Last year set a record in the U.S. for the most acres burned per wildfire since detailed recordkeeping began in 2000, with an average fire size of 137.1 acres out of more than 67,000 fires, according to the State of the Climate from NOAA and the National Interagency Fire Center. In total number of acres...
In The News
2012 Wildfires Largest Per Fire
February 8, 2013 |
NOAA/National Interagency Fire Center
Renewable Energy Grows as Energy Use Shrinks
February 8, 2013 |
Bloomberg New Energy Finance/Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Total U.S. energy use fell 6.4 percent between 2007 and 2012, largely driven by advances in energy efficiency. This is according to a new factbook, produced by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and commissioned by the Business Council...
Warming May Delay Monsoon
January 31, 2013 |
Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres
As the climate continues to warm, North American Monsoon precipitation will likely decrease in the early season (June-July) and increase in the late season (September-October), according to a new publication accepted to the Journal of Geophysical Research. Using model simulations, the authors analyzed the...
Global Warming to Increase CA Coastal Flooding
January 31, 2013 |
U.S. Global Change Research Program
The frequency of flooding is expected to substantially increase over the 21st century in coastal California due to heavier rainfall from warming-induced intensification of the hydrologic cycle, sea-level rise, and storm surge. A new technical report, produced as input to the 2013...
Drought, Not Bark Beetles, Increase Fire Risk
January 31, 2013 |
Natural Areas Journal
Contrary to what was previously believed, authors of a new study published in Natural Areas Journal find that bark beetle outbreaks do not substantially increase the risk of fire in lodgepole pine and spruce-fir forests. In fact, beetle outbreaks may even decrease the risk of fire by creating gaps in the forest canopy,...
Urban Heat Changes Temperatures Thousands of Miles Away
January 31, 2013 |
Nature Climate Change
Heat from cities can have far-reaching effects, disrupting circulation patterns and changing surface air temperatures thousands of miles away, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change. The authors used a global climate model to simulate the effects of energy consumption in...
Frigid Temperatures Chill AZ, NM While Drought Persists
January 25, 2013 |
CLIMAS
Drought conditions persist throughout almost all of Arizona and New Mexico, and if another dry winter emerges many of the regions’ reservoir volumes will continue to decline, posing serious water-supply challenges in several areas, according to the January Climate Outlook from CLIMAS. Over the past 30 days, most of...
CA Irrigation Increases Colorado River Streamflow
January 25, 2013 |
Geophysical Research Letters
Irrigation in the Central Valley of California may increase Colorado River streamflow by nearly 30 percent, according to a new study accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters. Using a global climate model and estimates of agricultural water use in the California’s Central Valley, the...
Interior Designates AZ Lands for Solar, Wind Development
January 25, 2013 |
U.S. Department of the Interior
As part of the U.S. government’s strategy to expand domestic energy production, the Department of the Interior has designated over 190,000 acres of “public land across Arizona as potentially suitable for utility-scale solar and wind...
Plants Adapt to Water Extremes
January 25, 2013 |
Nature
Plant communities from grasslands to forests contain an intrinsic system sensitivity to water availability, allowing them to adapt to extreme shifts such as drought and flooding, according to a recent study published in Nature. The authors analyzed how plants responded to wet and dry periods during...