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A recent study published in Nature Climate Change shows that six of nine staple crops in sub-Saharan Africa are expected to be able to continue to be cultivated in a warmer climate. Three crops, however, maize, beans and bananas, will most likely no longer be viable in the new climate and will have to be…
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I read an interesting essay this week from July 2015 in Cracked.com describing a first-person experience with an EF5 tornado, in this case the one that hit Moore OK in May 2013. The story really brings home the need to prepare for unexpected disasters and what you can do to prepare for your own bad…
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The latest Drought Monitor shows that abnormally dry conditions have tripled in size since last week, covering over 6 percent of the area this week compared to 2 percent last week. The D0 conditions cover parts of southeast Georgia and northeast Florida, an area that has been largely missed by recent rains. Dry conditions that are…
Posted in: Drought -
University of Arizona researchers have shown that the number of hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea was 75% lower during the Maunder Minimum, a time period from roughly 1645-1715 AD. This is called the Maunder Minimum because there were fewer sunspots in that time period, which is also linked to a time of low solar activity. The…
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If you haven’t been watching astronomy news lately, you may have missed the stories about the total solar eclipse that occurred yesterday in Indonesia and the surrounding regions. EarthSky has some excellent photos of the eclipse at https://earthsky.org/todays-image/todays-eclipse-over-indonesia. The National Weather Service office in Boise posted a time-lapse video from the Himawari 8 satellite showing the…
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NOAA released their winter climate statistics yesterday. They showed that for the lower 48 states, this past December through February was the warmest since records began in 1895. The exceptionally warm December really boosted the temperatures this season. It was Alaska’s second warmest winter, with averages more than 10 degrees above normal. You can read more…
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“Daashka and his brother tear across the Mongolian steppe on a motorbike in a desperate search for somewhere to graze their herds. Pastureland is dwindling rapidly as the country is beset by a cycle of drought and harsh winter that is killing off livestock in droves.” This was the introduction to a very disturbing story I read…