“The Antarctic is estimated to have lost three trillion tonnes of ice over the past 25 years and Ellis holds grave fears of an approaching tipping point…
“If and when it tips – a moment unlikely to be discernible until it’s already past – Antarctica will become an aggressive driver of climate change.”
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/the-abnormal-new-normal-confronted-by-a-cluster-of-threats-this-summer-is-antarctica-at-a-tipping-point-20200227-p5450p.html
“Hong Kong’s butterfly population hit its highest level in at least 14 years in 2019, the warmest year on record in the city, causing a local green group to suggest the increase in numbers could have been linked to climate change…
“Average temperatures in February and March 2019 were 4.4 degrees Celsius higher than usual.”
“A severe drought has affected over 1 million people in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, the provincial water conservancy department said Friday.
“As of Wednesday, a total of 1.14 million people had difficulties accessing drinking water, while 258,400 domestic animals were also short of water.”
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/03/c_138944163.htm
“While China continues to battle the deadly coronavirus, another battle is being waged in Xichang City, in China’s southwest Sichuan Province.
“Firefighters are working around the clock to put out the blazes in the region, as new fires began to flare on Lushan Mountain, and spread quickly toward the downtown area, CGTN.com reported.”
https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/xichang-city-threatened-by-rapidly-expanding-wildfire/
“At least 12 people have been killed and 20 others injured in heavy rains and flash floods that have hit 18 Afghan provinces…
“…Ahmad Tamim Azimi, spokesman for Afghanistan Natural Disasters Management Authority, said on Thursday.”
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/twelve-people-killed-in-heavy-rains-floods-i-881592.html
“Flooding caused by heavy rain in south and central provinces of Iran, lead to fatalities and widespread damage, and continue to cause damage to infrastructure and agriculture sector, worth USD 120 million… Iran is also grappling with the biggest desert locust invasion in the last 50 years.
“Response teams are fighting the spread in 6 southern provinces where weather conditions are optimal for breeding…”
“At least 4,625 families have been displaced by flooding in several Yemeni governorates, Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday.
“According to the UNHCR, heavy rain fell across southern and eastern Yemen on 24 and 24 March. Floodwater covered several homes and streets in Aden and destroyed bridges, streets and water networks. Crops were also damaged…”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200402-yemen-thousands-of-families-displaced-by-floods/
“Something amazing has happened to the [UK] weather. The interminable rains that began last September suddenly vanished two weeks ago over much of the country.
“Waterlogged soils are drying out at an astonishing rate… A new UK record for high atmospheric pressure in March was set: 1,051.2 millibars at South Uist in the Outer Hebrides.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/stormy-march-gives-way-to-remarkable-dry-spell-hpdmbkwgh
“‘A powerful storm dropped a sneaky snowfall on the Appalachians from Tuesday into Wednesday. Since then, the potent cyclone has blossomed into a hurricane-strength whirlwind over the Atlantic…
“The system even developed half a ring of strong thunderstorms surrounding its center of circulation, a trait common in tropical and subtropical storms.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/04/02/atlantic-ocean-storm-appalachian-snow/
“Indian River County [Florida] — A local state of emergency and a countywide burn ban will go into effect Friday morning after a record-low month of rainfall…
“The state of emergency is going into effect to free up resources to help combat any wildfires that might break out…”
“Flooding continues on a river in South Dakota a year after it was first triggered by heavy rain and snowmelt from a Plains bomb cyclone last March…
“”The river levels never fell in the winter because the ground was fully saturated when it froze last fall,” Amy Parkin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen, South Dakota, told NASA.”
https://weather.com/news/news/2020-04-02-south-dakota-river-reaches-one-year-in-flood-stage
“We all might not have been outside as much as usual to notice, but March was a relatively chilly month in Seattle.
“In fact, as UW Atmospheric Sciences Professor Cliff Mass pointed out Wednesday, it was colder than January!“
“The endangered whooping crane could be wiped out if it continues to migrate in large groups – an unusual behavioural trend that could be due to habitat loss.
“The five-foot-tall crane (Grus Americana), which is North America’s tallest bird, is distinguishable by its unusual ‘whooping’ sound.”
“Climate change threatens to shake up the lifestyles of many animals around the world and a new study has revealed that for the American robin these wheels are already very much in motion.
“Scientists tagged the songbirds with GPS units to track their migration patterns and found that they are embarking on their annual Arctic-bound journey earlier each decade…”
“The sea ice in the Bering Sea got broken up pretty well in March due to a series of storms that moved through the area. The change from the beginning of March to the end of March was dramatic.
“According to Rick Thoman, a climate specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, the loss of sea ice from the first half of the month to the second half was record-breaking…”
“…large vessels are increasing their activity in the Arctic Ocean as declining sea ice opens previously inaccessible Arctic regions to shipping.
“This surge in vessel traffic is also causing an increase in underwater noise, which research has shown can affect marine mammals and fish by interfering with communications, behavior and movement.”
https://phys.org/news/2020-04-ships-north-climate-noise-arctic.html
“Not since November 2011 has Svalbard had a monthly average temperature colder than normal…
““Average temperature for March was -16,2 degrees Celsius, which is 0,5 degrees under the normal,” says Jostein Mamen, Climate researcher with Norway’s Meteorological Institute.”
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2020/04/colder-normal-first-time-10-years
“The heavy downpour from Cyclone Harold has inflicted serious damage to a bridge connecting communities in North West Guadalcanal to Honiara.
“The people and farmers who usually transport their products by vehicle to the capital Honiara are now cut off.”
https://www.solomontimes.com/news/bridge-washed-away-by-torrential-rain/9694
“Twenty-eight people are missing and feared dead after being washed from a ferry in Solomon Islands in the early hours of Friday morning as it encountered rough seas caused by Cyclone Harold.
“The passengers were swept off MV Taimareho, a passenger vessel that was travelling from the capital of Honiara to West Are Are port in Malaita province.”
“Countries with large populations and low levels of development are most likely to see a rise in the risk of armed conflict after extreme weather events, according to a new study that researchers said underscored the need to boost their resilience.”
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