Measuring Climate Change

Figure 1: Weather balloon with
parachute and radiosonde.

Q: Do you believe in global warming?
A: We are Measuring it.

Guest blog post by Dr. Charlie Paxton, meterologist

We meteorologists have surface temperature measurements all over the world and with continued automation more measurements are being taken as time goes on. We must also consider what is happening above the ground. Weather balloons carry instruments called radiosondes that report temperature, moisture, wind, and pressure as they ascend into the stratosphere. Satellites, both geostationary and polar orbiting, provide a wealth of atmospheric information including global sea level measurements.

The Birds are NOT OK

What is the birds-eye view of your yard
your community?

Birds Aren’t Just Declining.
They’re Declining Faster!

Scientists studying data collected for more than three decades found accelerating losses. The steepest losses in the study, from 1987 to 2021, were seen in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Arizona. This research offers clues about the causes. Here are links to a gift article in the NY Times that looks at this research and to a WashingtonPost gift article, which both cite the same study.

This research showed a correlation with increased use of pesticides in agricultural regions, but it also linked back to an older study showing that cats cause huge harm to our birds. I wrote about that as well and how controversial this is in this article.

This Red-shouldered Hawk provided its
opinion on how humans treat birds.

BUT...

Whatever the causes for their decline, we are NOT helpless and, as Joan Baez stated, "Action is the antidote to despair."

There are many actions we can take to make our yards and our communities more bird friendly. I've covered this topic from several different angles over the years, so I've gathered some of the most relevant articles here to make it easier for people to up their game at this critical time. The birds need us to act now more than ever.