Climate science
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Most people have noticed that the actual weather that happened in the past winter was very different than what NOAA predicted before winter started. NOAA posted a story today which analyzed how well their winter forecast verified. They showed that the prediction was not as bad as you might think, but it was definitely one…
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Every ten years, the United States and many other countries release a new set of 30-year average temperature and precipitation values, which are called “climate normals”. They are intended to capture the average conditions for the last 30 years and are used by many industries, including agriculture, to make decisions about what kind of weather…
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A new study published recently in the journal Science shows that as the climate gets warmer, it is affecting the flows of rivers around the world. The water cycle is getting accelerated, leading to both more flooding and more droughts. That affects the flow of rivers, since flooding overtops the banks, while droughts leave very…
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The South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center is offering a free online course on climate change and how to adapt in April that you may be interested in participating in. This self-paced, 4-week course will introduce participants to the physical and ecological impacts of climate change. These include how climate change may impact hydrology, polar…
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Have you ever heard the term “flash drought” and wondered where it came from? It turns out that it has only been around for about 20 years, but is being used more and more to describe a drought that comes on quickly and severely. If you are interested, you might like to read this article…
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Here is an educational resource for middle school teachers and others who work with kids that age. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with six other federal agencies—National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, NASA, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management—developed a kit to aid educators in teaching how climate…
Posted in: Climate science -
I’ve heard many complaints about this year’s winter forecast and how far off it was. Here is an excellent discussion of how seasonal forecasts are made and how they can be off. They show that for what we knew in November, a typical La Nina pattern was the most reasonable forecast. The things that changed…