Climate science
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According to Scientific American, “on Tuesday, the Mauna Loa Observatory recorded its first-ever carbon dioxide reading in excess of 410 parts per million (it was 410.28 ppm in case you want the full deal). Carbon dioxide hasn’t reached that height in millions of years. It’s a new atmosphere that humanity will have to contend with,…
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Related to my previous post on the warming climate, one of the consequences that we see from the warmer conditions in recent years is a shift in the planting zones. These zones are linked to the average annual minimum temperature in each location, which helps determine what plants can survive the winter months. Here is…
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In the past I have watched and enjoyed the reality television show “Deadliest Catch”, which shows the life of Alaskan crab fishermen competing to get the most crabs in the limited harvest season. But in recent years, the ships have been forced to move farther north into more dangerous waters farther from their home harbors…
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It’s almost too late in the year for this to apply to most of the Southeast, but I thought this blog post by Cliff Mass of Washington State was a good discussion of why cars and other surfaces can accumulate frost even if the air temperature is above freezing. The same physical principles apply in…
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If you work outdoors, you know that you have to be aware of approaching thunderstorms, which can cause injuries no only from hail, strong winds and tornadoes, but also from lightning. You may know the National Weather Service saying “If thunder roars, go indoors” and the rule that you should stay inside for 30 minutes…
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A recent study published by University of Illinois scientists looked at how farmers plan their field work for different times of year and how their scheduling is likely to change under a warmer, more variable climate. While the study looked specifically at Illinois producers, it shows that thinking about how to manage your farm schedules…
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When someone says to me that the climate is always changing, I inwardly roll my eyes and agree with them that climate has definitely changed over time and is still changing due to natural variability like El Niño (short-term) and orbital variations that cause ice ages (long-term). Climatologists have been studying these changes for a…
Posted in: Climate science