The average area covered by the ozone hole over Antarctica this year was the second smallest in the last 20 years, most likely due to warmer temperatures in the stratosphere—the upper level in the atmosphere where the ozone hole resides—according to new data from NASA. The ozone hole, which developed in...
In The News
U.S. Energy Use Down in 2011
October 25, 2012 |
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Total energy use in the U.S. was down in 2011 compared with 2010, mostly due to the use of higher-efficiency energy technologies in the transportation and residential sectors, as well as people driving less due to the high price of gas. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory released the most recent energy flow...
EPA App, Website Identify Health of Waterways
October 25, 2012 |
EPA
A new app and website by the U.S. EPA allows users to find information on the condition of nearby waterways, including lakes, rivers and streams. Using GPS-technology or a user-entered zip code or city, the...
Solar Energy Zones Defined in the Southwest
October 19, 2012 |
Department of the Interior
The U.S. Department of the Interior finalized a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement establishing 17 Solar Energy Zones having access to existing or planned electricity transmission on 285,000 acres in Arizona, California, Colorado,...
Pacific Ocean Conditions Linked to Tornado Outbreaks
October 19, 2012 |
Journal of Climate
Conditions in the tropical Pacific may help predict tornado outbreaks in the U.S., according to a new study published in the Journal of Climate. Studying tornado outbreaks since 1950, the authors used observational evidence and model simulations to determine that...
Changing Energy Sources Would Conserve Texas Water
October 19, 2012 |
Environmental Research Letters
Extracting natural gas to meet the energy demands of Texas uses less fresh water than coal extraction, according to a new study published in Environmental Research Letters. The authors use recent data from groundwater basins and power plants to determine the water intensity of natural gas and Texas lignite—a...
Warming Temperatures Linked to More Atlantic Hurricanes
October 19, 2012 |
PNAS
Warming global average surface temperatures over the past century have contributed to an increase in the frequency of large storm surges from tropical storms in the Atlantic, according to a new study in PNAS. The authors reviewed storm surge statistics—from...
Desert Plants May Benefit from Climate Change
October 12, 2012 |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
Desert plants may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought, according to a new study published by Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. The authors studied two species of desert plants, one in the Colorado Plateau Desert (Cryptantha flava, a short-lived, small...
2012 Headed for Record Book
October 12, 2012 |
NOAA
September marked the 16th consecutive month with above-average temperatures in the contiguous U.S., according to the latest State of the Climate report from NOAA. What’s more, this year so far has been 3.8 degrees F above the 20th century average, marking the warmest such period on record, and unless the...
Firm Temperature Threshold Could Improve Climate Negotiations
October 12, 2012 |
PNAS
One reason climate negotiations have failed thus far—many countries agreeing to emissions reductions but not following through with action—could be because no certain, dangerous temperature threshold exists which, once crossed, would absolutely spell catastrophe, according to a new study published in PNAS...