Climate

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Drought, wildfires, and extreme weather — is this the new normal for Texas?

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June 14, 2012

How to Build a Drought-Resistant Landscape in West Texas

Curious how you can have a healthy landscape in West Texas, a land besieged by drought and heat? Well, the Agrilife Extension Service wants to help. They’re holding a Landscape Drought Management Workshop on June 23. Speaking will be Dr. Dotty Woodson, AgriLife Extension water resources specialist at Dallas. “The purpose of this program is to help […]

June 12, 2012

KUT and StateImpact Texas Win Murrow Award for Drought Coverage

We’re excited to announce today that our lead radio station, KUT Austin, has received a National Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage of the Texas drought. One of our StateImpact Texas reports on how hunters have fared during the drought is part of the award. So a shout-out is in order to our own […]

June 11, 2012

How Increased Groundwater Use May Lead to Sea Level Rise

In the world of water, all things are connected. That’s what a recent study seems to say about the effects of increasing groundwater consumption on the Earth’s sea levels. Dr. Yoshihide Wada, a hydrologist at Utretcht University in the Netherlands, claims in the study that groundwater taken out of the earth will likely find its way […]

June 7, 2012

Is the Drought Ending? Who Really Knows

Rain clouds are scattered across the radar today for Central and Northern Texas. But the overall trend in the state for the past several weeks has been dry. In fact, the results of the U.S. Drought Monitor Map released today shows 6.5 percent more of the state is in drought this week than last week. […]

June 6, 2012

In Photos (and Video): The Transit of Venus

It was an event so rare it won’t happen again for over a hundred years. The transit of Venus took place Tuesday, a celestial phenomenon where the planet passes in front of the Sun. The transit was witnessed by sky-watchers across the world. And in case you missed it, we’ve assembled photos of the event taken […]

June 4, 2012

Venus in Transit: How to Witness a Rare Astronomical Event in Texas

It’s not quite an eclipse, it’s more like the sun is going to have a beauty mark for a rare, fleeting moment. On Tuesday, Venus (the brightest planet in our solar system) will pass in front of the sun, and if you’re hoping to catch it, plan with care. If you miss it, you won’t […]

May 31, 2012

Drought Monitor: A Slight Reversal

After so much progress over the winter months, it’s a let down to see the drought map released today by the U.S. Drought Monitor showing a slight reversal in recent trends. Despite an overall retreat of drought in Texas, the percentage of the state experiencing drought conditions actually increased by two percentage points since last […]

Thanks to the Drought, Farmland Values Mostly Flat in Texas

If you’re a farmer in the Midwest, chances are your land values have gone up recently. A new survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Mo. says that irrigated farmland value in those areas grew more than 30 percent over the last year’s first quarter. Factors such as higher crop prices and timely rains […]

Exploring the Gap Between Water Supply and Energy Development

A growing shortage of freshwater is transforming into a commonplace global experience. Australia, Northern Africa, the Middle East, India, North East China, Argentina, portions of Brazil, and even Southern Europe are witnessing declines in freshwater availability. In the U.S., states that don’t normally experience drought conditions such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Washington are now […]

May 30, 2012

New Water Center Aims to Help With State’s Struggles

Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images A coalition of Texas institutions announced a new water conservation and technology center today. It’s a group effort, headed by Texas AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Engineering Experiment Station, and Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Dr. Neal Wilkins, the director of the Texas Water Resources Institute, hopes that the new […]

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