by Daniel Brouse Death Valley: When the Desert’s Extremes Become More Extreme Death Valley has always been one of the hottest, driest, and most inhospitable places on Earth. But human-caused climate change is pushing those natural extremes into increasingly dangerous territory. The valley’s unique topography—essentially a vast natural basin that traps heat—can amplify warming, while […]
Tag Archives: climate change
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? Extreme Extremes
by Daniel Brouse Extreme Extremes: Walpeup and Hopetoun, Australia; Floridia, Italy; Miami, Florida; Joubertina, South Africa; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Extreme Extremes: Record Heat, Rain, Snow, and Flooding Around the World Several towns and cities across the globe have broken or approached major historical extreme-weather records so far in 2026. From record-setting heat in Australia […]
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? Indiana and New York
by Daniel Brouse Indiana and New York: When 1-in-1,000-Year Rain Becomes a Real-World Risk The Changing Meaning of “Rare” A “500-year flood” does not mean a flood that occurs only once every 500 years. It describes an event with an estimated 0.2% chance of occurring in any given year, based on historical and statistical assumptions. […]
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? Socio-Economic-Ecological Feedbacks
by Daniel Brouse From Biodiversity to Monoculture: The Socio-Economic-Ecological Feedback Loop Climate change is often described as a problem of rising temperatures, but temperature is only one expression of the additional energy entering the Earth system. That energy moves through the atmosphere, hydrologic cycle, soils, vegetation, ecosystems, agriculture, forests, and human economies. As each system […]
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? California and the Sierras
by Daniel Brouse Sierra Nevada: Hydroclimatic Whiplash, Atmospheric Rivers, Rain-on-Snow, Droughts, Landslides, Wildfires The Sierra Nevada is becoming a powerful example of hydroclimatic whiplash—where climate energy intensifies both extremes, shifting California’s water cycle from a relatively predictable seasonal rhythm toward rapid swings between atmospheric-river flooding, premature snowmelt, and summer drought. Excessive winter moisture associated with […]
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? North Texas
by Daniel Brouse North Texas: Drought, Wildfire, Evacuation, Water Scarcity, Livestock Liquidation, Crop Failure The Ross Fire: Climate Energy on the Ground The Ross Fire has exploded across more than 50,000 acres of North Texas, triggering mandatory evacuations, school closures, and a major emergency response. Driven by triple-digit heat, exceptionally low humidity, strong winds, and […]
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? The Mountains Crumble to the Sea
by Daniel Brouse and Sidd Mukherjee In memoriam of Anne When Mountains Crumble to the Sea: Glacial Retreat, Permafrost Thaw, Hydrostatic Pressure, and Landslides Mountains may look permanent. They are not. Across Alaska, Greenland, Norway, Chile, New Zealand, and the European Alps, glaciers are retreating, permafrost is thawing, and mountain slopes that were stabilized by […]
When Climate Energy Changes the Ecosystem: Forests, Fire, and the Transition to a New State
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? Western U.S. Woodlands: Ecosystem Conversion or Vegetation Type Conversion Towering woodlands across the Western U.S. are being permanently replaced by spiky shrubs as bigger and hotter wildfires sweep through forests that have not evolved to survive such high-intensity blazes and a warmer climate. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” said […]
How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? Reno, Nevada
by Daniel Brouse How Is Climate Energy Hitting You? Reno, Nevada: Hydroclimatic Whiplash, Flash Droughts, Extreme Winds, and Wildfires Reno, Nevada, is experiencing some of the most pronounced climate stresses in the American West. Rapid warming is intensifying the region’s existing desert and alpine vulnerabilities, while simultaneously altering snowpack, water supplies, vegetation, wildfire conditions, and […]
How Is the Climate Energy Hitting You? The Worms Squirm
by Daniel Brouse Backyard Experiment How Is the Climate Energy Hitting You? is a collection of backyard experiments conducted in conjunction with you—the reader. The goal is simple: to look at how the increased energy in the climate system is showing up in our everyday lives. Is it becoming more extreme, more frequent, and more […]