Category: weather

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Scientists Say That North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds in the Last 50 Years

We’ve heard all about the plight of the bees that are disappearing at an alarming rate across the world, but the situation with birds doesn’t look too great, either.

A new article in the journal Science estimates that North America has lost a quarter of its bird population – roughly 3 billion birds – in the past 50 years. The researchers looked at populations of 529 different bird species since 1970 to reach their conclusion. They collected data from surveys with the help of volunteer bird spotters and combined that with ten years worth of data on flocks of migrating birds detected by 143 different weather radar installations.

Ken Rosenberg of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said, “We saw this tremendous net loss across the entire bird community. By our estimates, it’s a 30% loss in the total number of breeding birds. But we also knew that other bird populations were increasing. And what we didn’t know is whether there was a net change.”

The data showed that more than 90% of the losses came from only a dozen bird families, including warblers, blackbirds, finches, and sparrows. Meadowlarks and red-winged blackbirds are two examples of common birds that have seen their numbers decrease.

The news isn’t entirely bad, though; some bird populations have increased, such as raptors (influding bald eagles), and waterfowl. Rosenberg continued, “The numbers of ducks and geese are larger than they’ve ever been, and that’s not an accident. It’s because hunters who primarily want to see healthy waterfowl populations for recreational hunting have raised their voices.”

Mike Parr, another one of the study’s authors, said, “We’re making the wrong moves now to sustain nature for the future, and this is an indication that nature is unraveling and that ecosystems are highly stressed. Our generation is going survive it, and probably the next generation will, but who knows where the tipping point is.”

The researchers say that climate change played only a small role in the overall loss of the birds so far, but it is likely to become more of a threat in the future because of rising seas, draughts and wildfires.

The post Scientists Say That North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds in the Last 50 Years appeared first on UberFacts.

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20 Interesting Signs from the Youth-Led World Climate Strike

Many people around the world admit that human emissions are slowly killing the planet via climate change, but no one seems to do anything. Scared for their futures, young people have been pushing the people in charge to not just agree, but to at least try to save us all from a fiery death.

Enter the recent youth-led global climate strike, a movement that numbered in the millions all over the globe. Participants everywhere hope their protest were heard by the UN during their Climate Summit (Greta Thunberg, a leader of the movement, shared some amazing words that made me tear up a little), and if these 20 signs have anything to say about it, these kids will be impossible to ignore.

20. It doesn’t seem like this should be asking too much.

19. I mean it takes a lot to get us out of the house.

18. Priorities, man.

Image Credit: Twitter

17. She’s walking the walk.

16. Incorporating a bit of our history lessons, there.

Image Credit: Twitter

15. Points for relevance.

Image Credit: Twitter

14. And justice for all.

13. Just a little something to think about.

Image Credit: Twitter

12. It’s so hot out you might not be able to feel this burn for much longer.

Image Credit: Twitter

11. I think this one is my favorite.

Image Credit: Twitter

10. That’s not at all romantic.

Image Credit: Twitter

9. On so many levels.

Image

Image Credit: Twitter

8. Fighting for the unborn on a whole other level.

7. A more perfect mashup has ever been conceived.

Image Credit: Twitter

6. It’s always a good time for a well-crafted pun.

Image Credit: Twitter

5. Who knew Mario Bros. would teach us so much about real life?

4. It’s quite backward.

3. My new favorite meme making an appearance.

2. I could not have bigger heart eyes for this sign.

Image Credit: Twitter

1. You are not alone.

 

It’s time to make a change, y’all. If it doesn’t start from the top, we’ll start it from the bottom. Consider looking into ways you can reduce your carbon footprint.

Are you impressed by the world’s youth campaigning for change? Are you inspired? Let us know how you plan to help in the comments!

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Learn How Wild Horses on North Carolina’s Outer Banks Have Survived Hurricanes for over 500 Years

The Outer Banks should be on everyone’s bucket list. The chain of barrier islands just off the coast of North Carolina are beautiful, serene, and somewhat otherworldly – and not just because there are herds of wild horses roaming the beaches.

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#nationalilovehorsesday – “The earth would be nothing without the people, but the man would be nothing without the horse.” – I have ridden a horse once in my life. The ride on my great grandma’s farm in Rich Square, NC didn’t last long, as the horse had other plans— and, thankfully, my grandfather snatched me off the horse— just in time. That thought doesn’t scare me. Instead, it actually makes me respect them more. To me, they represent freedom, endurance, a confidence, gracefulness – and mystery. – How these Spanish Mustangs found their way to the Outer Banks more than 500 years ago may never actually be known— but whether they were left behind or shipwrecked here, it’s been their HOME for more than FIVE CENTURIES. It’s illegal to get within 50 feet of them. They are WILD horses. It’s illegal to feed them. An apple could kill one of these horses. And yet, people are touching these horses & taking selfies with them. Not only is it against the law, it’s STUPID. – Recently, a horse had to be put down because of the injuries it received from another horse. If a horse can do that to another horse, imagine what it can do to a human?! – If these horses lose the place they’ve called home, the home they’ve SURVIVED in for more than five centuries because of the vanity, the selfishness of humans in OUR lifetime… Not our grandparents or the grandparents before them. OUR lifetime. What a disservice we’ve not only done to these horses & history, but our children’s children, who will never get to see this. Thank you to organizations like the @corollawildhorsefundinc that exist only to let these horses continue to run free. – #corolla #corollanc #corollahorses #outerbanksnc #outerbankswildhorses #spanishmustangs #horses #horsesofinstagram #letthemrunwild #letthemrunfree #letthemrunwildandfree

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The Colonial Spanish mustangs were left behind by European explorers in the 16th century and have been living alone on the islands for centuries. They’re considered feral, though local environmental groups do care for them in ways that minimally interfere with their lives.

Over time, the horses have learned to weather hurricanes better than most feral animals – and better than many people. Incredibly, they have evolved a system that’s preserved them for hundreds of years, even in the face of the fiercest weather.

The horses sense changes in air pressure ahead of the storm, and, as a pack, march to higher ground. Once there, they crowd together under sturdy oaks, rear ends toward the wind, and brace for the worst.

And, amazingly, it works.

The herd on the Outer Banks (around 100 strong) is managed by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, and though they take some precautions with the horses ahead of major hurricanes like Dorian – they make sure their troughs contain extra hay and clean water, and that their ID tags are secured – they mostly let the horses be.

They’ve survived all this time, after all, so they’re obviously capable of taking care of themselves.

It seems like some people could take a card from the equine playbook when it comes to preparing for storms.

The post Learn How Wild Horses on North Carolina’s Outer Banks Have Survived Hurricanes for over 500 Years appeared first on UberFacts.

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The “Punxsutawney Phil” of Maine Predicts an Early Winter

All hail Passy Pete!

For the last four years, a lobster in Belfast, Maine, has correctly predicted whether summer would continue or winter would arrive early for her yearly visit.

His name is Passy Pete, and he forecasts the future by choosing between two scrolls – one that predicts six more weeks of summer (he’s kind of the anti-Punxsutawney Phil), and one that says winter is coming (soon).

For the first three years, Passy said we had six more weeks of summer to enjoy the warmth (and he was correct!). He also guessed (???) correctly in 2018 that an early winter was on the horizon.

He says the same for 2019, so maybe you can go ahead and swap out your closet.

It falls to Belfast baron Dave Crabiel to read from the scroll chosen by the lobster.

“Friends of Belfast, on this second day of September – Labor Day in the year 2019 – it’s in your best interest to collect your coats, tell your sister to return the ones you lent her, tell Cathy, the harbormaster, to remove the boats, and everyone get ready for winter.”

The crowd groaned at the news.

Crabiel and the other Belfast business owners came up with the idea when they noticed how steeply tourism dropped off after the July 4th holiday.

“While Belfast is a great community year-round, we certainly do see an increase in business in the summer with the tourists. So we thought, what if there was an anti-groundhog, somebody who could predict a longer summer, rather than predicting winter?”

It seems to be working; crowds gather to see the crustacean choose a scroll. As long as he keeps picking right, I imagine his legend will increase and more people will descend on Belfast to watch him do his magic every year.

Crabiel hopes the same.

“All four years up to this point he’s been accurate. So I don’t know – we’ll see. It’s not the result we wanted.”

A longer summer means more travelers, and more business for the town, of course, but what can you do? The lobster has spoken.

If you want to see the ceremony in action, check out this video:

As for Pete, he’s returned to the bay each year no matter which scroll he chooses, so you can’t pick your bone with him.

Take it up with Mother Nature, I guess. Or just get out your coats, gather some firewood, and settle in.

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This Is Why You Should Put a Quarter on a Cup of Ice Before You Evacuate for a Hurricane

Hurricanes are nothing to mess around with, and it’s vital to be as prepared as possible before an emergency happens. One helpful trick to keep in mind: the “one cup tip.”

The one cup tip tends to go viral on social media every time a major hurricane pops up, since first appearing on Facebook in 2016 around the time of Hurricane Matthew. If you need to evacuate before a storm, this tip helps you figure out whether your food may have gone bad while you were gone.

Just put a cup of water into the freezer, allow it to freeze solid, and then put a quarter on top. Leave it in your freezer.

If you get back and the quarter is still on top of the frozen water, then you know that the water stayed frozen the entire time — which means the electricity stayed on, and the food in the freezer never defrosted, so it should still be safe to eat.

For those of you that are evacuating from the coast, I just heard a great tip. It's called the one cup tip. You put a…

Posted by Sheila Pulanco Russell on Wednesday, October 5, 2016

If, on the other hand, the quarter is now on the bottom of the cup, it’s a sign that the food in the freezer defrosted and then refroze while you were away. That means it’s not safe, and you should throw it away, just to be cautious.

The one cup tip is helpful for any disaster scenario when power outages are a concern — not just hurricanes.

Photo Credit: iStock

Keep in mind that this tip isn’t completely foolproof, however. Frozen water takes quite a long time to melt in the freezer, and ice floats in water. If the power is out for long enough to melt some of the ice but not all of it, the quarter may not change position. When in doubt, throw it out!

The post This Is Why You Should Put a Quarter on a Cup of Ice Before You Evacuate for a Hurricane appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

This Is Why You Should Put a Quarter on a Cup of Ice Before You Evacuate for a Hurricane

Hurricanes are nothing to mess around with, and it’s vital to be as prepared as possible before an emergency happens. One helpful trick to keep in mind: the “one cup tip.”

The one cup tip tends to go viral on social media every time a major hurricane pops up, since first appearing on Facebook in 2016 around the time of Hurricane Matthew. If you need to evacuate before a storm, this tip helps you figure out whether your food may have gone bad while you were gone.

Just put a cup of water into the freezer, allow it to freeze solid, and then put a quarter on top. Leave it in your freezer.

If you get back and the quarter is still on top of the frozen water, then you know that the water stayed frozen the entire time — which means the electricity stayed on, and the food in the freezer never defrosted, so it should still be safe to eat.

For those of you that are evacuating from the coast, I just heard a great tip. It's called the one cup tip. You put a…

Posted by Sheila Pulanco Russell on Wednesday, October 5, 2016

If, on the other hand, the quarter is now on the bottom of the cup, it’s a sign that the food in the freezer defrosted and then refroze while you were away. That means it’s not safe, and you should throw it away, just to be cautious.

The one cup tip is helpful for any disaster scenario when power outages are a concern — not just hurricanes.

Photo Credit: iStock

Keep in mind that this tip isn’t completely foolproof, however. Frozen water takes quite a long time to melt in the freezer, and ice floats in water. If the power is out for long enough to melt some of the ice but not all of it, the quarter may not change position. When in doubt, throw it out!

The post This Is Why You Should Put a Quarter on a Cup of Ice Before You Evacuate for a Hurricane appeared first on UberFacts.

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Teen Activist Greta Thunberg Faces Cruel Jokes About Drowning as She Sails Across the Atlantic to Battle Climate Change

Is there anything worse than Grade A Internet trolls?

Greta Thunberg is 16 years old and has made it her life’s work (so far) to raise awareness for, and to do her best to combat, climate change around the world.

Apparently, this makes grown ass people with keyboards think it’s okay to joke about a teenaged girl drowning in a boating accident, because that’s the world we’re living in today.

Thunberg wanted to attend the United Nations climate change summits in the United States and Chile, but wanted to a find a responsible way to do it – air travel is the most carbon intensive form of transportation. So she landed on boat travel in order to minimize her carbon emissions.

The Malizia II, a racing yacht that employs solar panels to power her underwater turbines, offered her a ride, which she accepted. She and her father set out from Portsmouth (in the United Kingdom) on a two-week sail to the States.

Good for her, right?

You would think that most adults would feel that way, but, sadly, there are plenty who don’t.

It turns out that grown-ups who have dug into their (incorrect) positions about climate change being non-anthropological feel the need to attack a child in order to defend their own insecurities.

Like radio personality Julia Hartley-Brewer, who thinks being irresponsible is…funny?

And this totally gross comment from U.K. media personality Arron Banks.

Luckily, there are just as many people (if not more) ready to defend Greta and her actions.

As it should be.

True to form, Greta seems to be soldiering on and enjoying her trip.

And, I assume, the bleak pleasure of knowing she’s right.

The post Teen Activist Greta Thunberg Faces Cruel Jokes About Drowning as She Sails Across the Atlantic to Battle Climate Change appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Florida Man Parked His Car in His Kitchen so It Didn’t Blow Away in Hurricane Dorian

“Florida Man” news never gets old, does it?

A man in Florida parked his car in his kitchen to protect it from Hurricane Dorian. And also just because, well, he can.

Patrick Eldridge lives in Jacksonville, a city that just narrowly escaped the path of Hurricane Dorian this week. While preparing for the storm, Patrick and his wife Jessica discussed what to do with their vehicles. Jessica’s car was parked in the garage, and, to avoid having to clean the rest of the garage to make room for Patrick’s car, he suggested parking it inside the house. He wanted to make sure it didn’t “blow away” and also to prove that he can.

This is a Smart car, so it’s significantly smaller than a regular car. But still, Jessica didn’t believe that it would fit.

“I said there was no way he could. He said he could,” Jessica said. “So he opened the double doors and had it in. I was amazed that it could fit. He had it in with no problems.”

Posted by Jess Ica on Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Patrick neatly parked the car inside the kitchen on top of a rug to protect the floor.

Surprisingly, Jessica says that the car isn’t even really in the way. She was able to maneuver around it to cook and serve dinner. However, it’s still a nuisance.

Posted by Jess Ica on Tuesday, September 3, 2019

“I’m hoping he will pull it out pretty soon once the wind dies down,” she said. “There is room and it’s not in the way but my dogs are confused by it.”

Posted by Jess Ica on Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Yeah, I would be, too.

The post A Florida Man Parked His Car in His Kitchen so It Didn’t Blow Away in Hurricane Dorian appeared first on UberFacts.

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July 2019 Was the Hottest Month on Record…so Far

If you thought July was hotter than usual, you were right.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), July was not only the hottest July of all time, but the hottest month since we began keeping such records back in 1880.

The average global temperatures were nearly a full degree Celsius over the 20th-century average.

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So I want to talk about packaging 📦When I first had the idea about selling my artwork one of my biggest concerns was my packaging and how it would effect the environment! Therefore, after doing some research I found a company @ecocraft_ltd . Eco craft produce bio-degradable packaging bags made from potato/corn starch. They look and feel exactly like cellophane bags,however, are sustainable making my products have a better impact on the environment,meaning less single use plastic!! 🌍 Therefore, all my prints will be packaged using these green bags along with all my postage envelopes that can be recycled. 💛💛💛 • • #illustration #illustrationartists #climatechange #climatechangeisreal #fightforclimatechange #fightagainstplastic #thereisnoplanetb

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July 2019 came right after the hottest June ever recorded, which saw temperatures climb 2 full degrees Celsius over average for the time.

9 of the 10 hottest Julys have occurred since 2005, so despite statements from some public leaders that global warming is a hoax, the data points to the contrary. This July, as a matter of fact, was the 415th consecutive month with above-average temperatures across the globe.

Also according to NOAA, satellite data for July shows the lowest polar ice levels ever recorded – one more reason for concern, if you ask Professor of Climate Science Richard Allan.

“Just as one swallow does not make a summer, one record month does not tell us much on its own since the fickle nature of weather systems and the slow sloshing about of the ocean can sometimes temporarily warm or cool the planet. However, the clustering of recent record hot years and months, the longer-term warming trend and our understanding of the physics of the atmosphere and oceans confirms that our climate is heating up, it’s our fault, and the way to stop this is to reduce and begin removing emissions of greenhouse gases.”

Full stop.

Now, let’s agree to do something about it before it’s too late.

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The Farmer’s Almanac Has Released Its 2020 Winter Predictions, and It’s Looking Pretty Brutal

Ready for a “polar coaster” this winter? Yeah, I don’t think I am, either. But we all better get prepared because that’s what the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting for the winter of 2020, along with a lot of snow and “frigid” and “freezing” temperatures. Great…

The editor of the Farmer’s Almanac, Peter Geiger, said, “Our extended forecast is calling for yet another freezing, frigid, and frosty winter for two-thirds of the country.” Last year’s prediction from the Almanac called for a long winter with a lot of snow and that turned out to be right on the money.

This year, the forecast says that people who live east of the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Appalachians will endure a particularly brutal winter with below-average temperatures and above-normal precipitation. The East Coast is also likely to see a mix of rain, sleet, and snow.

Folks who live in the western-third of the United States can expect a normal, mild winter with average temperatures and precipitation. The coldest temperatures of the year are predicted to occur in late January, affecting millions of Americans across the Northern Plains all the way to the Great Lakes. In other words, it’s going to be a long, cold winter.

Of course, we all know that weather predictions are never 100% accurate and there might be some wiggle room here, but it seems like this will be a pretty good indication of what the winter of 2020 will look like.

It might be time to move to California…

The post The Farmer’s Almanac Has Released Its 2020 Winter Predictions, and It’s Looking Pretty Brutal appeared first on UberFacts.