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General Security and Resilience

Anomalous Water Surface Temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico May Lead to Increased Tornado Activity

The Washington Post has written an article discussing the anomalously high water temperatures seen in the Gulf of Mexico and their potential impact on the 2023 tornado season. As tornado activity continues to break historical records, more scientists are researching what variables impact their development, including sea surface temperatures. A 2019 paper found a “robust dynamical linkage” between sea temperature in the Gulf and annual tornado activity in the Great Plains.

UN Panel Says the Time for Climate Resilient Development Is Now, Outlines Options for Adaptation and Mitigation

A new report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns of continued and intensified adverse impacts from climate change and outlines the adaptation and mitigation options that should be taken now, noting the window to make feasible and effective changes is decreasing.

Scientists Exploring the Feasibility of Multi-Week Tornado Weather Predictions

Yale Climate Connections has written an article doing a deep dive into current debates over producing long-range tornado outlooks, similar to the hurricane outlooks the general public relies on. Long-range hurricane outlooks are typically measured in terms of seasonal activity, however, which may not transfer easily to tornados or other types of severe weather that can be measured in terms of minutes or hours, instead of days.

Researchers Create Mobile System for Object Detection, Image Analysis in Disaster Response

A team of scientists from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed a prototype system for detecting and geolocating damaged utility poles in the aftermath of natural disasters, such as hurricanes or other major storms, which can be utilized to improve response and recovery efforts.

How to Use Free Satellite Data to Create Environmental Timelapses

The Conversation has posted a new article discussing how anyone, from local planners to citizens considering buying a home, can utilize free satellite data to track and visualize environmental changes. The author first discusses good resources analysts can utilize for satellite data, including Landsat, Sentinel, and GOES. Two terms are important to understand: spatial resolution, which refers to the size of each pixel, and temporal resolution, which is how often the same location is captured by the satellite.

Periods of Intense Drought and Precipitation on the Rise

NASA has published a new study that confirms major periods of intense drought and precipitation have been occurring more often globally and at higher levels of intensity. After examining 20 years of data from the NASA/German GRACE and GRACE-FO satellites, researchers observed the period of 2015 to 2021 contained four extreme wet or dry events per year, compared to the prior 13 years’ average of three events per year.

NOAA Spring Outlook Sees Drought Improvement in the West, Flooding Risk in the East

Wet conditions appear to be in store for much of the U.S. in the months ahead. According to the Spring Outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today, there will be continued drought improvement in the western U.S. as the snowpack melts, and there is a risk for flooding in most of the eastern half of the continental U.S., including most of the Mississippi River Basin.

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