The Southwest U.S. will continue to get warmer over the 21st century, with fewer cold waves and longer, hotter heat waves, according to an expansive new book published by Island Press. The book, prepared for the...
In The News
Energy Cost of Desal Merits Evaluation
May 3, 2013 |
Pacific Institute
Desalination consumes more energy per gallon of water than most other water supply options, according to the third report in a series by the Pacific Institute investigating issues related to seawater desalination projects in...
Streamflow Forecasts Grim for AZ, NM
April 25, 2013 |
CLIMAS
Conditions over the past month have once again been dry and warm in Arizona and New Mexico, according to the April Southwest Climate Outlook from CLIMAS. Temperatures have been 1 to 5 degrees F above average, and precipitation has been less than 70 percent of average in much of both states. Forecasts suggest both of these...
Scientists Confirm Recent Warming Trend Due to Humans
April 25, 2013 |
Nature Geoscience
Natural variability alone cannot explain the recent (past century) warming trend, confirms a new study published in Nature Geoscience. The authors used paleoclimate records—such as lake sediments and ice cores—from around the globe to reconstruct past temperatures in seven continental-scale...
Climate Zones Shifting Faster Than Previously Thought
April 25, 2013 |
Nature Climate Change
Climate change will shift climate zones at a faster rate than previously thought, according to a recent study in Nature Climate Change. Previous projections estimated a linear relationship between increasing global mean temperature and the pace of shifting climate zones, although few...
Warm, Dry March in SW
April 18, 2013 |
NOAA
Temperatures in March were well below average for the nation as a whole, but above average in many states in the Southwest, according to the latest State of the Climate from NOAA. Arizona, California, and Nevada experienced temperatures among their top ten warmest, and Utah and New Mexico each experienced their 25th warmest...
Great Plains Drought, Worse Than Dust Bowl, Not Attributed to Climate Change
April 18, 2013 |
NOAA
Precipitation deficits over the central Great Plains last summer were more severe than the driest summers of the Dust Bowl era, and the most severe since record keeping began, according to a new assessment of the 2012 drought by NOAA. The authors used a combination of historical data, climate simulations, and...
Groundwater Pumping Decreasing AZ’s Verde River Streamflow
April 18, 2013 |
USGS
Oceans Absorbing More Heat
April 18, 2013 |
Geophysical Research Letters
Over the past decade, the upper ocean has been warming at a slower rate than it has since 1958, while the deeper ocean below 2300 feet has experienced an increase in warming, according to new research published in Geophysical Research Letters. The authors used a new observational-based reanalysis of...
Above-Normal Wildfire Season Predicted for SW
April 11, 2013 |
National Interagency Fire Center
Continued drought conditions in Arizona and New Mexico will increase the potential for significant wildfires in May, according to predictions from the National Interagency Fire Center. During June and July, the fire potential will decrease to normal in these two states, but will be above normal in...