Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere shoot past key milestone
The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has shot past a key milestone -- more than 50% higher than pre-industrial times -- and is at levels not seen since millions of years ago when Earth was a hothouse ocean-inundated planet, federal scientists announced Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said its long-time monitoring station at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, averaged 421 parts per million of carbon dioxide for the month of May, which is when the crucial greenhouse gas hits its yearly high. Before the industrial revolution in the late 19th century carbon dioxide levels were at 280 parts per million, scientists said, so humans have significantly changed the atmosphere.
news.yahoo.comPutin’s Pollock: US seafood imports fuel Russian war machine
A U.S. ban on seafood imports from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine was supposed to sap billions of dollars from Vladimir Putin’s war machine. Like the U.S. seafood industry, Russian companies rely heavily on China to process their catch. Once there, the seafood can be re-exported to the U.S. as a “product of China” because country of origin labeling isn’t required.
news.yahoo.comVIDEO: NASA Launches Latest Weather Satellite, GOES-T
By Lee BullenU.S. space agency NASA has launched the latest weather satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), aimed to “help keep people safe” from hazardous weather and environmental conditions on the U.S. West Coast. The satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, will boost weather forecasting across America’s West Coast and the Pacific Ocean. The GOES program also predicts space weather near Earth that can interfere with satellite electronics, GPS and radio communications,” the statement said. The GOES-T weather satellite will be renamed GOES-18 when it reaches geostationary orbit, where it will begin tracking wildfires, floods, droughts, and other severe weather phenomena over the U.S. West Coast and Pacific Ocean. The National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service is part of the Department of Commerce.
thewestsidegazette.com2021 was one of Earth’s hottest years, but how do scientists know?
Last year was another hot one for planet Earth. It tied with 2018 for the sixth hottest year on record on Earth, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) report on global average surface temperature. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which did its own study, said 2021 was slightly warmer, pushing 2018 to the Number 7 slot. These are two United States government agencies that have been tracking temperatures for decades.
washingtonpost.comThe Great Lakes are warmer than they’ve ever been in early November: Why that’s a problem in several ways
Some parts of the Northern Great Lakes region were greeted by their first significant snowfall of the season earlier this week, but not even the arrival of the fluffy white stuff could mask these historic times for the Great Lakes themselves.
Tropical Storm Nora fading, after leaving 1 dead, 7 missing
Tropical Storm Nora is dropping heavy rains along the Gulf of California after weakening from a hurricane that set off floods and landslides on Mexico’s Pacific coast, caused havoc in Puerta Vallarta and left at least one dead and seven missing.
High court won't hear fishermen case against ocean monument
The Supreme Court ruled Monday, March 22, 2021, that it will not consider a fishing group's attempt to challenge the creation of a large federally protected area in the Atlantic Ocean. The group sued to try to get rid of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which became the first national ocean monument in the Atlantic when President Barack Obama created it in 2016. The group sued to try to get rid of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which became the first national ocean monument in the Atlantic when President Barack Obama created it in 2016. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the creation of a national monument was “of no small consequence,” but the petitioners did not meet the criteria to bring it before the Supreme Court. “The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument at issue in this case demonstrates how far we have come from indigenous pottery,” Roberts wrote.
Forecast for spring: Nasty drought worsens for much of US
And nearly all of the continental United States is looking at warmer than normal spring, except for tiny parts of the Pacific Northwest and southeast Alaska, which makes drought worse. “It’s definitely something we’re watching and very concerned about.”NOAA expects the spring drought to hit 74 million people. AdMore than 44% of the nation is in moderate or worse drought, and nearly 18% is in extreme or exceptional drought — all of it west of the Mississippi River. AdWinter and spring wheat crops also have been hit hard by the western drought with 78% of the spring wheat production area in drought conditions, Rippey said. That leaves more of the energy to heat up the air, and the heat makes the drought worse by boosting evaporation.
Bye Alpha, Eta: Greek alphabet ditched for hurricane names
(NOAA via AP)With named storms coming earlier and more often in warmer waters, the Atlantic hurricane season is going through some changes with meteorologists ditching the Greek alphabet during busy years. The Greek alphabet had only been used twice in 2005 and nine times last year in a record-shattering hurricane season. AdMeanwhile, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is recalculating just what constitutes an average hurricane season. STARTING EARLIERMIT hurricane researcher Kerry Emanuel said “this whole idea of hurricane season should be revisited." So a warming world means the new normal is busy hurricane seasons just like the last 30 years.
It’s close but 2020 likely to end up hottest year on record
Just how warm Earth stays this December will determine if 2020 goes down as the hottest year on record. Earth’s temperature in November was 56.95 degrees (13.87 degrees Celsius), which was 1.75 degrees (0.97 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average, according to NOAA. Florida, Virginia and Maryland so far have had their hottest year on record, while California had its hottest fall. For its part, NASA said 2020 so far is the warmest on record and it's likely to stay that way. Using NASA data, if December is just 0.59 degrees (0.33 degrees Celsius) above the 1980 to 2010 average, 2020 should be the hottest year on record.
30 named storms: Record hurricane season comes to a close
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A record-setting Atlantic hurricane season that saw the highest number of named storms officially came to a close Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season set multiple records while producing a record 30 named storms. NOAA said an average season has 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three become major hurricanes. The prior record for named storms hitting Louisiana in a single hurricane season is 4 set in 2002,” Klotzbach said. NOAA said this was the fifth consecutive year with an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with 18 above-normal seasons out of the past 26.
Final weeks of historic hurricane season bring new storms
Tropical Storm Eta is parked off the western coast of Cuba, dumping rain. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Theta — which formed overnight and broke a record as the 29th named Atlantic storm of the season — is chugging east toward Europe on the cusp of hurricane status. The system now has a 70% chance of becoming the 30th named storm. Never before have three named storms been twirling at the same time this late in the year, Klotzbach said. The overall message is that everyone in the area should pay attention to Eta, Brennan said.
At least 1 dead as Hurricane Zeta hammers Gulf Coast
Hurricane Zeta passed through Wednesday leaving much of the city and metro area without power. Even as Zeta battered the south, the upcoming election was still on the mind of some residents. “Guys, we received the brunt of Zeta, and Zeta gave us a good punch,” McInnis told WDSU-TV. More than 875,000 customers were without electricity in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including about 350,000 in metro New Orleans. Winds could be “especially severe” in the southern Appalachian Mountains, where flash flooding is possible, the hurricane center said.