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Archive for January 25th, 2014
California drought: Past dry periods have lasted more than 200 years, scientists say
Posted by Mercury: Paul Rogers on January 25th, 2014
Mercury: California's current drought is being billed as the driest period in the state's recorded rainfall history. But scientists who study the West's long-term climate patterns say the state has been parched for much longer stretches before that 163-year historical period began.
And they worry that the "megadroughts" typical of California's earlier history could come again.
Through studies of tree rings, sediment and other natural evidence, researchers have documented multiple droughts in California...
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NASA picture reveals shocking impact of California’s drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 25th, 2014
Mongabay: A pair of satellite images released this week by NASA reveal the shocking impact of California's drought, which is now entering its third year.
The images, captured January 18, 2013 and January 18, 2014 with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, show a steep decline in snow cover across the Sierra Nevada, Coast Range, and Cascade Mountains. Both the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys appeared parched, with a noticeable drop in greenness.
"The most...
Antarctic Discovery: A Massive Valley Under The Ice
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 25th, 2014
National Public Radio: Not long ago, researchers found something amazing under the ice of West Antarctica: A valley deeper than the Grand Canyon, measuring about two miles deep, 15 miles across, and nearly 200 miles long. Neil Ross, lead author of the , wasn't looking for the valley — he found it by accident. Ross spends most of his time in Antarctica measuring the thickness of the ice sheet and surveying features below the surface using radar technology. The expeditions last for weeks or even months. "It's a mix of...
Climate change: Food security should be top priority for Pakistan
Posted by Dawn: None Given on January 25th, 2014
Dawn: Experts from various disciplines gathered at the Climate Change Conference in Karachi stressed a dire need for research on the issue in Pakistan as it ranked amongst countries highly vulnerable to the phenomena.
The conference, organised by Habib University, highlighted the urgent need to incorporate climate change adaptation into the national climate policy. The keynote speaker, Dr Bruce McCarl, a disitinguised professor of Agricultural Economic at Texas A&M University, sounded the alarm and...
Reading John Kerry’s Mind on the Keystone Pipeline
Posted by InsideClimate: John H. Cushman Jr. on January 25th, 2014
InsideClimate: Imagine, if you will, John Kerry's internal monologue—his soliloquy as the State Department prepares to release its final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the Keystone XL pipeline designed to funnel tar sands crude from Alberta across the U.S. midsection. After the EIS arrives, Kerry must review whether the pipeline is in the national interest—a question that Obama has said rests largely on its climate impacts. Of course, we can't know what Kerry really thinks. Here we take a guess by looking...
Keystone potential bargaining chip in congress debt talks
Posted by Bloomberg: Derek Wallbank on January 25th, 2014
Bloomberg: House Republicans are trying to agree on what they want from Democrats in exchange for votes to raise the U.S. debt limit as soon as next month.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan have suggested insisting on approval of the TransCanada Corp. (TRP) Keystone XL pipeline as a condition of a higher debt ceiling. Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas is among Republicans who want to take a harder line and demand major changes to President Barack Obama’s health-care...
Is climate change a northern catastrophe or an Arctic opening?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 25th, 2014
Globe and Mail: This is part of The North, a Globe investigation of unprecedented change, to the climate, culture and politics of Canada’s last frontier. Join the conversation with #GlobeNorth The Globe’s Artic Circle panel of experts and leaders is discussing five key questions about Northern issues. Their responses and conversations have appeared on Globe Debate. Doug Saunders: The crucial factor in the future of the North is the melting of the polar ice cap, already well underway. How will this change the lives,...
10-Year Water-Cycle Trend Identified in Wisconsin Lakes
Posted by Nature World: James A. Foley on January 25th, 2014
Nature World: A 10-year water-level cycle has been identified in Wisconsin's lakes, and researchers there were surprised to find that even the smallest lakes followed the same trend as gigantic lakes like Michigan and Huron.
"There was absolutely no reason for us to expect that our little lakes and lakes Michigan and Huron would act the same way, but they did," said Carl Watras, a research scientist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Wataras was part of a team of researchers the documented...