Scientists rescuing minnows from Texas river as drought threatens their ability to reproduce

FORT WORTH, Texas, September 16 (AP) — Wading through a muddy river bed to reach shallow pools of water, wildlife biologists scooped up hundreds of minnows Friday in one of the first rescues of fish threatened by the state’s worst drought in decades. The scientists collected smalleye shiners and sharpnose shiners from the Brazos River […]

Texas drought worsens from ‘abysmal’ – Hottest three months ever recorded in the U.S.

15 September 2011 (MSNBC) – The drought in Texas that has fueled wildfires, devastated agriculture and caused water shortages actually worsened in the past week while several other states also saw spreading drought, according to a weekly report issued Thursday. The forecast for three months out isn’t any better: Texas was told to expect abnormally […]

Graph of the Day: Distribution of Mississippi River Crest Levels Per Decade, 1900s-2010

Increased precipitation could increase streamflow by 51 percent, due to more rain falling on near-saturated soils. The risk of floods has already increased over the past few decades along the Mississippi River near St. Louis due to increased flows. Because of its location at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, peak flows at […]

La Niña returns, bringing more severe weather – Drought likely to continue in East Africa, Texas, and Oklahoma

Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2011 – The weather phenomenon known as La Niña is returning for another season, likely bringing more drought, heavy rains and severe weather to some parts of the world, US forecasters said Thursday. Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center upgraded last month’s La Niña Watch […]

Video: As Texas withers, gas industry guzzles water

By Josh Harkinson1 September 2011 At Trinity Park, a popular picnic spot near downtown Fort Worth, Texas, a scorching summer has killed stately oaks and turned lawns into brittle moonscapes. On the park’s eastern edge, loud diesel generators pump some 4 million gallons of water from the Trinity River, though they’re not supplying the park […]

Graph of the Day: Increases in the Heaviest Daily Precipitation Events in the U.S., 1958-2007

Increases in the heaviest 1 percent of all daily precipitation events in the U.S. from 1958 to 2007. Alaska has already seen a 23 percent increase in these events. New England has seen the greatest increase by a significant margin, at 67%. Thirsty for Answers: Preparing for the Water-related Impacts of Climate Change in American […]

Texas pleads for help as fires sear state – Officials triple estimate of destroyed homes

By Ashley Powers and Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times7 September 2011 Reporting from Bastrop, Texas, and Los Angeles –  Beleaguered firefighters battling one of the most destructive Texas fire seasons on record found themselves punished not only by searing weather, but by lax brush clearance and dwindling budgets. With no end in sight to scores […]

Fossil fuel industry outspends pro-environment groups by eight-fold in battle over climate change legislation

By Evan Mackinder 23 August 2010 It was supposed to be their time. With significant majorities in Congress, a president promising action and favorable public opinion all on their side, many environmentalists believed their political stars had properly — and finally — aligned.  Sensing the unique opportunity to address global warming on a national scale, […]

Texas Gov. Perry slams feds for slow fire aid, after huge cuts to quicker state response

By Patrick Michels7 September 2011 As fire crews continue battling some of the worst blazes this dry state has seen in years, Texas Gov. Rick Perry took a break from his presidential campaign early this week, for a look at what he called “one of the meanest fires I’ve ever seen,” taking aerial tours of […]

Texas wildfires: Is drought the new climate?

By Julie Cart7 September 2011 The litany of misery playing out in Texas is tough to watch but less difficult to predict. Well before the contagion of wildfires was sparked this week, the state had been experiencing a weather catastrophe. Texas has seen its driest consecutive months since record-keeping began in 1895. Parts of the […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial