Greetings once again to one and all! Plenty of interesting topics to cover this week. In atmospheric science news, our changing climate is front and center and will be for many years as humanity grapples with the best path of adaptation. The coronavirus and Covid-19 situation is foremost on everyone’s mind with a world-wide pandemic that’s like nothing the world’s current population has ever seen. Additionally, the spring severe weather season is in full swing across the contiguous USA. On the positive side, Citizen Science Month is wrapping up, but there are plenty of projects for you to get involved in. We’ll cover that topic and more with this week’s picks…so let’s get started.

• April is Citizen Science Month and there’s a myriad of fascinating projects that you can take part in. Here’s a great place to start…SciStarter has an excellent website with many projects. Science Friday has a very nice segment from their 24 April 2020 broadcast with even more projects. For those interested in projects specifically in weather and climate, check out the mPING project and help National Severe Storms Laboratory scientists collect weather data. The CoCoRaHS project is a citizen science endeavor that is well established. I’ve been an observer for many years. Your daily reports of precipitation, or lack of, is very important to long-term climate data records. The apps for mPING and CoCoRaHS are free and available for both iOS and Android.
• Space weather, which largely focuses on how our sun and its solar storms affect our planet, is exceptionally important in our highly technical society. As of late, our sun has been relatively quiet, but that may not last for long.
• Much of the world is on lockdown or stay-at-home practices for good reason. In spite of that, greenhouse gas emissions are still holding steady. What’s causing this trend?
• While on the topic of stay-at-home recommendations and lockdowns that save lives, this news should come as no surprise. “The Same People Who Peddle Climate Denial Are Behind Coronavirus Pseudoscience.”
• Speaking of denial, this should come as no surprise. “Why climate skeptics are less likely to wear coronavirus masks.”
• Emergency preparedness, whether for a pandemic or a natural disaster, is far less expensive and labor intensive than getting caught in a bind and having to literally do ‘damage control.’ The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is teaching humanity a very hard lesson.
• Many housing and urban development projects are constructed in zones where flooding is inevitable. There’s no easy solution to this problem other than literally removing up to one million homes in the USA.
• There are many factors that make for an active Atlantic hurricane season. By many indicators, the 2020 season could be well above average in activity.
• If you’re interesting in tornadoes, check out the National Severe Storms Laboratory website and their page on past and ongoing tornado research.
• Last but not least, here’s a simple but poignant message from the Hubble telescope to the inhabitants of the planet we live on.

SEVERE WEATHER PREPAREDNESS

An emergency kit is also an essential part of severe weather preparedness. This handy checklist from the American Red Cross will help you get started. Since severe weather and other weather-related disasters can occur year round, it’s an excellent idea to have this at the ready regardless of where you live or the month/season.

Flooding kills more people in the USA than any other weather related hazard. Flash flooding that occurs during and/or after thunderstorms is particularly dangerous. The National Weather Service has more information on flood safety and the Turn Around, Don’t Drown safety campaign.

That’s a wrap for this post! I’d like to extend a warm welcome to my new followers in social media. I’m glad you’re along for the fun! If you’re on Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr, so am I and I invite you to enjoy me. Once again I’d like to thank so many of you for all the thoughtful comments I’ve received as of late. Cancer does not have to be an automatic death sentence and I have no intention of giving up this fight and will accept nothing but absolute and total victory. If you’re a male over the age of 40, you should discuss getting your PSA tested with your doctor. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is an excellent website with further information. As for the coronavirus, please stay home if possible, practice good personal hygiene, mind your social distancing, stay safe, and stay healthy!

Cheers…Stay Healthy…and Good Luck!

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