Rising temperatures and variable precipitation will reduce the productivity of agricultural crops, outweighing the benefits of higher growth rates from increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, according to a new report published by the USDA. The report...
In The News
Feds Ill-Prepared for Fiscal Effects of Climate Change
February 22, 2013 |
U.S. Government Accountability Office
In this year’s High Risk Report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the federal government is not prepared for the costs (explicit or implicit) presented by climate change, mostly because there is no coherent strategic government-wide approach on how to adapt to climate change. If...
Evapotranspiration Maps Inform Water Managers
February 22, 2013 |
USGS
New county-scale maps created by the US Geological Survey show long-term average evapotranspiration rates for the contiguous U.S. Evapotranspiration, a measure of the amount of water lost to the atmosphere from the ground surface, is an important parameter for water managers and planners since it is often the largest sink for...
Streamflow Forecasts Grim Across SW
February 14, 2013 |
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Streamflow forecasts across the Southwest predict below-average flows in almost every basin in the West, with significant declines in some states, including Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. The forecasts are made by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as part of...
New El Niño Signal Could Improve Winter Weather Predictions
February 14, 2013 |
Journal of Climate
Predictions of the effects of El Niño events on U.S. winter weather could become a lot more accurate using the results of a new study, according to the authors of the article published in Journal of Climate. El Niño conditions are typically monitored through a network of buoys that measure sea...
EPA‘s Climate Change Adaption Plan Out for Comment
February 14, 2013 |
EPA
Weather Extremes and Climate Change Threaten National Security
February 14, 2013 |
Harvard University Center for the Environment
The risk of major societal disruption from extreme weather and climate events is expected to increase over the next few years, according to a recent report published by Harvard University. Stresses from...
Climate Change Creating Many Challenges for Wildlife
February 8, 2013 |
National Wildlife Federation
Large wildfires in the Southwest U.S., combined with climate changes, are creating an ideal situation for ecosystem transitions, producing challenges for conserving species, according to a new report by the National...
Intensifying Precipitation Extremes Documented
February 8, 2013 |
Journal of Climate
Extreme precipitation events have been increasing in strength over the past century due to increasing temperatures, according to a new report published in the Journal of Climate. Using observations of precipitation since 1900 from stations around the world, the authors performed statistical analyses to...
2012 Wildfires Largest Per Fire
February 8, 2013 |
NOAA/National Interagency Fire Center
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...