Category: Archive

In the wake of recent extreme weather events, researchers are finding evidence that climate change may already be affecting our daily lives. The New York Times reports that a study found that heat waves like the one that struck Texas last year are 20 times more likely to occur now than they were in the 1960s. Scientists behind the study – such as Philip W. Mote, director of the Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University – said that, although these results are tentative, …

Publication – Science Daily
Date: July 10, 2012 “Climate Change May Lead to Fewer but More Violent Thunderstorms” A researcher from Tel Aviv University predicts that for every one degree Celsius of warming, there will be approximately a 10 percent increase in lightning activity. This warming could have negative consequences in the form of flash floods, wild fires, or damage to power lines and other infrastructure, Professor Colin Price, Head of the Department of Geophysics, Atmospheric and …

UMD ESSIC Director and Professor Antonio Busalacchi, who also serves as chairman of the Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) for the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), delivered the initial plenary lecture at the joint China-WCRP symposium Monday in Beijing. The session, which preceded the 33rd Session of the WCRP Joint Scientific (JSC-33), focused on WCRP’s plans and projects for regional and global climate research. More specifically, the symposium was organized with the aim to explore …

Dr. Wilfrid Schroeder, ESSIC assistant research scientist and visiting scientist at NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), was quoted in an PhysOrg.com article covering the use of satellites to view the recently-contained fires in Colorado and New Mexico. The two destructive fires, the High Park fire in Northern Colordo and the Little Bear fire in Southern New Mexico, burned well over one hundred thousand acres and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings, …

The recent derecho and heat wave that struck the Metropolitan area has left some climate scientists saying climate change is partly to blame. An article on Gazette.Net reports, according to climate scientists and a number of state officials, the events of the past two weeks are consistent with what Maryland faces as a result of climate change. “Fires, drought, more extreme weather events — this is what it looks like,” Zoe Johnson, program manager for climate policy in the Office for a …

Wellness and Sustainability Tips are selected from the UMD “FYI” Listserv system. The “FYI” Listserv provides general announcements and information on programs of particular interest to the faculty and staff of the University of Maryland. I. Wellness

• Get back to nature

“Scientists have suggested that being in the peace and fresh air of nature can bring enormous benefits to our mental and physical health. So, try getting out of the concrete jungle and into the real world for a bit! There …

Publication – Washington Post
Date: June 30, 2012 “Derecho: Behind Washington, D.C.’s destructive thunderstorm outbreak, June 29, 2012” Between 9:30 and 11 p.m. on June 29, one of the most destructive complexes of thunderstorms in memory swept through the Washington, D.C. area. Packing wind gusts of 60-80 mph, the storm known as a derecho produced extensive damage, downing hundreds of trees, and leaving more than 1 million area-residents without power, according to The Washington Post. A …