Preventing Famine Archive

  • A scientist from the University of Arizona boring a tree ring sample.

    Tree Rings: A Type of Weather Data

    Posted on May 8, 2012 | No Comments
    By Penny Paugh Trees grow on every continent except Antarctica, and the rings they contain embody a record of climate change going back thousands of years.  Each ring represents a single year’s growth, so not only can a ring count tell us how old a...

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  • Map of Rwanda. Image reproduced from HistorySpeaks.org.uk

    Rwandan Drought; Ongoing Climate Concerns

    Posted on April 25, 2012 | No Comments
    by Aura Lawson La Niña has persisted longer than expected this year, and with it comes agricultural uncertainty for many countries across the globe. Rwanda is no exception. Anthony Twahirwa, head of Rwanda’s Meteorological Center, explains that their forecasting agency expected decreased rainfall as a...

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  • CO2 by energy-dz dot come

    Part 7: Earth’s Carbon Cycle

    Posted on April 20, 2012 | No Comments
    Luisa Cristini, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa [Note from the editor: This is the seventh in a series of blog entries that will focus on introductory topics in climate dynamics and modeling, and will be a great insight into the current understanding of the...

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  • An example cross-section of a tree trunk that provides valuable insight into historical weather. Image reproduced from Maricopa.edu.

    Could Climate Change Have Contributed to the Fall of Rome?

    Posted on March 26, 2012 | No Comments
    By Penny Paugh One form of environmental data, tree rings, has provided evidence of a climate shift that, perhaps not coincidentally, occurred from 250 to 550 A.D., a period that coincides with the fall of the Roman Empire. From ancient wood found in medieval castles...

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  • Agriculture suffers when either the long rains or the short rains fail to materialize in a given year, but especially when they both fail to materialize. Image reproduced from USAID.gov.

    African Drought and Data Rescue

    Posted on March 23, 2012 | No Comments
    Drought in Africa has been a destructive force to life and property since the beginning of recorded time. Most recently, East Africa suffered a severe drought in 2010 that persisted nearly the entire year. However, one good thing that came out of this catastrophic drought...

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  • power of worms

    Worms Can Help Farmers Adapt to Climate Change

    Posted on January 18, 2012 | No Comments
    by Pennell Paugh A study performed by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Society concluded that worms can play a key role to help farmers adapt to extreme weather. Worms improve soil structure, reduce water use in the garden, act as natural fertilizers, reduce greenhouse gases...

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  • Teddy Chart

    Using Modern and Historic Weather Data, IEDRO Shows Small Island Nations Ways to Increase Their Knowledge of Vegetation and Rainfall Applications

    Posted on October 18, 2011 | 2 Comments
    On August 19, 2011, IEDRO’s Manager of Site Operations, Teddy Allen, had a productive meeting with the National Foodcrop Farmers Association (NFFA) in the southern Caribbean island of Trinidad. To date, this group has never been approached by any climate or meteorology specialists to disseminate...

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  • dought in US by carbon-based-ghg.blogspot

    Predicting Drought in the US

    Posted on September 23, 2010 | 2 Comments
    Some Factors Used for Predicting Drought in the US May 2010 Jeannine Swindell The inability to make a reliable prediction of drought hampers our ability to be proactive toward management for dry spells. In this part of the world, drought affects range livestock agriculture in...

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  • Famine Warning System

    Famine Warning System

    Posted on September 23, 2010 | No Comments
    A Land Data Assimilation System for Famine Early Warning: United States Geological Survey February 2010 James Verdin We propose to enhance the operations of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), the US Agency for International Development (USAID) decision support system for international food...

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