Marty Hoerling’s discussion of western U.S. drought in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report model runs (which I wrote about last fall) is out: Our study reveals that a sustained change in moisture conditions is unfolding within the broad range of natural variations. The Southwest is likely past the peak water experienced in the 20th century …
mooseOriginally uploaded by heinemanfleck. When I was much younger, I wrote, under the non de plume Fernando Schwartz, A Poem of Nature: The flowers and the trees The sky and the birds Look at the buffalo Traveling in herds. Nora’s recent post-it art seems a fine illustration.
U.S. Precipitation, Last 90 Days Precipitation Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. This is not the U.S. precipitation pattern you expect in an El Niño winter. Here in Albuquerque, we’re living under a bit of an illusion, with the fourth storm since Christmas currently snowing east and north of us and clouds and a threat of rain …
When I wrote a brief squib last month about the new Holland et al. paper on sea ice decline, I made fun of myself for picking the worst-case scenario, suggesting a “a chance of an ice-free late summer arctic by as soon as 2040.” Apparently I was not alone. In her RealClimate post on the …
The monthly ENSO assessment, out today, suggests El Niño may be peaking (the “Kelvin waves” it talks about are essentially big pulses of warmth moving west to east across the equatorial ocean, which are a key feature of El Niño): Most of the statistical and coupled models, including the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS), indicate …
Mike Campana, one of my favorite water academics, launches WaterWired with a reprise of the case against bottled water.
weather: Looks like we’re on the El Niño one-storm-a-week track here, with another wet patch headed for New Mexico through the weekend. This’ll be the fourth in a row. book1: Andrew Revkin’s The North Pole Was Here. Don’t be fooled by the whole “children’s book” thing. It’s a ripping good read, and Revkin has clearly …
This is one of those Prufrock moments, when it is impossible to say just what I mean. From the paid job blog, on my old friend Ed McGaffigan: Reporters depend on the generosity of smart people, people who understand how things work and are willing to spend the time to help us understand it too. …
San Juan-Chama Project pipe, Albuquerque, Jan. 7 2007 Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. When I was in Phoenix a couple of years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the Frank Lloyd Wrightish Biltmore. Phoenix is flat-out desert, hot, just 7.5 inches of rain (19 cm) a year. But the Biltmore is an oasis, green, cool and …
Paseo del Nordeste bike trail, 1/7/2006 Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. One of the great things about Albuquerque is that I can ride all winter. It can get cold, but with the right clothing it’s rarely enough to keep me indoors. There’s never enough snow on the ground to keep me cooped up for more than …