‘Let there be shade’

Frances Anderton of the NPR affiliate KCRW today dedicated the first spot of her design show DNA to not so much look but squint at the lack of shade in Los Angeles. Guests included Jane Houlihan of the Environmental Working Group on sunscreens, Emily Green of Chance of Rain (also known as me) on the need for trees in schools and streets, urban planner James Rojas of Gallery 727 on how shade could redefine transport and architect Lorcan O’Herlihy on shade for bus stops. Quite aside from the rank puffery of pointing out my own appearance, it’s a smart visit to an important issue. To listen, click here.

Goodbye rain, hello JPL

NASA's Earth Observatory captured this image of a large storm over the California coast on January 20th, 2010. This Friday and Saturday, March 26-27, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge will be hosting two Climate Days in which scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will explain to classes and members of the general public the effect of greenhouse gases and clouds on climate, the difference between weather and climate, the role of the ocean in global warming and how scientists study Earth's climate from space. Attendees may participate in hands-on activities, view exhibits, demonstrations, student presentations, play Climate Jeopardy and other games, and get information on careers and resources for teachers and community members. Click on the Pacific storm for more information.

The meteorologist/blogger Bad Mom, Good Mom recently copied me in on a query to Jet Propulsion Laboratory oceanographer Bill Patzert: “It looks like the…

“Abnormally dry”

A mild El Nino winter has meant abnormally dry conditions in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii and the Rockies feeding the Colorado River, a key water supply source for seven western states, including southern California. Click on the map for NOAA's seasonal drought assessment.

Image of the day: Mediterranean climate zones

THIS image of the day from NASA’s Earth Observatory takes composite pictures of global cloud cover for the month of October 2009 to examine what cloud presence alone says about the land below.

According to NASA, the starkest examples are in areas where dry land is bordered by ocean. Sure enough, peeping out from beneath the clouds are the world’s five mediterranean climate zones, which in addition to California include part of the Chilean coast into western Argentina, southwestern Australia, the Mediterranean basin and southwestern South Africa.

Mediterranean climate zones have unique floras adapted to surviving on winter rains then hunkering down into dormancy during prolonged dry seasons. For Californians, who for the last century have grown wet-climate plants such as turf grass with imported water, a switch to native and mediterranean climate zone plants is seen as an essential step as global warming and population growth threaten the planet’s fresh water supply.…

El Nino: “A slight tilt in the odds” for California

THE NATIONAL Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration yesterday reiterated forecasts for an El Nino in its seasonal outlook for December-February.

California, it says, has a “slight tilt in the odds toward wetter-than-average conditions over the entire state.”

For the announcement, click here. For Chance of Rain’s chat with JPL oceanographer Bill Patzert on the likelihood of a big rain year, here. For a September 28, 2009 NASA round-up of the debate over whether it will rain much or not in the parched West this winter, click here.