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”
Category Archives: subjects for further research
Patzert: The history of the world is written in droughts
From the most prominent and respected expert on climate and weather in Southern California: Our water supply depends on the snowpack in the northern Sierra and the eastern Rockies. It also depends on the population growth in the Southwest. We share the Colorado with seven states and six Indian nations. Everybody gets an allocation andContinue reading “Patzert: The history of the world is written in droughts”
Dengue fever hits the USA (as seen in “Fevered”)
A few days back I pointed out that Linda Marsa in her new global warming book Fevered dug up a central fact about the Dust Bowl that few others had noticed — that it only took one degree of warming to set that disaster in motion. This concern was echoed in a report on NationalContinue reading “Dengue fever hits the USA (as seen in “Fevered”)”
Fevered: Global warming facts you probably don’t know
Am reviewing expert science reporter Linda Marsa's Fevered, about a hotter planet and what that means for human health. (Spoiler: It's not great news, although "heat adaptation" is possible in many cases.) Though I'm not yet finished, must say I'm impressed with this book. Perhaps the best climate change book I've read since Tim Flannery'sContinue reading “Fevered: Global warming facts you probably don’t know”
The Republican response to climate change: Luckovich
It's been unbearably hot and dry this week, as is not unusually the case in this part of Southern California in early September…but could the extreme dryness of the state be contributing to our heat wave? An attribution study — looking at the possible contribution from climate change to extreme weather events –from the AmericanContinue reading “The Republican response to climate change: Luckovich”
Quakes strike fracked oil reserve in Ireland, Gov Says
Here's some news about fracking and earthquakes in Ireland: The largest earthquakes since 1843 have been confirmed by the British Geological Survey in the same area of the Irish Sea that suffered tremors directly linked to shale gas fracking. The two quakes occurred on Sunday morning with a magnitude 3.2 ML earthquake recorded at 10.58am, preceded byContinue reading “Quakes strike fracked oil reserve in Ireland, Gov Says”
How to save the California condor: Earth Island Institute
Back in the 1980's, the population of the California Condor plummeted to a mere 22 birds. Wildlife advocates and officials had to make a choice: allow the population to wink out, or capture all the birds and put them in a breeding program. David Phillips, director of the Earth Island Institute, ruminates out loud aboutContinue reading “How to save the California condor: Earth Island Institute”
The Control of Nature: Rachel Carson
Fascinating little known fact: Rachel Carson's last great book was called "Silent Spring," but the title she first chose for it was "The Control of Nature." She believed that humanity was making a huge mistake when it came to the world around us, applying chemicals recklessly to the natural world and to our foods, and,Continue reading “The Control of Nature: Rachel Carson”
On “weather whiplash” in Midwest: Jeff Masters
Climate change skeptics often scoff at the idea that climate change could lead to extremes of both drought and flooding. It is counter-intuitive, but all too real a phenomenon. Dr. Jeff Masters gives it a name — "weather whiplash" — and explains how it happens: I'm often asked about the seemingly contradictory predictions from climateContinue reading “On “weather whiplash” in Midwest: Jeff Masters”
Texas-sized drought of 2012: Fluke or global warming?
The extreme drought of 2012, which persists into 2013 in about half the country, was just a fluke, says a massive report by dozens of government scientists, helmed by Martin Hoerling. Hoerling is an expert in general circulation models and projections, specializing in the Southwest, and a believer in global warming. As Seth Borenstein wroteContinue reading “Texas-sized drought of 2012: Fluke or global warming?”
Kit Stolz 