“Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has likely experienced its most widespread bleaching event on record, according to a US government scientist who monitors the world’s coral reefs.
“This marks the third mass bleaching event on the reef in just the last five years.”
“About two months from now, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will officially begin, but AccuWeather meteorologists have already been hard at work examining the factors that could influence tropical activity this year.
“Forecasters are anticipating another busy year for the Atlantic Basin in 2020, on the heels of an active 2019 season.”
“Morocco will distribute 2.5 million quintals of subsidized barley for farmers in the regions affected by drought, announced the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday, March 24.
“Distribution is scheduled to start on Friday, March 27, in collaboration with local authorities.”
“The huge 3-day thunderstorm — dubbed Dragon Storm — that struck Egypt revealed the inadequacy of drainage infrastructure in some industrial areas…
“At least 20 people were killed in the deluge that hit the region in mid-March. Citizens shared pictures and videos of cars floating on streets inundated by rain, flooded luxurious villas and collapsed homes in unprotected zones.”
“Severe flooding caused by heavy rains in Yemen’s Aden killed two with predictions of continued rainfall on Thursday as the city begins testing for coronavirus infections…
“Aden had also encountered a power outage after the rainfall. Officials in the electricity corporation said the stations had stopped operating.”
“This week, an iceberg the size of Atlanta broke off a glacier. Researchers discovered a dramatic decline in Antarctic penguin colonies. And Antarctica may have just registered its hottest temperature ever…
““Penguins, seals and whales all depend on krill, which depends on ice. So if climate change affects the ice, that impacts on everything else,” he said in an earlier interview with CNN.”
“Over the past decades, the global climate change has led to a major transformation of the vegetation cover and terrain on a global scale. Similar changes are simultaneously occurring in many regions around the world, but they are especially noticeable in natural areas with the most extreme climatic conditions, such as the Arctic or the Sahara Desert.
“According to an American study, the Arctic tundra-glacier region shrank 16% during 1950-2015, while the northern border of the taiga climate zone became displaced about 50 km poleward. At the same time, the Sahara Desert expanded by 8%, with its southern boundaries advancing 100 km southward.”
“England is in danger of experiencing droughts within 20 yearsunless action is taken to combat the impact of the climate crisis on water availability, the public spending watchdog says.
“The National Audit Office (NAO), in a report published on Wednesday, says some parts of England, especially the south-east, are at risk of running out of water owing to decreased rainfall…”
“Various regions throughout Morocco have experienced floods, thunderstorms, and snowfall since Monday, March 23. Footage from El Jabha, a small port town in the Rif region, shows a flood blocking a road and separating the town into two parts. The footage shows the muddy floodwaters overflowing onto each side of the road.”
“Heavy rainfall in 10 provinces, from Hormuzgan on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast to northern Mazandaran and Qom — the original epicenter of the virus in Iran, is inundating villages and towns…
“Severe floods last year killed dozens of people and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of others from across swathes of Iran’s northwestern and central region.”
“The impact of global warming on Himalayan glaciers is not a secret…
“Compared to other Himalayan regions, the magnitude of dimensional changes and debris growth are higher in the Sikkim. A major shift in glacier behavior has occurred around 2000… Summer temperature rise has been prime driver of glacier changes.”
“South Asian countries, especially Bangladesh and India, face increased risks of more frequent and severe flooding because of climate change, a UN report warns.
“Bangladesh and India are also among vulnerable nations that will be hit hard by droughts due to the increased concentration of pollutants and low-quality groundwater sources, the report said.”
“East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier has retreated nearly 3 miles over the past two decades, losing 268 billion tons of ice between 1979 and 2017, according to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. If the glacier were to melt completely, it holds enough water to raise global sea levels by about 5 feet.
“The 9,266-square-mile glacier currently fills Antarctica’s deepest canyon. As it melts, water is traveling from the canyon into the ocean. Scientists warn the shape of the ground under the ice makes it very susceptible to rapid climate-driven collapse.
“Not only would this raise sea levels globally, the unblocked canyon could also serve as a pathway for ocean water to penetrate inland and further melt ice sheets.”
“Warm winter temperatures were one reason for the sparse snowfall [in southern Scandinavia].
“According to NOAA, the December 2019 to February 2020 period was the warmest on record in Europe, and the January-February period was the warmest on record for the Northern Hemisphere.”
“The Konya Closed Basin, once known as Turkey’s “grain warehouse,” is fighting droughtdue to improper irrigation activities and uncontrolled agriculture.
“The annual consumption of water in the basin was 4.5 billion cubic meters, while annual consumption reached 6.5 billion cubic meters.”
“As people around the globe battle the coronavirus pandemic, rounds of deadly flooding have gripped parts of the Middle East.
“The latest in a series of storms moved into the Middle East on Friday and swept across the region into Monday. The storm spread periods of rain and thunderstorms from the eastern Mediterranean coastline to the northern Arabian Sea.”
Poor Iran – this on top of low oil prices and sanctions pummelling their economy and the coronavirus killing thousands:
“The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) is providing relief aid for thousands of people in 19 provinces of the country in the wake of floods that have inundated many cities and villages, an official said.”
“Summerlike temperatures will develop in parts of the South [US] this week, potentially setting dozens of daily record highs in what has already been one of the warmest starts to March on record.
“A building dome of high pressure is expected to bulge northward into the South in the week ahead. When that happens, there is sinking air in the atmosphere that causes temperatures to heat up.”
“As it braces for the coronavirus outbreak, the US will soon have to add another concern to its list: flooding, likely exacerbated by climate heating.
“Up to 23 states are set to experience moderate to severe flooding in the spring, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…”
“The Russian part of the Barents Sea is heavily polluted with microplastics.
“According to specialists from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, in terms of microplastics concentrations, the water area is comparable to the most polluted territories on the planet.”
“In the northern regions of the world, a great change is taking place. Permafrost, which covers around 25 percent of exposed land in the Northern Hemisphere, is melting.
“Defined as a layer of soil that remains completely frozen for over two years at a time, permafrost is often located a meter or so below the surface. Its thawing creates issues for both the environment and human infrastructure.”
Iran took an absolute pasting in March of last year with unprecedented spring rainfall. I hope we are not in for a repeat:
“Spring floods have caused damages to many urban and rural areas in several provinces of Iran, mainly in the southern parts of the country, and have killed as least eleven people as of Monday, as the rescue and relief operations are underway in the affected regions.”
“The average sea level has risen 14cm from “pre-1970 levels” for Singapore, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) in its 2019 Annual Climate Assessment Report released on Monday (Mar 23).
“The sea level changes described in the (report) are based on tide gauge records available since 1970s at various locations in Singapore.”
“People in Ben Tre and Tien Giang provinces [Vietnam] are relying on freshwater supplied by trucks since salt intrusion in rivers has made tap water unpotable. Nguyen Minh Huan, 66, uses a wheelbarrow to carry water cans.
“He said: “Water is now as precious as gold, so I have to carry them carefully.””
“Major food retailers blame drought and bushfires for the rising food costs [in Australia].
“However, the coronavirus pandemic may prompt price increases if supply chains are disrupted. IBISWorld analyst Tom Youl said consumer price index data revealed fruit prices rose by 6.8 per cent in the three months to December 2019.”
“The full impact of coral bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef will become clearer this week as aerial surveys of hundreds of reefs are completed in the bottom two thirds of the world’s biggest reef system…
“From Monday the spotter plane will head south over reefs where satellite observations and temperature readings have shown corals are likely to have undergone higher levels of heat stress than those in the north.”
“A mother and her three children were among six people who drowned when two vehicles were swept off a bridge after torrential rainfall deluged Indiana, authorities said.
“The bodies of Felina Lewis, 35, of Laurel, Indiana, and her daughters, aged 7 and 4, were found in Sanes Creek on Friday.”
“Three contestants mushing through the final stretch of Alaska’s famed Iditarod sled dog course, two days after the winner had crossed the finish line, were rescued by helicopter from flooding…
“…caused by unseasonably warm weather, the authorities said.”
“The record temperatures of summer 2019 [UK] helped make it the best season for butterflies in 22 years, with more than half of Britain’s species increasing in number.
“Last summer delivered a winning combination of warmth, sunshine and rain which ensured that caterpillars fed up on lush plants before emerging as adult butterflies.”
“Overnight rains left multiple streets in Dubai and Sharjah flooded on Sunday.
“Heavy rains, thunderstorms and hail continued to lash different parts of the country on Sunday. Brace for a cold and windy day today as more rains are forecast, with a dip in temperature.”
““Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history,”says the press statement about the report, which was authored by 145 experts representing 50 nations, in addition to 310 other contributing authors.
“It notes a huge percentage of species are threatened, including one-third of marine mammals and 40 percent of amphibians.”
“Once again, heavy rain has brought flooding to Iraq. In the northern city of Mosul, during the most recent late winter, or early spring, thundery rain dropped 127mm (5 inches) of rain onto the streets.
“This is twice the average rainfall for March in Mosul and equivalent to about one-third of the year’s expected rainfall. The result was thigh-deep flooding and boat rescue.”
““Cold, unstable air moving in with the storm will allow snow to fall across parts of Turkey, as well as showers and thunderstorms from southern Turkey and northern Iraq to northern Saudi Arabia and Jordan,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk.”
“As climate change makes winemaking a torrid business in southern Europe, viniculture is taking off in Scandinavia…
““We have an extra month of summer now. And winters are not like what they used to be. That’s why we can make wine, and why 50 years ago, we couldn’t.””
“A pregnant cow who swam four miles to shore after being swept away by Hurricane Dorian in September has given birth to a “miracle” calf.
“A photo of the “sea calf” was posted on Monday on Facebook by Ranch Solutions, a group hired to return the pregnant cow home to North Carolina’s Cedar Island, 350 miles east of Charlotte.”
“Twenty-three states from the Northern Plains to the Gulf Coast are forecast to have moderate to major flooding from March through May, with the greatest flood potential in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa.”
“A severe storm system is battering the country, bringing blizzard conditions, tornadoes and thunderstorms, disrupting the lives of more than 10 million Americans.
“On Wednesday night, several tornadoes hit towns in Texas, flipping cars and damaging homes.”
“The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday shows that although recent rains have provided some relief for Southern California, Northern California remains locked in moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions.”
“Glaciers of the Southern Alps of New Zealand have been losing ice volume since 1978, with an increasing rate in the last decade…
“The NIWA glacier monitoring program noted that 30 percent of New Zealand’s ice that was existed in the late 1970’s has been lost in the past 40 years as snowlines have been rising.”
“A previously unknown significant source of carbon just discovered in the Arctic has scientists marveling at a once overlooked contributor to local coastal ecosystems—and concerned about what it may mean in an era of climate change.”
“Catastrophic crop failures caused by extreme weather in just one country could disrupt global food supplies and drive price spikes in an interconnected world, exposing how climate change threatens global stability, researchers said on Friday.”
Another strangely quiet day on the climate news front. Suspect events are being under-reported rather than not occuring.
“Locusts in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia have been breeding at an unprecedented rate. This represents “an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods at the beginning of the upcoming cropping season,” according to Locust Watch, a monitoring division of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which provides emergency assistance to countries facing desert locust invasions.”
“A strong wind warning is issued when the land wind speed is expected to reach 21 meters per second on a sustained level or gusts top 26 meters per second.
“It is the first time Seoul came under a high wind warning since the weather agency began to keep relevant records in 1999, it said.”
“Australia is facing a rice shortageas panic buying, which has been blasted by the Morrison government as un-Australian, leaves shelves bare and sparks calls for rationing.
“Pasta supplies are also running low and farmers who grow durum wheat say most of what they have left is needed to plant a winter crop.”
“…the scientists identified species-specific physiological responses to the heightened temperatures; these responses were influenced by the intensity and duration of the heatwave.
“These changes likely signal long-term consequences for the fitness of fishes—and the health of marine ecosystems—as extreme heat events increase in frequency.”
“Hilo – the largest city on the big island of Hawaii – has seen almost 18 inches of rain so far this month…
“The heaviest of the rainfall, though, has been on the island of Kauai, the furthest west of Hawaii’s main islands. Lihue saw almost four inches of rain on Tuesday alone, about as much as the city typically receives over the full month of March.”
“After an absence of major storms for much of the winter, the ‘March Miracle,’ in terms of wet weather, seems likely to continue next week in California…
“…a new series of storms is destined to impact much of the West next week with more rain and mountain snow from Monday to Wednesday.”
“Last year’s summer was so warm that it helped trigger the loss of 600bn tons of ice from Greenland – enough to raise global sea levels by 2.2mm in just two months, new research has found.
“The analysis of satellite data has revealed the astounding loss of ice in just a few months of abnormally high temperatures around the northern pole. Last year was the hottest on record for the Arctic…”
“An estimated 1,400 gigatons of carbon is currently embedded in the world’s permafrost, mostly in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. By comparison, the atmosphere presently contains just 850 gigatons.
“Should a major proportion of existing permafrost thaw, the Earth could experience dramatic and very dangerous warming.”
“Consider the current global landscape. One million species are now at risk of extinction, the disastrous effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent, mass movements of people are becoming more common, and the world’s democracies are in the grips of partisan polarization and skepticism toward science and expertise.”
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Weekday updates on both climate change and the global economy. Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.
“Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has likely experienced its most widespread bleaching event on record, according to a US government scientist who monitors the world’s coral reefs.
“About two months from now, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will officially begin, but AccuWeather meteorologists have already been hard at work examining the factors that could influence tropical activity this year. 
“It was a case of haves and have-nots on Wednesday when it came to warm temperatures in Alabama… Mobile was Wednesday’s record breaker. 
“Morocco will distribute 2.5 million quintals of subsidized barley for farmers in the regions affected by drought, announced the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday, March 24. 
“The huge 3-day thunderstorm — dubbed Dragon Storm — that struck Egypt revealed the inadequacy of drainage infrastructure in some industrial areas… 
“Severe flooding caused by heavy rains in Yemen’s Aden killed two with predictions of continued rainfall on Thursday as the city begins testing for coronavirus infections… 
“This week, an iceberg the size of Atlanta broke off a glacier. Researchers discovered a dramatic decline in Antarctic penguin colonies. And Antarctica may have just registered its hottest temperature ever… 
“Over the past decades, the global climate change has led to a major transformation of the vegetation cover and terrain on a global scale. Similar changes are simultaneously occurring in many regions around the world, but they are especially noticeable in natural areas with the most extreme climatic conditions, such as the Arctic or the Sahara Desert.
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Poor Iran – this on top of low oil prices and sanctions pummelling their economy and the coronavirus killing thousands:
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Not related to climate change, as far as I can tell, but too cute to leave out: 
Iran took an absolute pasting in March of last year with unprecedented spring rainfall. I hope we are not in for a repeat:
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Another strangely quiet day on the climate news front. Suspect events are being under-reported rather than not occuring.
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“A strong wind warning is issued when the land wind speed is expected to reach 21 meters per second on a sustained level or gusts top 26 meters per second.
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“An estimated 1,400 gigatons of carbon is currently embedded in the world’s permafrost, mostly in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. By comparison, the atmosphere presently contains just 850 gigatons. 
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