Skiers seek climate change moves: 'The seasons have shifted'
Overall World Cup winners Mikaela Shiffrin, Federica Brignone and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde are among nearly 200 athletes from multiple disciplines who have signed a letter addressed to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation demanding action over climate change.
How to take holidays gatherings outside-- even in cold weather
This year the expression “home for the holidays” is actually about staying home for the holidays. Consumer Reports can help with ways to keep your loved ones warm and safe with fire pits, patio heaters, and more. And if you want even more flexibility, consider a patio heater. But never use a space heater outdoors with an extension cord, because that poses a fire risk, just as it would inside. The Comfort Zone CZ499R Space Heater for $55 performed well in Consumer Reports tests for spot-heating.
2020 could be a record-setting year for costliest natural disasters
By the end of September, the United States had been hit with a total of 16 natural disasters that have each caused over $1 billion worth of damage. 2020 top three costliest weather events:Hurricane Laura: $14 billion Midwest severe weather derecho: $7.5 billion Hurricane Isaias: $4.5 billionSo far, the United States has seen over $46 billion worth of damage from these natural disasters. There has been a mention that Delta could be added to the list of billion-dollar weather events in the upcoming weeks. Trend Showing the Billion-Dollar Disaster Events in the past 20 yearsIn the past 20 years, there has been a steady upward trend in these damaging weather events. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, 2020 is the sixth consecutive year in which 10 or more billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events have impacted the United States.
RIP: Rare baby conjoined seahorse twins at B-CU research lab die after beating the odds
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. A miracle of Mother Nature was just what we needed amid a global pandemic, but when rare conjoined twin seahorse babies were born in August at the Bethune Cookman University Aquatic Research Laboratory even that reprieve was short lived, because its 2020. Dr. Sarah Krejci, assistant professor of biology and environmental sciences, reported the conjoined dwarf seahorse twins were born Aug. 17. The lab was tracking the health of the twins closely because the presence of conjoined seahorse twins is a very rare occurrence and even in previous reported cases, none made it past their first day of life, according to the labs blog. The tiny sea monsters were first discovered in the lab by undergraduate researcher Cameron Eskew, and the students named them Bethune and Cookman.Conjoin twin dwarf seahorses, Bethune and Cookman at B-CU Aquatic Research Lab. Relive the tiny seahorses in all of their wonder and learn more about the research happening at the Aquatic lab here.
August is when Hurricane season starts to pick up steam
The National Weather Service records show the morning of July 30 a hurricane moved in from the Atlantic and made landfall near Fort Pierce. The storm strengthened to hurricane status and then made landfall near Fort Walton Beach on July 31 early in the day. Hurricane Erin made landfall as a category 1 storm early in the day on Aug. 2 near Vero Beach. Erin was a Category 2 Hurricane as the eye wall moved ashore in Fort Walton Beach. Twelve of those deaths were in the Apalachicola hurricane of 1898 which had two landfalls in the state that year.
Here are 5 ways you can be more ecofriendly on Earth Day and beyond
ORLANDO, Fla. – The argument could be made that every day should be Earth Day, but if you’re new to the environmentally conscious scene, a national day of observation is a great place to start. Below you’ll find five of the easiest ways you can be a little more ecologically responsible on Earth Day and beyond. Reduce your water and energy useThis might be one of the easiest ways on this entire list to help the environment. Appliances that carry the seal have been rated to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible. Make some meatless mealsAccording to the Earth Institute at Columbia University, eating low on the food chain is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment, but what does that mean?
The decade’s first meteor shower is happening this weekend
The new decade has arrived, and Mother Nature’s first gift to us all is an amazing meteor shower that will take place this weekend. The Quadrantid meteor shower will be easiest to see during the predawn hours Saturday, but is expected to begin late Friday. The Quadrantid meteor shower, which is known to produce 50-100 meteors, was named for a constellation that exists no more: the Quadrans Muralis. An astronomer by the name of Peter Jenniskens identified the parent body of the shower in 2003 as the asteroid 2003 EHI. EarthSky reported that if the asteroid is indeed the Quadrantid shower’s parent, the meteors come from a rocky body — not an icy comet.