Written primarily by guest authors, feature articles provide "on-the-ground" perspectives and credible assessments of various topics related to climate change solutions and science, with an emphasis on the Southwest.
Western States Seed Clouds in Search of New Water
Posted by Melissa Lamberton |
on February 09, 2012
On a remote mountaintop in the Sierra Nevada, as thunderheads gather in a dark mass above the peaks, a thin propane flame burns against the pale backdrop of snow. The generator, perched on top of a spindly tower, vaporizes a solution of silver iodide, wafting invisible particles upward into the clouds.
Climate Change Offers Opportunities for “Transformative” Restoration
Posted by Melissa Lamberton |
on January 19, 2012
In the Southwest, a plant's citizenship status often determines its fate. Conservationists work to keep invasive species at bay with chainsaws and chemicals even as climate change begins to turn ecosystems into jigsaw puzzles. As global temperatures rise and precipitation patterns shift, native and exotic species alike head for new locations. Bethany Bradley, a biogeographer at the University of Massachusetts, has a novel suggestion: Make climate change an ally in our efforts to restore the damage caused by invasive species.
Climate, Forest Management Linked to Southwest Fires
Posted by Melissa Lamberton |
on December 08, 2011
When thousands of acres burned across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas last summer, firefighters and forest managers faced a more formidable foe than just smoke and flames. Research suggests that Southwestern wildfires are becoming bigger and fiercer in response to the two-headed hydra of higher temperatures and abundant fuel. In both cases, humans have a hand in creating ecosystems ready to go up in flames, but making management decisions to reverse the trend may not be so easy.
2011 Water Year in Review
Posted by Zack Guido |
on October 31, 2011
The 2011 Water Year in Review is a summary of the information presented in the Southwest Climate Outlook between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2011. The water year is a standard period of measurement used in hydrology because the natural seasonal ground recharge and discharge cycles are more aligned with the October-September period than the calendar year due to precipitation and evaporation. This review highlights precipitation, temperature, reservoir levels, drought, wildfire, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions.
Extreme Events in the Southwest
Posted by Zack Guido |
on September 21, 2011
Raging fires, mile-high walls of dust, bone-dry drought, and pipe-bursting freezes wreaked havoc across the Southwest this year. By the end of August, drought and fires alone cost New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and other western states more than $5 billion, which does not include the recent blazes that destroyed more than 1,000 of houses in Texas. Ten disasters across the country have cost more than $1 billion already this year, breaking the previous record of nine set in 2008, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In fact, CNN dubbed 2011 the year of billion-dollar disasters (August 20).