February

Great Lakes Levels Likely To Drop: "Environmental official predict water levels in the Great Lakes could fall significantly this summer... because of a lack of snow and ice cover this winter. Experts predict the water levels… could fall as much as 10 inches below last summer's levels… The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers… has received 225 dredging requests… a 27 percent rise from last year… half of the dredged material is contaminated… (including) heavy metals such as lead, nickel, and cadmium, farm pesticides, including DDT, and diesel fuel. Stirring up this material… leads to contamination of fish. The water in lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie sunk to their lowest levels in decades… worse may be on tap for this summer." UPI, 2/5/00

Coral Provides Clues to Climate Change: "[G]rowth rings in Indian Ocean coral tell how El Nino, the warm-water phenomenon of the tropical Pacific Ocean, influences marine temperatures a continent away." In addition to bringing more rain to Africa as well as Arizona, El Nino warms the oceans there, which is reflected in coral growth. "Chemical changes in the rings tell the story of sea temperature. When the water warm, the coral reveals light oxygen. When the water is cold, the coral is saturated with heavy oxygen. 'We found a record of climate change that reflected the influence of the El Nino on the Indian Ocean. This record tells us a story that has broad climate implications,' said Julia Cole of the University of Arizona and co-author of a report on coral growth rings." El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) may set the pace for slower decadal changes as well as being responsible for some of the year-to-year changes in East African climate. Robinson Shaw, ENN, 2/6/00

Famine Worsen in Northwest Kenya: "Four more divisions in northwest Kenya's Turkana District have joined the list of drought-hit area requiring urgent relief food, local officials said… [A]ll 17 divisions in the district will be declared disaster zones by the end of this month if it does not rain soon, according to district officer Alloys Otieno." XINHUA, 2/8/00

Oil and Gas Companies Must learn from Other Industries to Survive: "New forces are driving the world's energy industry toward dramatic and historic changes as companies battle for the "New Prize"-access to customers… "It is access to the customer that will increasingly dominate across all industries," said Dr. Stanislaw, Cambridge Energy Research Associates President. "[T]his shift in focus from commodity to customer will require them to create new service- and technology-oriented organizations… Energy companies that fail to recognize this shift… will be left on the sidelines permanently." PRNewswire, 2/9/00

PIPA - President's Global Warming Initiative Likely to Draw Public Support: "The American public is likely to support President Clinton's $4 billion budget request to encourage energy efficient technology and research… [A] strong majority of America believes evidence for global warming is persuasive enough to justify moderate spending in support of reducing green house gas emissions. A strong majority … favors … ratifying the Kyoto Treaty….A majority favor requiring developing countries to limit their emissions… a modest majority favors ratifying … even if countries do not agree to join in….[A] majority is willing to accept increases of $25 per month in household energy cost … sufficient to comply. A majority initially opposes … emission rights trading regime but shifts to support after hearing the economic trade-offs." Steven Kull, U.S. Newswire, 2/9/00

Endless Rains Drench Northern South Africa: "In the poor Alexandra township just north of Johannesburg, the Jukskei River burst its banks for the second time in a week… [O]fficials asked residents to stay away from the flood-prone riverbank (which) rose to a level 8 meters… above normal… The heavy rains also raised fears of malaria outbreaks." Susanna Loof. AP, 2/11/00

Australia's Natural Disasters Cost Up: "An unusually high number of catastrophes caused Australia's bill for natural disasters in 1998 and 199 to blow out to 4.5 Australian dollars (2.97 billion U.S. dollars), Emergency Management Australia (EMA) said… The cost of these disasters in 1998 and 199 was almost double the yearly average of the past 25 years." XINHUA, 2/11/00

Tornadoes Sweep Southwest Georgia: "Tornadoes tore through southwest Georgia early Monday, killing at least three people and injuring hundreds." AP, 2/14/00

Eastern Africa Caught In Vicious Weather Cycle: "Separate from global warming, natural climate change in eastern Africa over the past millennium has resulted in extended periods of drought and heavy rainfall… 'We have shown … large fluctuations in water availability on a decadal to centennial time scale … due to natural oscillations in climate," said Brian Cumming, a biologist… and co-author (of) the study… The researchers warn that a catastrophic dry period… lasting decades, might visit eastern Africa again in the next 50 to 100 years (which) could trigger large-scale migration, political upheaval and economic and social devastation." Robinson Shaw, ENN News, 2/14/00

Snow, Ice Cancel Flights, Schools: "Nearly 300 flights were canceled at O'Hare International and Midway airports in Chicago… In the New York Area, Newark airport faced five-hour delays and LaGuardia waits of up to two hours… In Detroit, Northwest Airlines canceled 156 flights… Other airports, such as Philadelphia International felt the ripple of delays and cancellations …The storm brought 9 inches of snow to central northeast Iowa, up to 6 inches in parts of Nebraska and southern Wisconsin, and a mix of snow and freezing rain to Detroit… A snow emergency was declared in Milwaukee…" In Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and parts of the Midwest, schools were closed. MSNBC Staff and Wire Reports, 2/18/00

Science Digs Deep to Study Pros and Cons of Marine Methane: "Researchers are on a quest to understand the microorganisms that produce gas hydrates trapped in the ocean floor. The hydrates may be a boon to an energy-hungry world, but their release could trigger catastrophic global warming." John Roach, ENN News, 2/20/00

Brazilians Seek New Strategies Against Drought: "Chronic drought has devastated Brazil's 'sertao' or northeastern outback, for as long as anyone can remember, and is a key reason the region remains… poor (and) undernourished," according to Pedro Pereira, the agriculture secretary in Bezerros, Brazil. "Now, some northeasterners are looking for new strategies in the daily struggle for water… The latest project is a low-cost, Israeli hydroponics method, which irrigates crops grown inside long trays of nutrient-rich soil with a steady stream of water dripped through hoses with tiny holes bored in the sides… excess water is recycled… pumped back into the hoses… 'It could be the solution for agribusiness in the northeast.'" Harold Olmos. AP, 2/21/00

Rain Storm Approaches Mozambique: The desert nation of Mozambique, which is still recovering from the worst floods in 30 years, is bracing for the arrival of Cyclone Eline. "The Mozambican floods are reported to have killed 150 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Vast areas of agricultural land have been destroyed in the floods, leading to acute hunger." AP, 2/21/00

New Report Analyzes Challenges, Progress in California's Green Power Market: "A new report authored by Warren Byrne, president of Foresight Energy Company, an Oakland-based green energy consulting firm, provides the first detailed analysis of the good and bad new about California's green power market… In 1999… the green market expanded rapidly… 10% growth per month. 'The positive upswing in green power purchases are occurring despite the fact that California Energy Service Providers (ESPS) have been severely hampered by unfavorable regulatory structure,' states Byrne… Current growth in the green power market exists almost exclusively due to additional revenues available from state incentive programs." Business Wire, 2/21/00

Storm Gusts Act Like Mini Tornado: A series of strong wind gusts caused serious damage in Anaheim, California. "Part of the roof of a home … was torn away, a camper shell was blown off a truck on the freeway, a van was overturned and several large trees were uprooted. 'We're calling it a 'tornado-like' incident,'" said Bruce Jacobson, a spokesperson for the Anaheim Fire Department. 'We don't know exactly what it was.'" Yahoo!News, 2/21/00

Mozambique Faces Disease Outbreak After Floods: "The worst rains in 30 years have left more than 200,000 homeless… Heavy downpours and gales cut a trail of destruction through food producing regions of the…African state." Reuters, 2/22/00

Climate is Warming at Steep Rate, Study Says: "A new analysis by government scientists indicates the Earth's climate is warming at an unprecedented rate, suggesting that the future impact may be more severe and sudden than predicted… Such a steep warming rate was not expected to occur until well into the 21st century, said Tom Karl, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climatologist who led the study… [W]arming since 1976 occurred at a rate of nearly four degrees per century… could be evidence of a 'change point' -a period when the Earth's climate begins warming at a faster rate." Usha Lee McFarling, LA Times, 2/23/00

Changes in Arctic Sea-Ice Thickness Show Evidence of Climate Change: "The sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has decreased in thickness over the last several decades, from… over three meters to under two meters…more in the eastern portion of the Arctic Ocean… The last five decades have witnessed a distinct warming trend in the Antarctic Peninsula… [I]ce shelves in the northern portion of the peninsula have [also] begun to disintegrate." ENN Direct, 2/23/00

Global warming May Be Speeding Up: "A recent series of record world temperatures may indicate a speedup of global warming, researchers say… [F]rom May 1997 to September 1998- each month broke the previous monthly world average temperature record [according to the ] National Climatic Data Center]. The team led by Thomas R. Karl calculated that there is only a one-in-20 chance that the string of record high temperatures was simply an unusual event… More likely… it marked a change to faster warming. It raises a flag because it was such a unusual event that we need to watch very carefully in the next several years… it could be signal of an increased rate of temperature increase, Karl said." Randolph E. Schmid. AP, 2/23/00

Natural Disasters: Homes in Australia evacuated as worst flooding on record submerges part of Australia's normally arid Outback. AP

Cyclone Kills 2, Leaves 250,000 Homeless in Zimbabwe. Xinhua News Agency Strong Winds, Rain Pound California. AP

Rain causes mudslides in Taiwan that buried houses and cut off mountain roads. AP

[A] drought in northwestern Kenya is worsening, endangering the lives of residents. AP NewsEdge, 2/25/00

Drought Stokes Fears of Brush Fires in Georgia: "Unusually warm weather and a lack of rain could trigger a record number of forest fires this summer in Drought-stricken… Georgia, state and federal officials said." Water levels in many parts of this state are three inches blow normal and could set the stage for wildfires "that could rival those that burned hundreds of thousands of acres in 1954-1955… The National Weather Service issued a fire watch (for the) 396,00-acre Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge." Reuters, 2/28/00

Floods Destroy 10,00 Houses in Botswana: "About 10,000 houses built of mud in Botswana have been destroyed by the rains which have pounded the country since the beginning of the year… the ground is saturated… Meteorologists predicted that the rains are expected to continue through to April." XINHUA, 2/28/00

Cyclone Hits Australia: "Northeastern areas of Australia were hit heavily by Cyclone Steve… The Cyclone slammed into the coastal areas... bringing 160 kph winds and torrential rains leaving a tail of destruction in its wake." XINHUA, 2/29/00