Drought
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EarthSky reported recently that 2015 was the worst year on record for wildfires in the United States, based on area covered. Estimates by the National Interagency Fire Center were that more than 10 million acres burned. Many of those were in the western US, which has been plagued by severe drought and high temperatures this…
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A study recently published in Nature magazine shows that in the time period from 1964 to 2007, global crop yields were reduced by up to 10 percent from drought and extreme heat. Floods and extreme cold did not appear to have a similar effect. A surprising result from the study was that crop yields in developed…
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ABC News posted a story today about the severe drought in South Africa. In the last week 11 people have died from heatstroke associated with record-setting high temperatures in the dry conditions. One farmer reported that he has already lost $60,000 this season because he has not been able to plant a single seed. He…
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A recent study of Australian wheat and sheep farmers after years of increasing drought and dust storms shows that the farmers are suffering from depression, according to a recent story in Modern Farmer. “The biggest problem seems to be the uncertainty. Farmers don’t know whether their crops will survive or be hit by a sudden…
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The Los Angeles Times published a recent story on California farmers responding to 4+ years of drought. In addition to the drought they have experienced a number of related impacts, including decimation of some crops due to insect infestations. Some of them have run out of resources to keep farming and are taking a break…
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The heavy rains that fell in southern Florida this past week wiped out the last remaining pocket of moderate drought in the Southeast as well as put a dent in the areas of abnormally dry conditions. Hard to believe that just three months ago more than half the region was abnormally dry or worse, and…
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One of the consequences of changes in climate such as drought is an impact on the soil structure and the agricultural infrastructure on which it sits. The Guardian posted an article a few days ago describing the impacts of continued massive pumping of groundwater in California on the surface topography, where land is sinking at…