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For the first time ever in recorded human history, the level of carbon dioxide for the full year was above 400 parts per million. Proxy data tell us that the last time it was at this level was 3.5 million years ago. This was most likely aided by the strong El Niño, since the droughts…
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Earlier this week Al Jazeera published an interesting story about a new facility in southern Australia that grows 15 percent of the entire production of tomatoes in that country without using soil, fresh water and fossil fuels. According to the story, Sundrop Farms explained its sustainable growing methods this way: “Tomatoes are grown hydroponically in…
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The New York Times has an interesting photo essay on farmers who live and work at the edge of the Gobi Desert. These farmers are dealing with increasing numbers of sandstorms and the erosion of their way of life. You might enjoy the haunting imagery in this article. You can view it at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/24/world/asia/living-in-chinas-expanding-deserts.html?ref=oembed&_r=0. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/24/world/asia/living-in-chinas-expanding-deserts.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
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While Hurricane Matthew is now one for the record books for most people (other than those in eastern North Carolina still dealing with the devastating floods in the region associated with the storm), there have been a lot of interesting stories about the storm. Many of these are on scientific aspects of the storm such…
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Modern Farmer had an interesting story this week on the history of how kudzu was introduced into the US and how it affected Southern agriculture. You might enjoy getting a look at the history of how this plant came to be so ubiquitous around the Southeast and how it has affected agriculture here in the…
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You may have heard television meteorologists talk about the diurnal cycle in temperature in the past, and I thought I would spend a few minutes to discuss it and how the current drought is affecting the diurnal cycle in some parts of the Southeast. I am using an example from Rome GA, which is in…
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If you are interested in weather in historical context or in Key West, Florida, you might enjoy this article on the Key West Hurricane of 1846. This was one of the earliest hurricanes observed in that city. The article goes into depth on the development of the storm and its damage to the city. You…