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As a graduate student one of the things I studied was the climate of the last Ice Age about 18,000 years ago. Physics Today just published a really interesting study of the end of the Ice Age in Europe and how changes in sea level affected life there. It’s based on a computer simulation that…
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Food and Wine magazine had an interesting article this week on efforts by University of Florida scientists to produce a cow that is more resistant to hot conditions by crossing Angus with Brahman breeds. According to the article ,”the new “heat-resistant” cow would be able to better handle heat stress, they say, and because of…
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One of the consequences of the rainy conditions in the central US this year has been exceptional runoff of fertilizer and other agricultural chemicals as well as animal waste, most of which make their way down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. These chemicals help lead to the development of a “dead zone”…
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According to a new report published in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, “trends from 2001 to 2011 show that urban development has declined in coastal flood zones; however, development in flood zones in inland counties has grown.” The authors point out that with a few exceptions such as Miami, most development in…
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The overnight temperatures earlier this week in south Florida set records for high minimum temperatures, according to an article by the Palm Beach Post. On Wednesday the low reached only 82 F, where the normal low is 75 F. Daytime temperatures have not been as much above normal as the nighttime temperatures due to rain…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
NOAA’s Climate Toolkit has a unique new tool that allows emergency managers and public health departments identify people who are vulnerable to loss of electrical power. It links a database of Medicare beneficiaries who use electric adaptive devices to current weather hazards to identify how many people in an affected area would be affected by…
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I’ve seen several articles this week discussing problems that farmers are having in areas that have received abundant rain in the last few weeks. While the precipitation is welcome for many, it does make it hard for producers to keep up with applications of nutrients and other agricultural chemical treatments. The Panhandle Ag e-News discussed…