floods
Assessment Outlines Future Climate Changes, Impacts in SW
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.
Intensifying Precipitation Extremes Documented
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.
Global Warming to Increase CA Coastal Flooding
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.
Decreased Snowpack Will Impact Western U.S.
Snow-dependent regions in the Northern Hemisphere, including the western U.S., are predicted to experience increased stress from low snow years within the next 30 years, according to a recent report in Nature.
Extreme Precipitation Events More Common Today
2011 Ranked Among Top 15 Warmest Years on Record
Global temperatures in 2011 were the coolest since 2008, but they were still above the 1981-2010 average and the year was one of the 15 warmest on record.
January Was Warm and Dry All Over
January was the fourth warmest on record, according to the January State of the Climate from NOAA. Arizona had temperatures ranking in the 10th warmest for the month and the Rocky Mountains had the highest above-average temperatures in the region.
2011 Breaks Records
According to The Guardian, 2011 “rewrote the record books” with the highest ever recorded global greenhouse gas levels (394 parts per million at Mauna Loa in May), world population reaching 7 billion, and record investments in renewable energy ($211 billion since 2004), to name a few of the
Atmospheric Particles Exacerbate Dry and Wet Extremes
Aerosols—small atmospheric particles such as soot and dust—can alter precipitation frequency and intensity, according to a recent study published in Nature Geoscience. Science Daily explains that the scientists used at
Climate Change Will Necessitate Flexible Planning in CA Bay-Delta-River System
A new study published in PLoS ONE by USGS scientists and other colleagues investigates the likely impacts of climate change on the biology, geography, and water supplies of California’s San Francisco Bay-Delta-River System.