Newser reported this week that Los Angeles broke a 131-year temperature record on Saturday with a temperature of 96 F in downtown LA, surpassing the old record of 95 F set back in 1886. The high temperatures have caused problems for children, the elderly and other vulnerable populations and increased…
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Late in June the New York Times reported that scientists measuring the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere have found a troubling trend–even though emissions of CO2 have leveled off globally, the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere is continuing to rise. This makes the scientists wonder where the rising CO2…
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Two paleoclimatologists at the University of North Carolina have found a way to track a storm—or, at least, track the average of all storms across the season—325 years in the past, according to an article in the latest The Atlantic magazine. The scientists used tree ring data from ponderosa pines…
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National Geographic has an interesting article this week on a new NASA study documenting increases in forest fires caused by lightning strikes in the boreal forest in the northern parts of North America. The article says that “Since 1975, the number of fires ignited by lightning has increased between two…
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I don’t live in Alabama, so can’t watch this new documentary on a recently discovered Ice Age forest hidden near Alabama’s coast when it is broadcast on the air, but for those of you who do, it looks like a fascinating look at some Alabama natural history. I am going…
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Here’s a notice about a webinar that looks very interesting. I am posting it because I would like to see it myself. Note that you do not have to preregister. Here is the description of the webinar: “Fall 2016, several southeastern states were experiencing significant wildfires due to a severe…
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It’s no surprise that weather has a big effect on crop development this time of year. The floods in the Midwest have been particularly bad for farmers, but other regions have also experienced impacts from frost and other extreme weather. Here is a sampling of recent stories I have read…
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