PRISM, which graphically displays climate data as part of a new "risk management' effort from the USDA, has introduced a new site that allows us amateurs to see what is going on, including (if so chosen) anomalous climate behaviors. Here's this month's anomalous precipitation, charted: SoCal had a smidge of rain, but so far doesn'tContinue reading “A look at precipitation anomalies from this month’s data”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
“The Wild Effect” — will it ruin the PCT?
From a thoughtful Times story about the Pacific Crest Trail, and what Wild and Reese Witherspoon will mean for its future: The Wild Effect may be just beginning. More readers are finding the book, which appeared in paperback in March. And a film adaptation of “Wild” starring Reese Witherspoon, being filmed now in Oregon, promisesContinue reading ““The Wild Effect” — will it ruin the PCT?”
Muirtweets: Like a wind full of thistledown
A year or two ago I launched a Twitter stream devoted to the thoughts of a hero of mine, John Muir, believing that no one better inspires a person to explore nature. To be honest, found myself overwhelmed by life and dropped that thread for a while, only to pick up my current edition ofContinue reading “Muirtweets: Like a wind full of thistledown”
The allure of the apocalypse: Dark Awe
An essay from Steve Almond a couple of weeks ago in the NYTimes Sunday magazine, has been haunting me. As they say in songs, it went something like this: As a form of disposable entertainment, the apocalypse market is booming. The question is why. The obvious answer is that these narratives tap into anxieties, consciousContinue reading “The allure of the apocalypse: Dark Awe”
“An orange river of sunlight”: migration of the Monarchs
Was driving through the warm little town of Ojai California when a monarch butterfly flew helplessly in front of my windshield and then shot up past the little car and out into the open air with a single flap of his wings. Fly on! Delightful sight. Made me wish for an instant to get outContinue reading ““An orange river of sunlight”: migration of the Monarchs”
Cyclone Phailin may be strongest storm ever to hit India
Eric Holthaus tweets an eye-opener: Cyclone Phailin is set to become the strongest India has ever seen http://t.co/mAKhmgwW7g http://t.co/lNgBNOZb0P — Quartz (@qz) October 11, 2013 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js He tells the story with intense power, beginning (interestingly) with the NOAA image. Yet it's possible he buries the lede, as at the end of the story he casuallyContinue reading “Cyclone Phailin may be strongest storm ever to hit India”
Millennials: No newspapers, please. TV news? Meh.
Newspapers are still with us, for a few more years. And, blessedly newspapers such as The Guardian have made free Internet access central to their mission (as discussed enthusiastly last week in The New Yorker). So the newspaper industry staggers on — for a while. But this past weeked Andy Kohut for Pew Research notContinue reading “Millennials: No newspapers, please. TV news? Meh.”
Earning a first person voice reporting for the NY Times
The New York Times has been the world's greatest newspaper for some time now, but also has a long tradition of formality — speaking of all public figures as Mr. This and Mrs That. Even if the rest of the world is on a first name basis with LeBron and Hillary. Another aspect of this formality isContinue reading “Earning a first person voice reporting for the NY Times”
California condors (in Big Sur) still at risk from DDT
Joel Pratt from the Extinction Countdown blog brings up an astonishing fact. More than four decades after DDT was banned, California condors in the Ventana/Big Sur area still struggle (with an unfortunate lack of success) to produce viable eggs. Pratt writes: The Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS), which manages the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) reintroduction programContinue reading “California condors (in Big Sur) still at risk from DDT”
Maybe the biggest question about climate change
We know a lot about climate change. As the IPCC says (for instance) in the just-released fifth assessment, we have "high confidence" that not only is the climate changing, but that our species has caused this change. But on a key question — how much methane and CO2 will be released by the vanishing of permafrostContinue reading “Maybe the biggest question about climate change”
Kit Stolz 