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NASA releases blizzard of precipitation data
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on September 5th, 2014
Climate Central: Have you been itching to see the most detailed collection of precipitation data ever pulled together? (Join the club.) Well, you're in luck. NASA has just released a vast trove of snow, rain, hail and more liquid measurements from a satellite launched earlier this year.
In late February, NASA and an international cohort of space programs launched the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory (or GPM for short), the centerpiece of a constellation of satellites watching precipitation around...
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Military Bases Face Hurdle Climate Change Adaptation
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on July 14th, 2014
Climate Central: The Department of Defense has 7,600 military installations across all 50 states and 40 foreign countries. They perform diverse functions, but they have one thing in common: climate change could cost them big in the coming decades unless adaptation measures are taken soon.
The military has already taken some action. Planning for climate change impacts is being folded into base Master Plans around the world. And renewable energy projects have popped up on a few installations, reducing greenhouse...
Dust in the Wind Could Speed Greenland’s Ice Melt
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on June 8th, 2014
Climate Central: Despite it's name, Greenland is predominantly white, as snow and ice cover the majority of the country. New research indicates that Greenland's main color may be starting to fade and in fact darken, though, thanks to a widespread increase of dust across the ice sheets. That darkening could speed up surface melt, and with it, sea level rise around the globe.
More than three-quarters of Greenland is covered by a massive ice sheet that's up to 2 miles thick in spots. It contained 684,000 cubic miles...
Spring is Arriving Earlier and Earlier in the U.S
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on March 20th, 2014
Climate Central: Today, March 20th, marks the first day of the vernal equinox, although spring might feel like it's never going to arrive for those still battling unseasonably cold weather from the Midwest to the East. But don't be fooled by this year's cooler temperatures. When you define the onset of spring as the "first leaf' date for a number of plants, the season is arriving earlier, on average, than it did 30 years ago.
As a whole, the continental U.S. is seeing spring arrive three days sooner when you compare...
Climate Trends Tell Different Story for Great Lakes’ Ice
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on February 14th, 2014
Climate Central: This winter has offered a rare treat for visitors to Lake Superior's Apostle Islands: a stroll across the frozen waters to ice caves straight out of a scene in the movie "Frozen.' Thanks to enduring and massive blasts of frigid air, extensive lake ice has made the caves, normally only accessible to summer visitors traveling by boat, reachable by foot for the first time since 2009.
The bitter weather also has the Great Lakes on the brink of setting a record for the widest ice cover recorded. As...
Record Number of Billion-Dollar Disasters Globally in 2013
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on February 6th, 2014
Climate Central: The past year saw the highest number of billion-dollar weather disasters across the globe. However, despite the high number of events, overall loss of life and property were comparatively low to years past.
In all, 41 weather events caused $1 billion or more in damage in 2013 according to a report recently released by Aon Benfield, a reinsurance group. That's one more than the previous record set in 2010. The report chronicled a total of 261 weather-related disasters over the course of the year....
California Drought Expands, Fueling Heat and Fire
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on January 16th, 2014
Climate Central: A wildfire exploded outside Los Angeles Thursday as record temperatures spread across California, where drought conditions are escalating as the state comes off its driest year on record.
A new update to the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that severe drought, the second-worst drought category, has spread across 62.7 percent of the California as of Tuesday. The previous week, severe drought was only affecting 27.6 percent of the state.
California recorded only 7.38 inches of precipitation statewide...
Australia 2014 Heat Wave Picks Up Where 2013 Left Off
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on January 9th, 2014
Climate Central: The U.S. may just be climbing out of the freezer, but Australia has been sweating through a major heat wave to start the year. Heat records fell across a large part of the country in the first week of the New Year. The warm weather is currently centered over sparsely populated Western Australia, but it could hit major population centers along the east coast by late next week.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology released a special statement to chronicle the extent of the heat wave and its movement....
Hurricane Sandy Hasn’t Shifted Climate Narrative
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on October 30th, 2013
Climate Central: In the year since Hurricane Sandy struck the Mid-Atlantic, news articles have widely declared that the storm has "changed the public's view of weather threats' and that "resilience' would be the environmental buzzword of 2013. That sounds all well and good, but are headlines enough to move public opinion and spark new discussions?
Signs seem to point to "no.' Policy has moved forward in a number of the states most affected by Sandy. But the broader U.S. public has shown little interest in carrying...
Australia’s Bushfire Season Turns Sydney’s Skies Orange
Posted by Climate Central: Brian Kahn on October 19th, 2013
Climate Central: Australia has been enduring its hottest year on record, and the warm temperatures combined with dry conditions have sent wildfires whipping across the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales. The fires -- some of the worst in a decade -- have caused a deep haze to descend over Sydney and spurred the deployment of hundreds of firefighters across the region.
Smoke from the fires blanketed Sydney. Surreal images from Quartz show eerie orange skies framing the downtown, harbor, and iconic...