Wildfires blanketing several Western cities are creating hazardous health conditions. Don’t count on cloth masks to protect your lungs. Source: https://www.livescience.com/why-wildfire-smoke-harmful-to-lungs.html
Tag: Wildfires
Will California’s giant redwoods survive the raging wildfires?
Will the majestic redwoods of California’s coast survive the lightning-sparked fires raging across the state? Source: https://www.livescience.com/will-california-redwoods-survive-wildfires.html
Microsoft, Energy Department To Develop Disaster-Response AI Tools
The U.S. Department of Energy and Microsoft on Tuesday announced a partnership to develop artificial-intelligence tools aimed at helping first-responders better react to fast-changing natural events, such as floods and wildfires. From a report: “There are just so many technologies where we can solve some of the toughest problems, in a moment where we’re having an explosion of wildfires and floods…
2019 State of the Climate Report: Peak greenhouse gases and record heat
2019 ranks among the 3 warmest years in records dating to the mid-1800s. In 2019, greenhouse gases reached their highest levels on record. Both facts are from the 30th annual State of the Climate report, a review of world climate based on contributions from more than 520 scientists in over 60 countries. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/international-climate-report-2019-record-heat-greenhouse-gas…
Temperature in Death Valley Today: 130 Degrees, Earth’s Highest Since at Least 1931
The Washington Post reports:
In the midst of a historic heat wave in the West, the mercury in Death Valley, California surged to a searing 130 degrees on Sunday afternoon, possibly setting a world record for the highest temperature ever observed during the month of August. If the temperature is valid, it would also rank among the top three highest temperatures ever…
Social Movements Are Pushing Google Sheets To the Breaking Point
In the past decade, Google’s suite of collaborative tools has steadily gained prominence in social movements and other forms of widespread collaboration. From a report: It was used to organize Occupy Wall Street movements in 2011, disseminate resources for protesting after the U.S. election in 2016, and assemble response to the California wildfires in 2017. During 2020, these tools have earned…
Lightning is silently killing forests – and it’s going to get worse
Lightning sparks wildfires, causes pollution and destroys some of the planet’s most important trees. Climate change could see its incidence – and impact – increase Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632881-500-lightning-is-silently-killing-forests-and-its-going-to-get-worse/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Lightning is killing our forests – and it’s only going to get worse
Lightning sparks wildfires, causes pollution and destroys some of the planet’s most important trees. Climate change could see its incidence – and impact – increase Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632881-500-lightning-is-killing-our-forests-and-its-only-going-to-get-worse/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Australia’s wildfires killed 90 per cent of small ground-based animals
One of the first wildlife surveys conducted after Australia’s recent extreme wildfires found almost no small ground-dwelling animals left in fire-ravaged areas Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2246830-australias-wildfires-killed-90-per-cent-of-small-ground-based-animals/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
What a Week’s Disasters Tell Us About Climate and the Pandemic
The hits came this week in rapid succession: A cyclone slammed into the Indian megacity of Kolkata, pounding rains breached two dams in the Midwestern United States, and on Thursday came warning that the Atlantic hurricane season could be severe. It all served as a reminder that the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed 325,000 people so far, is colliding with another…