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The CoCoRaHS network (Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network) is a group of volunteer precipitation observers across the US (and a few in Canada) that take daily precipitation readings using a simple rain gauge and reporting online using a computer or smartphone app. I am a regional coordinator for this program, which has been…
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Dairy farmers in New Zealand are facing serious consequences of water shortages that can be traced to the developing El Nino. These water shortages have led to tighter restrictions on water use and have also reduced the availability of cheap energy from hydroelectric dams due to restrictions on how much water can be released. The…
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Several thousand years ago, Africa was considerably wetter than in recent years. This period, called the African Humid Period, lasted from roughly 14,000 to 5,000 years ago, was related to higher temperatures and more greenhouse gases, according to an article in Bloomberg Businessweek. Recent simulations of climate for that time period match the climate determined…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
Mother Jones reprinted a story from Slate this week on the contribution of burning yak dung to climate change in the Himalayas. Traditionally, Tibetans have burned dried yak dung to keep their houses warm during the long harsh winter. However, the burning fuel creates a lot of indoor air pollution as well emits a lot…
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The State Climate Office of North Carolina published a blog entry today describing some work their student interns have done to look at the impact of weather and climate on pumpkin production. They found differences in the plantings dates between eastern and western NC and impacts of growing degree days on insect pest growth. You…
Posted in: Crops -
NOAA released their temperature and precipitation rankings for the month of November today. The rankings show that Georgia was the fourth coldest since records began in 1895. Alabama was the 2nd coldest, South Carolina the 5th coldest, and North Carolina the 9th coldest. Florida, by comparison was only the 19th coldest November on record. The…
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Yahoo Finance today posted a story which gives an excellent overview of the increase of sea ice in Antarctica, which skeptics of climate change often use as “proof” that the climate is not getting warmer. In the article, a NASA scientist explains that the relationship between sea ice and temperature is not so simple, because…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news