discuss the changing climate. In some cases, they were prohibited by the management of their stations, who did not want to lose any viewers. In other cases, the meteorologists were themselves skeptical of climate change projections. As the science has become more clear, more broadcast mets…
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How does dust affect climate across the world? While we don’t think about it too often here in the Southeast, it is a big issue in other parts of the country and the world. Dust can affect the transmission of sunlight to the surface, coat the surfaces of glaciers (which affects how they melt), and…
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I ran across a very interesting (new to me) blog this week on soil with an article on soil moisture and its importance to agriculture. The University of Georgia weather network cooperates with the group described in the article; that group collects soil moisture from agricultural weather networks across the US because it is critical…
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Increases in temperature over time have many different impacts on plants and animals. Flowering plants and trees are blooming earlier, which may cause problems for commercial fruit production because the early bloom makes the plants more vulnerable to a late frost, for one example. This is a problem when one change, such as the migration…
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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…