USA – ‘Greener’ ag land better for climate change

By dana.bucur Comment Closed
MOST land use changes occurring in the continental United States reduce vegetative cover and raise regional surface temperatures, according to a new study by scientists at Purdue University, the University of Maryland and the University of Colorado-Boulder. This map shows observation minus re-analysis trends in the continental US from 1979 to 2003. The trends are associated with land use and changes in land use. Researchers from Purdue and the universities of Colorado and Maryland conducted a study showing land use can affect surface temperatures locally and regionally. Units are in degrees Celsius per decade. Photo: Purdue University/Souleymane Fall. The study, which will appear in the Royal Meteorological Society's International Journal of Climatology, found that almost any change that makes land cover less "green" contributes to warming. However, a less obvious finding is that the conversion of any land to agricultural use results in cooling - even land that was previously forested. This suggests that local and regional strategies such as creating...
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USA – Population boom to pressure farm water supplies

By dana.bucur Comment Closed
With a projected 25 per cent and 50pc increase in United States and world populations respectively by 2050, substantial increases in freshwater use for food, fibre and fuel production, as well as municipal and residential consumption, are inevitable, according to a new publication from the Council on Agricultural Science & Technology (CAST). This increased water use will not come without consequences, and as one of the largest users of water in the US, agriculture will be affected significantly by changes in water availability and cost. An abundant, reliable supply of water to meet demands cannot be taken for granted, CAST said. To evaluate current trends, summarise key vulnerabilities and identify possible solutions to current and future challenges, CAST convened a task force of eight scientists, educators and resource analysts who have prepared the new CAST Issue Paper, Water, People & the Future: Water Availability for Agriculture in the United States. Through case studies, the new CAST publication discusses the diverse demands for water resources...
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