We often talk about negative impacts of drought, but for some people it has positive impacts as well. For construction companies and golf courses, dry conditions mean more days to get work and play done, increasing income. In agriculture, a story this week in Growing Georgia highlights one benefit that…
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Two stories this week discussed long-term drought issues in different parts of the world. Bloomberg reported that California and the rest of the West is watching this coming winter anxiously. Communities in the West depend on winter snowfall to provide them with up to 90 percent of their water for…
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In a previous post I discussed the “wedge,” a weather phenomenon that brings cool air down the east side of the Appalachian Mountains into the Southeast. Officially, it is called a cold air damming event, since the mountains prevent the movement of cool dense air into the mountains but direct…
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An entry from the American Geophysical Union blog site in mid-August discusses the possibility of spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ABR) through wind dispersal of land-applied animal wastewater used for irrigation in drought conditions. You can read the blog here. Scientists are not sure about the amount of ABR naturally occurring in…
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If you live near the coast in the Southeast, you are no doubt aware that storm surges associated with land-falling hurricanes can cause tremendous devastation. Storm surges from Ivan and Katrina caused tremendous damage to coastal areas. At the same time coastlines are being developed at a rapid rate, putting…
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The New York Times published a story earlier this week discussing the changes that changing climate may cause to soil microbe populations. Their focus was on grazing lands in the Southwest, but it is a question that could be asked across the country. The story focused on cyanobacteria, a critical…
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Since fall has just started, the media is full of stories about autumn colors and the difference between astronomical and climatological fall. Here are two I thought were especially interesting. Slate magazine produced an online video which discusses why American trees produce both red and yellow leaves but European leaves…
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