Browse Climate Stories

179 results found for Climate
Helenedamage web CAES News
Helene Damage Assessment
Today, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, in coordination with Governor Brian P. Kemp, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), and the Georgia Forestry Commission, announced the preliminary estimate of Hurricane Helene’s economic impact on Georgia agriculture is $6.46 billion.
Most of Georgia’s vegetable crops are grown in the southern part of the state, which, similar to California, faces drought risks. However, as the climate warms, the area is expected to receive slightly more rainfall than usual, according to CAES economist Jeff Mullen. If vegetable production in California decreases and prices rise elsewhere, Southeast producers may consider shifting from row crop to vegetable production. CAES News
Expanding Vegetable Production
Changing weather patterns are influencing cropping systems and where certain crops can be successfully grown. Researchers in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently published a study in the journal Sustainability examining the feasibility of expanding fresh vegetable production in Georgia as increased temperatures and more frequent and extreme droughts threaten producers in the Western United States.
A new grant program focusing on preventing and reducing food loss and waste is designed to help reduce food waste in the U.S. by 50% over the next five years. CAES News
Addressing Food Waste
A new national grant program administered by the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program will pump more than $10.2 million into research to address food loss and waste in the region. Supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the SARE Community Foods Project Food Loss and Waste Training and Technical Assistance Grants Program is seeking grant proposals from applicants working in the public sector on food loss and waste prevention.
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
2024 Peach Season
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.
IdaliaDamage CAES News
Emergency Preparedness
Georgia’s geographic diversity — from beaches and swamps to mountains and flatlands —makes the state an attractive place to live, but each region is vulnerable to weather-related emergencies year-round. When disasters strike, navigating the milieu of steps to recover and rebuild can be difficult. With a presence in all 159 Georgia counties, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is uniquely positioned to help communities prepare for and rebound from calamity.
DW Brooks25 web CAES News
2023 DWB Lecture
Without direct intervention, food systems could be the largest contributor to environmental pollution by mid-century. This warning — and more importantly, the research efforts in place to make change — were highlighted in Edward Buckler’s keynote address at the 2023 D.W. Brooks Lecture and Awards. “Right now our food system is costing us more than the value we are getting out of it. This is something we need to fundamentally address,“ said Buckler, a research geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
Associate Professor Ali Missaoui, one of several University of Georgia faculty associated with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, breeds switchgrass as a potential feedstock for biofuels at UGA’s Iron Horse Farm in Watkinsville. The switchgrass program is just one of the multiple UGA research projects intended to help the transportation industry move toward a more sustainable future. (Photo by Lauren Corcino) CAES News
Growing Gas
As the world grapples with how to reduce its carbon footprint, it’s clear there’s no silver bullet solution for climate change. It will take a multifaceted approach to scale back fossil fuel usage and find more sustainable alternatives. Several UGA researchers are working on promising pathways like bioenergy and bioproducts, forms of renewable energy and materials that could curb carbon emissions.
The big player in the weather the rest of this growing season and next winter is the rapidly developing El Niño. The statistics and longest-range climate models suggest that by November we could see typical rainy El Niño conditions occurring over southern Georgia and Alabama down into Florida as well as up the East Coast. CAES News
Climate Outlook
While we had an early start to the growing season, it was followed by colder conditions in March that slowed things down quite a bit. Since that time, we have seen periods of very warm weather alternating with much cooler conditions. As soil temperatures rise and fall, it has been tough for farmers to know when to plant. The big player in the weather the rest of this growing season and next winter is the rapidly developing El Niño.
Salt marshes, like this one on Jekyll Island, are vital parts of the ecosystem for oysters along the Georgia coastline. (Photo by Chris Greer) CAES News
Shell to Shore
University of Georgia alumnus Zachary Brendel gives new life to discarded things. You can see it throughout the streets of downtown Athens — from an old tire store that glows with reimagined life as Creature Comforts brewery or an audio recording school operating at full tilt within a converted shoe store. Both are revitalization projects completed by Athens-based Character Built Construction, which was co-founded by Brendel.
An arched iceberg located along the Antarctic Peninsula, taken June 17. Last month Antarctic sea ice extent reached a record low for June, at 4.68 million square miles — or about 471,000 square miles below average. (Photo by Dan Costa/National Science Foundation/Creative Commons) CAES News
Weather extremes
Halfway through 2022, Earth is on course for another top-10 finish in global temperature. After six months, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the period from January through June 2022 was the planet’s sixth warmest on record, with observations that go back to 1880. Antarctica also saw its lowest June ice coverage on record.