- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
In an article printed last week in the Los Angeles Times, fire scientists cast doubt on Gov. Jerry Brown's assertion that the intense wildfire season of 2015 was connected to global climate change. A UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) expert, however, responded with a letter to the editor that said publishing such information is "troubling."
"It's splitting hairs, as scientists often will, to note that we may not know conclusively whether climate...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The drought isn't helping matters, but the primary concern for cherry farmers in California is the lack of winter chill, reported Lisa Morehouse on KQED's The California Report.
Morehouse spoke to Bill Coates, a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources expert based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in San Benito County. He said cherries are more sensitive than other crops to a lack of chill hours. Because of a warming weather trend during the winter, bing cherry trees look confused about what season it is.
“You have some ripe cherries, you have...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A study conducted by scientists from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Cooperative Extension and the U.S. Geological Survey found that since 1930, the density of large trees in California has decreased, reported John Fowler of KTVU News Channel 2.
The story said scientists compared exquisitely detailed tree data collected in the 1920s and 1930s with tree surveys made between 2001 and 2010. They identified significant and rapid changes in basic forest structure. As large tree density fell across the state, and the density of small trees increased.
"The thing that I think is particularly worrisome is how...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
University of California Cooperative Extension has headquartered two new specialists on the UC Merced campus, reported Scott Hernandez-Jason of UC Merced University News. Karina Diaz-Rios, specialist for nutrition, family and consumer sciences, joined UCCE on Sept. 2. Tapan Pathak, specialist for climate adaptation in agriculture, will start Feb. 2, 2015.
"These positions come with a focus on interacting with the community, conducting applied research, and translating UC research to help the ag economy and local residents,” said Tom Peterson, UC...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The mainstream news media tends to quickly link extreme weather events with climate change, but the practice can backfire, reported an article in Science. (Access to the full story requires login.)
A steady stream of extreme weather events makes for a steady media drumbeat on climate change, but the stream can run dry, reported Richard Kerr. For example, the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season has produced just two short-lived, Category 1 hurricanes. Such mild weather can become an argument for climate skeptics.
The article opened with a quote from "a well-meaning non-scientist" who tried to use extreme weather to argue that global warming is real -...