Category: Environment

Millions Must Cut Water Use in Drought-stricken California

4/27/2022 - By Robert Jablon. Southern California’s gigantic water supplier took the unprecedented step Tuesday of requiring about 6 million people to cut their outdoor watering to one day a week as drought continues to plague the state. The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California declared a water shortage… SEE MORE

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Maryland Oyster Harvest Hits 35-year High

4/25/2022 - By Timothy B. Wheeler. Maryland waterman enjoyed the best wild oyster season last fall and winter that they’ve had in 35 years, according to preliminary state data, a possible sign the keystone Chesapeake Bay species finally may be recovering from the diseases that began ravaging them in the 1980s. About… SEE MORE

Europe Saw Warmest Summer on Record in 2021

4/25/2022 - Scientists say last summer was the hottest summer on record in Europe, with temperatures a full 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average for the previous three decades. A report released Friday by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service found that while spring 2021 was cooler… SEE MORE

Spring Outlook: Drought to Expand Amid Warmer Conditions

4/22/2022 - NOAA issued its U.S. Spring Outlook today and for the second year in a row, forecasters predict prolonged, persistent drought in the West where below-average precipitation is most likely. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center — part of the National Weather Service — is also forecasting above-average temperatures for most of the U.S. from the… SEE MORE

NOAA

Chapoquoit Beach, West Falmouth in Spring

A Pink Moon Will Appear in the Sky This Saturday

4/14/2022 - By Nashia Baker. As you know, April showers bring May flowers, but April also offers a lesser known natural delight each year: A Pink Moon. Although stunning, this phenomenon is not actually pink. It is simply a full moon that gets its name from the flower herb moss pink, which blooms on the East… SEE MORE

Climate Change Made 2020 Hurricanes Rainier

4/13/2022 - By Seth Borenstein. Climate change made the record-smashing deadly 2020 Atlantic hurricane season noticeably wetter, a new study says. And it will likely make this season rainier, too, scientists said. Human-caused climate change made the entire season -- 30 named storms -- drop 5% more rain. During the 14 storms that reached… SEE MORE

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Fast-warming Gulf of Maine Set New Record in 2021

3/30/2022 - By David Sharp. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An ocean heat wave sent temperatures soaring to a new high last year in the Gulf of Maine, continuing an alarming trend in the important marine ecosystem, researchers said Monday. The surface temperature was more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit above the long-term average… SEE MORE

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/springtide.html

What’s the Difference Between Spring and Neap Tides?

3/27/2022 - A spring tide — popularly known as a "King Tide" — refers to the 'springing forth' of the tide during new and full moon. A neap tide — seven days after a spring tide — refers to a period of moderate tides when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other. Tides are long-period waves… SEE MORE

Alaska coast - Image by Dennis Larsen from Pixabay

Alaska Air Pollution Holds Clues for Other Arctic Climates

3/25/2022 - By Mark Thiessen. FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — In the pristine expanse of Alaska’s interior lies a dirty secret: some of the most polluted winter air in the United States can be found in and around Fairbanks. The Fairbanks North Star Borough, which includes Alaska’s second largest city, routinely exceeds limits… SEE MORE

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Climate Change 101: Arctic 70 and 50 Degrees Above Normal

3/22/2022 - By Seth Borenstein. Earth’s poles are undergoing simultaneous freakish extreme heat with parts of Antarctica more than 70 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) warmer than average and areas of the Arctic more than 50 degrees (30 degrees Celsius) warmer than average. Weather stations in Antarctica shattered records Friday as the region… SEE MORE