A wildfire burns in South Carolina in 2016. Credit: US National Guard
AGU News
AGU joins suit supporting fired federal scientists
AGU has joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit before the United States District Court, Northern District of California, arguing that the firings of probationary employees in agencies across the federal government directed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management were illegal. It argues downstream impacts of reduced federal scientific expertise and funding on research have harmed the economy, public health, environment, and national security. [read the full statement]
The state of science: “Ushering in a dark age of retreat”
AGU responds to President Trump’s speech Tuesday night. “At the moment, the state of our science is not strong, but the resolve of our community in Earth and space sciences to restore and renew it is.” [read the full statement]
Experts available to comment on importance of US climate science
AGU last week issued a statement stressing the importance of climate science for ensuring a secure, prosperous future for the country and for the world. Federal firings and funding cuts threaten the next generation of scientists and risk undoing critical progress made in climate research and mitigation. Email [email protected] for help finding expert sources willing to speak with the media about climate science. [read the full statement]
Featured Research
Research roundup: The changing wildfire climate in the southeast US
Hundreds of wildfires are burning in the Carolinas and Georgia. These studies may be useful for reporters covering the fires. [growth of woody veg drives SE US wildfires][wildfires are on the rise in the eastern US][how smoke impacted vulnerable populations in N.C.’s 2016 fires]
Two degrees of warming would double Greenland’s rain
If temperatures in Greenland rise to 2.3°C above the historical average, the amount of precipitation falling as rain there would double, while 10°C of warming would cause half the island’s precipitation to fall as rain, a new study finds. Rain accelerates the ice sheet’s mass loss, while snow can help decelerate loss. [Geophysical Research Letters study][see also: atmospheric rivers can dump enough snow to replenish some of Greenland’s ice loss]
Even mild warming will bring 10 times more atmospheric rivers to western US
Atmospheric rivers can cause destructive flooding and frequently hit the western U.S. In mild warming, extreme atmospheric rivers will hit the West Coast nearly 10 times more frequently by the end of the century, a new modeling study reports. [Geophysical Research Letters study]
The thirstiest crops in the US
Corn and alfalfa agriculture account for about two-fifths of the country’s annual “blue” crop water consumption, a new study finds. About 10% of irrigated croplands in the U.S. account for more than 90% of the volume of irrigation water. Corn and soybeans are prominent in the East, while alfalfa and hay dominate the West. [Water Resources Research study]
Oceans are warming, but evaporating less
Recent research documented a slowdown in the accumulation of water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere in recent decades. Despite rising sea surface temperatures, marine evaporation (a key source of water vapor) has decreased, primarily because of “wind stilling,” a new study finds. [Geophysical Research Letters study]
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