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The summer of 2003 was one of Europe’s warmest on record and maximum sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Mediterranean were well above average (by about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit). These temperatures were the highest recorded between 1972 and 2004.  Also during this period, years when the maximum water temperature was above average were years when [...]

Getting a break from exposure to hot temperatures is important for preventing heat related illnesses. While people usually associate extreme daytime temperatures with heat stroke, if it does not cool sufficiently during the night, the body will not get a break from the heat. In North America over the last 50 years, average nighttime low [...]

A warmer atmosphere results in an “amplification” of the water cycle. Some areas of the world are net importers of rainfall (such as tropical rainforests), while some are net exporters (such as oceans around the tropics). The “amplification” of the cycle means that dry regions become drier, and wet regions become wetter. During the 20th [...]

Getting a break from exposure to hot temperatures is important for preventing heat related illnesses. While people usually associate extreme daytime temperatures with heat stroke, if it does not cool sufficiently during the night, the body will not get a break from the heat. In North America over the last 50 years, average nighttime low [...]

Getting a break from exposure to hot temperatures is important for preventing heat related illnesses. While people usually associate extreme daytime temperatures with heat stroke, if it does not cool sufficiently during the night, the body will not get a break from the heat. In North America over the last fifty years, average nighttime low [...]

A warmer atmosphere results in an “amplification” of the water cycle. Some areas of the world are net importers of rainfall (such as tropical rainforests), while some are net exporters (such as oceans around the tropics). The “amplification” of the cycle means that dry regions become drier, and wet regions become wetter. During the 20th [...]

A warmer atmosphere results in an “amplification” of the water cycle. Some areas of the world are net importers of rainfall (such as tropical rainforests), while some are net exporters (such as oceans around the tropics). The “amplification” of the cycle means that dry regions become drier, and wet regions become wetter. During the 20th [...]

A warmer atmosphere results in an “amplification” of the water cycle. Some areas of the world are net importers of rainfall (such as tropical rainforests), while some are net exporters (such as oceans around the tropics). The “amplification” of the cycle means that dry regions become drier, and wet regions become wetter. During the 20th [...]

Autumn (March to May) rainfall in southeast Australia is important for soil moisture and river recharge because the region is economically dependent on cereal crop production. Since 1950, there has been a 40 percent decline in the region’s autumn rainfall. This has been linked to fewer occurrences of La Niña events, more El Niño events, [...]

Is it possible for droughts to become more common even if annual rainfall amounts increase? Overall annual precipitation in the lower 48 states has been increasing since the early 20th century, and since the 1970s it has been increasing in the eastern United States by about one-inch per decade. Over the last forty years, this [...]

In Southeast Arizona, there has been a marked increase in wintertime rainfall since 1977, which has resulted in a three-fold increase in shrub cover. Prior to this period, grasses had dominated the region’s vegetation system. As the shrubs have moved in, so have species of small pocket-mice, which are replacing large kangaroo rats. One species [...]

Getting a break from exposure to hot temperatures is important for preventing heat related illnesses. While people usually associate extreme daytime temperatures with heat stroke, if it does not cool sufficiently during the night, the body will not get a break from the heat. In North America over the last 50 years, average nighttime low [...]

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a cyclical change in the difference in atmospheric pressure between a low pressure center around Iceland and a high pressure center around the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic. When this difference in pressure is larger (i.e. the low pressure center is especially low and the high pressure center [...]

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which is part of a large system known as the Arctic Oscillation, is a cyclical change in the difference in atmospheric pressure between a low pressure center around Iceland and a high pressure center around the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic. When this difference in pressure is larger (i.e. [...]

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a cyclical change in the difference in atmospheric pressure between a low pressure center around Iceland and a high pressure center around the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic. When this difference in pressure is larger (i.e. the low pressure center is especially low and the high pressure center [...]

Rainfall patterns in the United States are shifting. Overall, precipitation in the lower 48 United States has increased by ten percent since 1910. Since the 1970′s, the South Bend area has been experiencing rainfall increases at a rate of 0.3 to 0.6 inches per decade. This extra rainfall has come in the form of extreme [...]

Rainfall patterns in the United States are shifting. Overall, precipitation in the lower 48 United States has increased by ten percent since 1910. Since the 1970′s, the Sioux City area has been experiencing rainfall increases at a rate of 1.0 to 1.5 inches per decade. This extra rainfall has come in the form of extreme [...]

Rainfall patterns in the United States are shifting. Overall, precipitation in the lower 48 United States has increased by ten percent since 1910. Since the 1970′s, the Milwaukee area has been experiencing rainfall increases at a rate of 0.3 to 0.6 inches per decade. This extra rainfall has come in the form of extreme events; [...]

Rainfall patterns in the United States are shifting. Overall, precipitation in the lower 48 United States has increased by ten percent since 1910. Since the 1970′s, the Madison area has been experiencing rainfall increases at a rate of 0.3 to 0.6 inches per decade. This extra rainfall has come in the form of extreme events; [...]

Rainfall patterns in the United States are shifting. Overall, precipitation in the lower 48 United States has increased by ten percent since 1910. Since the 1970′s, the Cedar Rapids area has been experiencing rainfall increases at a rate of 0.6 to 1.0 inches per decade. This extra rainfall has come in the form of extreme [...]