Author Archive

Study: Global warming related sea level rise poses big threat to Washington, D.C

Washington Post: Inundation resulting from 0.1 meter (m), 0.4 m, 1.0 m, 2.5 m, and 5.0 m of sea level rise in Washington, D.C. (left maps); and a composite on right map (Risk Analysis) Global warming-related sea level rise constitutes a major threat to the nation's capital, with the potential to inundate national monuments, museums, military bases, and parts of the Metro Rail system during the next several decades and beyond, according to a recent study published in the journal "Risk Analysis.' The study helps...

Heat wave 2011: humidity the stunning hallmark

Washington Post: The heat wave that affected at least 200 million people in the United States during the past week and a half has finally subsided, but not before shattering or tying thousands of records. The geographic extent of the heat wave was highly unusual, with temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater and heat indices much higher than that stretching from Texas to North Dakota, and eastward all the way to Maine. Every heat wave has a particular calling card, be it furnace-like hot and dry heat, sopping...

Global warming, extreme events and weird weather

Washington Post: I've never been a fan of absolutes. People who espouse rigid beliefs - be they about climate change, religion, or politics (or a mix of all three) - instinctively make me question their evidence. As a reporter, I tend to see things in varying shades of gray, rather than black and white, and I gravitate towards stories that are full of nuance and complexity, where absolutes are rarely, if ever, to be found. For this reason, the oft-made assertions that "global warming will make the weather more...