national oceanic and atmospheric administration Archives | Page 2 of 6

July 2012 was the hottest July on record. Much of the nation suffers from extreme drought

Dust Bowl 2012: Hottest July on Record in U.S.

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Thomas Schueneman | 0 Comments

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that last month was, on average, the hottest July on record for the contiguous United States, beating the previous record set in the dust bowl of 1936. The past 12 months have been the hottest ever recorded in the US, with more than 27,000 heat records broken so far this year, more…

The Historic Drought of 2012 and the Science of Climate Change

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Richard Matthews | 0 Comments

More than half of the U.S. is suffering under drought conditions and scientists are increasingly confident in their suggestion that global warming may be to blame. On July 11, the United States Department of Agriculture announced natural disaster areas in more than 1,000 counties in 26 states due to drought. This makes the drought of 2012 the largest total area ever…

We face imminent tipping points if we fail to address climate change, leaving an unknown world for those that follow in our footsteps

Building Support for Action on Climate Change Before We Reach Tipping Points

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Richard Matthews | 0 Comments

We need to take aim at those who are environmentally indifferent and hit them with an effective call to action. If climate advocacy is to succeed, we must do more than regurgitate the same tired rhetoric, we must work on a targeted message that encourages action. While a growing number of people accept the facts about our environment, inaction threatens…

Arctic Monitoring Stations Report CO2 Levels of 400 parts per million

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Thomas Schueneman | 2 Comments

The Arctic region continues to serve as the global climate “canary in a coal” mine. Now, as with average temperature rise, the region is leading into a new troubling milestone as monitoring stations near a remote outpost near Barrow, Alaska are among several such stations to report that average concentrations of CO2 have reached an average of 400 parts per…

A Brief History of Science and Implications for the Environment

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Richard Matthews | 1 Comments

Science is the key to societal betterment; it is also crucial to environmental action. Throughout history, cultures that have embraced science have flourished, while societies that have eschewed science have declined. Now science is driving efforts to find more sustainable means of producing goods and providing services. Science offers balanced and objective technical information on environmental issues. An ever-growing body of scientific…

Extreme weather is becoming the norm in a warming world

Extreme Weather Makes a Convincing Case for Climate Change

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Richard Matthews | 1 Comments

The subject of extreme weather is of great importance because it provides a tangible illustration of climate change. The average person understands that the increasing number of record-breaking heat waves and tornadoes are more than isolated weather events, they reflect a changing climate. This point was born out in a recent study, which showed that more Americans are accepting the…

Natural Gas is not the "clean" fossil fuel many say it is, but more the "energy bridge to nowhere"

Natural Gas is Not Clean Energy

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Richard Matthews | 2 Comments

Natural gas has garnered a lot of attention, but the research reveals it is anything but clean. To increase domestic energy production and reduce reliance on coal, there is a natural gas boom in the U.S. and elsewhere. However, reliance on natural gas is not a panacea to our energy woes. Natural Gas is Not a Clean Energy Source According to a February 2012 study published in Nature, extracting and producing natural…