The Pew article Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021 by Andrew Perrin (6/3/2021) summarizes the results of their smartphone and home broadband survey. Smartphone ownership (85%) and home broadband subscriptions (77%) have increased among American adults since 2019 – from 81% and 73% respectively. Though modest, both increases are statistically significant and …
Read More »How hot was May 2021?
From NOAA’s Global Climate Report – May 2021: The May 2021 global surface temperature was 0.81°C (1.46°F) above the 20th century average of 14.8°C (58.6°F). This value tied with 2018 as the sixth warmest May in the 142-year record. May 2021 was also the 45th consecutive May and the 437th …
Read More »What do we know about hurricanes?
The article NASA and Hurricanes: Five Fast Facts by Katy Mersmann (6/1/2021) has the answers. The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season starts today, June 1. Our colleagues at NOAA are predicting another active season, with an above average number of named storms. At NASA, we’re developing new technology and missions to study storm formation …
Read More »How do we get to know a NOAA buoy?
The NOAA post Meet 5 NOAA buoys that help scientist understand our weather, climate, and ocean health by Caitlin Valentine and Jessica Mkitarian (6/3/2021) provides an overview of NOAA buoys: But how do NOAA and partner scientists gather data on such a vast environment? One big way is with buoys, …
Read More »How has the land temperature distribution changed?
NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio’s post Shifting Distribution of Land Temperature Anomalies, 1951-2020 by mark SubbaRao (4/23/2021) provides the animation here. This visualization shows how the distribution of land temperature anomalies has varied over time. As the planet has warmed, we see the peak of the distribution shifting to the right. …
Read More »How did the pandemic impact CO2 and CH4?
The NOAA Research News article Despite pandemic shutdowns, carbon dioxide and methane surged in 2020 (4/7/2021) notes The economic recession was estimated to have reduced carbon emissions by about 7 percent during 2020. Without the economic slowdown, the 2020 increase would have been the highest on record, according to Pieter Tans, senior …
Read More »Were can we find climate related training courses?
Climate.gov has a training courses page. If you filter by type of training you’ll see there are 35 online self-guided courses. The training courses here can help you acquire the tools, skills, and knowledge you need to manage your climate-related risks and opportunities. All courses are free of charge, and …
Read More »What are the challenges to moving to clean energy?
The iea report The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions (May 2021) notes: Alongside a wealth of detail on mineral demand prospects under different technology and policy assumptions, it examines whether today’s mineral investments can meet the needs of a swiftly changing energy sector. It considers the task …
Read More »How hot was April 2021?
From NOAA’s Global Climate Report – April 2021: The April 2021 global surface temperature was 0.79°C (1.42°F) above the 20th century average of 13.7°C (56.7°F). This was the smallest value for April since 2013 and was the ninth warmest April in the 142-year record. April 2021 marked the 45th consecutive April and …
Read More »What’s new at the EPA?
After about a 4 year hiatus, the EPA’s page Climate Change Indicators in the United Stats has been updated with “Twelve new indicators and several years of data have been added to EPA’s indicator suite.” One new indicator is Permafrost: The Deadhorse site in northern Alaska had the highest rate …
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