Tracking microclimates could help feed the world

Scientists in Israel have developed a way of using satellite images to help farmers detect small-scale changes in climate and improve their harvests, a method that could bolster food supplies for an increasingly hungry world population. Rather than analyze the weather and topography of large swathes of land, the new system divides fields into smaller

La Niña And Sunspots

From a weather and agricultural point, I find this time of year to be the most difficult. Winter is still holding on, but historically we don’t see much in the way of severe weather during the second half of February. Spring is on the horizon, but is still at least three to four weeks away


2010 Ties For Warmest Year, Emissions To Blame

Last year tied for the warmest since data started in 1880, capping a decade of record high temperatures that shows mankind’s greenhouse gas emissions are heating the planet, a U.S. agency said. Global surface temperatures in 2010 were 1.12 F (0.62 C) above the 20th century average, tying the record set in 2005, the National

Possible Change In Weather Pattern

I’m going to start off this week’s article with a quick look at global weather records and patterns so far this year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the first nine months of 2010 have been the warmest ever recorded. If this pattern keeps up, 2010 will go down as the warmest


A Little Bit Of Everything

Table 1. Total rainfall June 17-19, in millimetres ALBERTA Bullhorn Reservoir Pincher Creek Cardston Atlee Waterton Park Schuler Lethbridge Bow Island Vauxhall Medicine Hat Oyen SASKATCHEWAN Cypress Hills Park Maple Creek Leader Val Marie Swift Current Kindersley Saskatoon MANITOBA Killarney Gladstone Pierson Boissevain Hamiota Melita Eriksdale Virden Steinbach 161.7 131.5 129.3 113.4 100.2 97.8 90.5

Not Enough Snow In The High Country

Alarmingly low snow levels in the Rocky Mountains will cut water supplies to Canada’s Prairies and could help trigger a river drought in the important farming region, a leading expert said May 27. The predictions by University of Saskatchewan hydrologist John Pomeroy were particularly gloomy, given that 2009-10 was a record dry winter for the


Arctic Ice And Record-Warm March

The Weather Vane is prepared by Daniel Bezte, a teacher by profession with a B. A. (Hon.) in geography, specializing in climatology, from the University of Winnipeg. Daniel has taught university-level classes in climate and weather and currently operates a computerized weather station at his home near Birds Hill Park, on 10 acres he plans

The Changing Arctic –Part 3

The weather page is prepared by Daniel Bezte. Dan has a BA Honours degree in geography, specializing in climatology, from the U of W. He has taught climate and weather classes at the U of W, and is a guest climate expert on CJOB’s morning show with Larry Updike. Daniel runs a computerized weather station


India Facing Water Shortages

Groundwater levels in northern India have fallen about 20 per cent more than expected because of excessive pumping, threatening to spark a major food and water crisis, according to a study based on U. S. space agency data. The study, led by Matthew Rodell of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said groundwater across

Misplaced Nostalgia

JOHN MORRISS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR In contrast to their parents and grandparents who lived through two World Wars, Canadian baby boomers have lived a charmed life, though not one without some trauma. Practising nuclear-bomb evacuation drills to our school’s mud-floored crawl space during the Cuban Missile Crisis had a certain psychological effect, especially considering that there