Category: Climate

It has been decades since parts of the Midwest experienced a deep freeze like the one expected to arrive Sunday, with potential record-low temperatures heightening fears of frostbite and hypothermia even in a region where residents are accustomed to bundling up. This "polar vortex," as one meteorologist calls it, is caused by a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air. The frigid air, piled up at the North Pole, will be pushed down to the U.S., funneling it as far south as the Gulf Coast. Ryan Maue, of Tallahassee, Fla., a meteorologist for Weather Bell, said temperature records will likely be broken during the short yet forceful deep freeze that will begin in many places on Sunday and extend into early next week. That’s thanks to a perfect combination of the jet stream, cold surface temperatures and the polar vortex. "All the ingredients […]

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As a young naval officer in Vietnam, John Kerry commanded a Swift boat up the dangerous rivers of the Mekong Delta. But when he returned there last month as secretary of state for the first time since 1969, he spoke not of past firefights but of climate change. “Decades ago, on these very waters, I was one of many who witnessed the difficult period in our shared history,” Mr. Kerry told students gathered on the banks of the Cai Nuoc River. He drew a connection from the Mekong Delta’s troubled past to its imperiled future. “This is one of the two or three most potentially impacted areas in the world with respect to the effects of climate change,” he said. In his first year as secretary of state, Mr. Kerry joined with the Russians to push Syria to turn over its chemical weapons, persuaded the Israelis and […]

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Record-low precipitation in 2013 has worsened California’s drought, draining reservoirs, forcing farmers to keep fallow thousands of acres of fields and leaving some ski resorts high and dry during the busy holiday season. Urban and agricultural customers, including Southern California’s huge Metropolitan Water District, have been told by the state to expect to receive this year, on average, just 5% of the water they historically request, after a year in which rainfall totals hit record lows in many parts of the state. Last year, customers received 35% of requested supply, on average. It is also mobilizing emergency drought plans to convey water from places that have more abundant supplies to those in need.A drought emergency could be called by Gov. Jerry Brown early in the new year, officials said, following an unusually dry start to the state’s rainy season—which usually begins in late October—in addition to two […]

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Global Cereal Crop Production May be Maxed Out on 30 Percent of Farms Recent research conducted by the University of Nebraska suggests that nearly one-third of global rice, wheat and corn crops have reached their maximum yields in farmers’ fields. A field of unharvested wheat is seen in Labastide d’Armagnac village in Landes, southwestern France, Recent research conducted by the University of Nebraska suggests that nearly one-third of global rice, wheat and corn crops have reached their maximum yields in farmers’ fields. The revelation raises concerns about the ability to meet food production needs amid a rising global population. Production of cereal crops has decreased or plateaued recently, the researchers report, noting that the projections typically used to ensure food security amid a growing population are based […]

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California water authorities told Al Jazeera Friday that barring a series of heavy storms, California faces a drought next year that would restrict residents’ access to water and hurt agricultural production in the heartland in the long-term. "On the horizon, there is a chance we will receive some rain and snowfall in Northern California. We’re hoping the storm door will open," Bill Croyle, drought manager at the California Department of Water Resources, said. "We’re coming close to meeting some thresholds where we are in a drought. We’re looking at making recommendations after the January or February snow forecast," he said. California’s wine industry worries about the prospect of an ecological disaster. "It has a potential to be a historic drought," said David Graves, managing member of Sonoma Valley, Calif.’s Saintsbury Winery, which is associated with the trade group Napa Valley Vintners Association. For the past two years, California has […]

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