Drought
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The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that a small area of moderate (D1) drought has been introduced to a small area of South and North Carolina where abnormally dry conditions have been present for several weeks. A second area has been introduced to northwestern Alabama on the border with Mississippi. Abnormally dry areas…
Posted in: Drought -
I was interested to read this Physics Today article about how plants that are being affected by drought can actually change the composition of the atmosphere around them. When they are feeling the effects of drought, the plants close their stomata to decrease water loss. This reduces the amount of carbon dioxide that is used.…
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This time of year there is no shortage of stories about agriculture and climate in the media. Many of them are geared to one place, and of course I tend to look at the ones in the US first. But there are a lot coming from other countries as well. Here are a few that…
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This week’s Drought Monitor shows a slight expansion of abnormally dry conditions across the Southeast. Increases occurred in Alabama and North and South Carolina due to warm temperatures and lack of rain. No dry conditions are currently observed in Virginia, Georgia and Florida. The next seven days show relatively little rain for the abnormally dry…
Posted in: Drought -
The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that rain has reduced the scattered spots of abnormally dry conditions in eastern Alabama, although there was a slight expansion of abnormally dry conditions in the northwest part of that state. Elsewhere, small spots of dry conditions persist. No drought is expected to develop over the next…
Posted in: Drought -
Here is an interesting story by Eddie McGriff from the Southeast Farm Press about the impacts of a layer of hardpan below the surface of an Alabama cotton field on plant growth. One of the most interesting impacts to me as a climatologist was the impact of breaking up the hardpan on floods and droughts.…
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Drovers’ Newsletter posted a story about the impacts of droughts around the world in recent weeks on cattle production. Farmers are handling the water shortages differently in different places. For example, in Switzerland they are bringing in water by helicopter to deal with the worst drought since 1921. In other places farmers are culling cattle…