By MICHELLE FAUL7 May 2013 JOHANNESBURG (AP) – Scientists say a disease destroying entire crops of cassava has spread out of East Africa into the heart of the continent, is attacking plants as far south as Angola and now threatens to move west into Nigeria, the world’s biggest producer of the potato-like root that helps […]
By Dr. Jeff Masters3 May 2013 (wunderground.com) – The water content of the snowpack in the Southern Sierra Mountains of California, from San Joaquin through Kern and Owens, was 9% of average for the date on 2 May 2013 (and 7% of the average for April 1.) The snowpack is usually not this thin until […]
By Dr. Jeff Masters 3 May 2013 (wunderground.com) – A highly unusual jet stream pattern is bringing a bizarre combination of heavy May snows, flooding, extreme fire danger, and well below average severe thunderstorm activity to the U.S. A strong “blocking” high pressure system has set up over Greenland, blocking the normal west-to-east progression of […]
3 May 2013 (mongabay.com) – The Greater Mekong region of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and Vietnam will lose a third of its remaining forest cover by 2030 unless regional governments improve management of natural resources and transition toward a greener growth model, warns a new report issued by WWF. The report lays out two […]
Contact: Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov Kathryn Hansen Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-1046 kathryn.h.hansen@nasa.gov 3 May 2013 WASHINGTON (NASA) – A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought. The study shows for the first time how rising carbon dioxide concentrations […]
(Climate Commission) – The length, extent, and severity of this heatwave are unprecedented since records began. This is the longest period ever for such persistently high temperatures. For seven days running, from 2–8 January 2013, the average daily maximum temperature for the whole of Australia was over 39 °C, easily breaking the previous record of […]
By Gwynn Guilford30 April 2013 (The Atlantic) – China might be cracking down on luxury spending in watches, cars, banquets and really foul liquor. But the market for pricey fish parts continues relatively unabated. US border officials recently busted a ring smuggling bladders of an endangered fish used for medicinal Chinese soups (here are some […]
GENEVA, 2 May 2013 (WMO) The World Meteorological Organization’s Statement on the Status of the Global Climate says that 2012 joined the ten previous years as one of the warmest — at ninth place — on record despite the cooling influence of a La Niña episode early in the year. The 2012 global land and […]
By Andrew Freedman 3 May 2013 (Climate Central) – The last time there was this much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere, modern humans didn’t exist. Megatoothed sharks prowled the oceans, the world’s seas were up to 100 feet higher than they are today, and the global average surface temperature was up to 11°F […]
By Dr. Jeff Masters2 May 2013 (wunderground.com) – A rare and historic May snowstorm continues to pelt Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin with snowfall amounts unprecedented in the historical record for the month of May. Winter Storm Achilles has brought 15.5″ of snow to Owatonna, Minnesota, about 50 miles south of Minneapolis. This is (unofficially) the […]
