Weather

You might think that this is just another symptom of a warming world. But an expert study suggests that rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, not rising temperatures, may be the primary cause

by HENRY HENGEVELD

This past fall, our annual fall leaf clean-up began in mid-October, when the sunburst locust began to shed. Two weeks later, the chestnut tree suddenly dropped its leaves. However, at the time, the leaves on the maple and Chinese elms were still green. It wasn’t until the second half of November that these began to fall, and we could do our final yard clean-up.

With levels at their lowest since observations began in 1918, it’s beginning to look as if evaporation due to climate change may be the culprit

by HENRY HENGEVELD

During a mid-October family gathering, the conversation inevitably turned to the weather. After all, fall temperatures have been unusually warm, and it has been so dry.
My brother-in-law noted that the water level in his pond, which he had dug on his property adjacent to the Bay of Quinte some 40 years ago, was now the lowest he had ever seen. He solemnly declared that something unusual was going on! The same sentiment appears to have been echoed in many households and boardrooms around the Great Lakes this fall.

New research suggests that absolute humidity has risen over the last 30-plus years and that this is primarily due to human activity

by HENRY HENGEVELD

I find the hot days of summer harder to take these days. They seem to be “steamier” than they used to be.

This, of course, could be entirely due to a reduced tolerance for heat and discomfort associated with advancing age. On the other hand, it may also be because summers are becoming more humid. In fact, there is new research evidence to suggest that this is indeed the case.