Plant Hardiness Zones Shift Due to Climate Change

Improved Hurricane Forecasts Prevent Damage and Save Money

Hurricanes are by far the costliest natural disasters that affect the U.S., causing well over a trillion dollars in damage over the past 40 years. Over that time period, hurricane forecasts have greatly improved. 30 years ago, scientists could predict the point of landfall 3 days out to within 250 miles. Now, the average error has been cut by more than half. More powerful computing has lead to improved accuracy, which has lead to saving money. A recent study says about $5 billion has been avoided in damage over the last 20 years. It is estimated that the improvement of hurricane forecasts have saved about $700,000 per county, per hurricane.

Daniel Ackerman, Marketplace

Plant Hardiness Zones Shift Due to Climate Change

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map, a valuable tool for gardeners and researchers, for the first time since 2012. The new map is more accurate and contains greater detail than previous versions. The new map is based on 30-year averages of the lowest annual winter temperatures at specific locations, and is divided into 10-degree Fahrenheit zones, as well as 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zones. The new map incorporates 13,412 weather stations compared to the 7,983 that were used in the 2012 map. 80 million American gardeners and growers use these maps each year, as well as risk management agencies that set crop insurance standards. In the updated map, about half the country shifted to the next warmer half zone and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone. The areas that shifted to the next warmer half zone warmed in the range of 0-5 degrees Fahrenheit.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Marine Heatwaves Threaten Shark Population

Over the last 450 million years, sharks have survived 5 mass extinctions, making them some of the oldest and sturdiest creatures in existence today. However, some scientists fear a 6th mass extinction is underway, and it may be too much for these fierce predators. Previously, overfishing and ocean degradation have pushed many shark species to the brink. Now, ocean warming - and in some cases, ocean cooling - fueled by human-caused climate change could further disrupt shark populations and reproduction. As the ocean warms and acidifies, shark embryos in eggs do not survive as well. In a recent study, scientists tested water that was around 72 degrees Fahrenheit - 7.9 degrees hotter than in recent decades - and just 11% of the shark embryos hatched. Warmer ocean temperatures have been shown to cause some sharks to hatch early, resulting in smaller and less healthy pups. It has also been shown to accelerate sharks’ metabolic rates, forcing them to use more energy just to stay alive.

Kiley Price, Inside Climate News