Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

US: Outbreak of Fungus Threatens Tomato Crop

Julia Moskin
Los Angeles Times
Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:54 UTC
Tomato blight
© Meg McGrath/CornellGreen tomatoes affected by the spores of highly contagious fungus, called late blight.

A highly contagious fungus that destroys tomato plants has quickly spread to nearly every state in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic, and the weather over the next week may determine whether the outbreak abates or whether tomato crops are ruined, according to federal and state agriculture officials.

The spores of the fungus, called late blight, are often present in the soil, and small outbreaks are not uncommon in August and September. But the cool, wet weather in June and the aggressively infectious nature of the pathogen have combined to produce what Martin A. Draper, a senior plant pathologist at the United States Department of Agriculture, described as an "explosive" rate of infection.

William Fry, a professor of plant pathology at Cornell, said, "I've never seen this on such a wide scale."

Comment: Related Story:

US: The Irish Potato Famine Fungus Is Attacking Northeast Gardens And Farms Now

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Network

Big Apple's Cold Summer - It and Many Other Cities Ranking Among Coldest Ever

Joseph D'Aleo
IceCap
Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:25 UTC
NYC skyline
© Bob Jagendorf

Many cities in the east and central reported the coldest July on record and some cities a top 5 coolest June and July period. Here is one of the latter - New York City's Central Park.

With an average daily temperature of 72.7...3.8 degrees below normal... This is the sixth coolest July on record at Central Park.

Daily average temperatures have been at or below normal every day but two this month (the 28th and 30th)...for 46 of 48 days dating back to June 13th...and for 54 of the 60 days since June 1st.

Central Park has had only one day reach above 85 degrees so far this summer (86 on July 17th). This is the fewest number of days above 85 on record at Central Park since records began being taken in 1869. The old record was 7 in 1996.

Central Park has yet to reach 90 degrees this summer...for only the second time on record. The only other year not to have at least one 90 degree day in June or July was 1996.

For the months of June and July...the average temperature in 2009 is 70.1 degrees, making this the third coolest June and July on record in 151 years at Central Park. See story NWS here and New York Times here.
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Wolf

Falkland Islands: Antarctic air flow brings record snow fall


Where's my Global Warming Dude?
Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:17 UTC
Although the Falklands can expect cold weather at this time of year, heavy snow which fell over the past week was a record for recent years.

Weatherman Justin Chamberlain said the Islands had been under the influence of a highly unstable convective south/southwest air flow originating in Antarctica, keeping air temperatures below freezing. At times the wind was strong or gale force, leading to blizzard conditions and snowdrifts.

The duration of the Antarctic showery feed was unusual, he said, due in part to an area of high pressure covering much of South America, which blocked the usual mobile westerly flow.
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Bizarro Earth

Korea: Cold Spell - Weird Weather Keeps Holiday Crowds off Beaches


The Chosun Ilbo
Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:11 UTC
Korean beaches empty cool july 2009
© unknownDue to atypical cool weather, Haeundae Beach in Busan is deserted on Thursday.

Korea is experiencing atypical cool weather in the middle of summer, which coupled with the summer rainy season has translated into fewer vacationers visiting the country's beaches.

The Korea Meteorological Administration on Thursday said the average temperature during July 18-24 was between 20 to 24 degrees Celsius or 2-4 degrees below average, while the average daily high was between 23 and 28 degrees or 2-5 degrees lower than average.

In Busan, where Korea's most popular beaches are located, temperatures did not rise above 30 degrees for a single day in July, as against seven days in July last year. From July 1 until Wednesday, 4.38 million people visited the seven beaches in downtown Busan, less than half the numbers seen during the same period last year. Vendors at the beaches have been hit with an unprecedented slump in sales during peak season. Haeundae Beach, which opened on July 1, saw 1.72 million visitors this month, just 48 percent of the number seen during the same period last year. A total of 1.24 million people visited Gwangalli Beach, just 47 percent of last July's visitors.
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Document

Canadian Wheat Board reports highest exports in nine years; coming harvest 20 percent lower


Canadian Press
Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:07 UTC
Winnipeg - The Canadian Wheat Board is reporting the highest wheat exports in nine years and the second-highest overall grain revenues in its history.

The organization reported Thursday that it exported 18.5 million tonnes of wheat, durum and barley during the crop year that ends Friday - one million tonnes more than last year and the highest level since 2000.

Much of the increase came from new wheat markets in countries such as Iran and Indonesia.

"This has been because of the poor crop that the Iranians experienced and their need for imports," said board president and chief executive Ian White.

"I'm pleased to say that we were able to capture a large part of the market share of the Iranian import market. We were the largest exporter to Iran ... compared with our competitors."
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Magic Wand

US: Mild season in Tornado Alley frustrates scientists

Melanie S. Welte
Associated Press
Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:03 UTC
Des Moines, Iowa - This has been an unusually mild year in Tornado Alley, which is good news, of course, for the people who live here, but a little frustrating to scientists who planned to chase twisters as part of a $10 million research project.

"You're out there to do the experiment and you're geared up every day and ready. And when there isn't anything happening, that is frustrating," said Don Burgess, a scientist at the University of Oklahoma. But he was quick to add that he is pleased the relative quiet has meant fewer injuries and less damage.

Nationwide, there were 826 tornadoes this year through June 30, compared with an average of 934 for the same period during the previous three years, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla. Most twisters strike in Tornado Alley, which generally extends from Texas and Oklahoma to Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.

During a remarkable 17-day lull from mid-May through early June, there were no tornado watches issued anywhere in the United States. And that is typically the height of the season in Tornado Alley.
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Cloud Lightning

Still No Tropical Storms? Must Be Global Warming

Roy W. Spencer
DrRoySpencer.com
Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:56 UTC
So, where are all of the news stories about the fact we've had no tropical storms yet this year? As can be seen in the following graphic, as of this date in 2005 we already had 8 named storms in the Atlantic basin. And tomorrow, August 4, that number will increase to 9. In 2005 we were even told to expect more active hurricane seasons from now on because of global warming.
Atlantic Storms 2009
© weatherstreet.com

Of course, even though it is interesting that the 2009 tropical season is off to such a slow start, it may well have no significance in terms of long-term trends. But the lack of news coverage on the subject does show the importance of unbiased reporting when it comes to global warming. Let me explain.
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Binoculars

Record Low Temperatures Across the United States

Andrew Moran
Digital Journal
Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:48 UTC
Across the United States, cities are experiencing low or record low temperatures. Some people are experiencing 48 degree (9 Celsius) weather in the morning and 70 degree (21 Celsius) weather throughout the day.

Many scientists who disagree with man-made global warming say this is another example of the global warming alarmism. Marc Morano, who runs Climate Depot, says that the Earth's temperatures flows from cool to warm and that it is natural climate change. He further discussed, "The reason Climate Depot is covering this is because every heat wave, every extreme storm, everything the media tries to promote when it's the other way -- every hurricane, every drought, flood...they always blame everything on global warming. So, all we are merely doing is pointing out some of the dramatic record low temperatures -- dramatic to the point where some meteorologists have dubbed 2009 the year without a summer."
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Bizarro Earth

6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Eastern Indonesia


Agence France-Presse
Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:10 UTC
A strong 6.4-magnitude quake struck Indonesia's remote West Papua Sunday, the country's geophysics agency said.

The quake struck at 3:54 pm (0854 GMT) with an epicentre 127 kilometres (79 miles) northwest of the town of Manokwari in West Papua, the Jakarta Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.

It was measured at a depth of 12 kilometres.

The agency's technical chief Suharjono said there appeared to be no damage or injuries reported yet.

"The tremors, which lasted less than a minute, were strong enough to cause people to panic. They all ran out of their homes," he added.
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Bizarro Earth

6.9 Magnitude Earthquake hits Mexico's Gulf of California


Associated Press
Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:06 UTC
The U.S. National Earthquake Center says a strong earthquake has shaken Mexico's Gulf of California.

It says the magnitude-6.9 quake struck at 12:59 p.m. (1:59 EDT, 17:59 GMT) and was centered 76 miles (122 kilometers) north-northeast of Santa Isabel in Baja California and 331 miles (533 kilometers) southeast of the border city of Tijuana.
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