Typically, it takes seasons for a standard drought to develop — with a flash drought, however, expedited drying arises in just weeks. Thus, it’s quite difficult to prepare for them. However, scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California may have a solution. At the end of April, they released a study about their discovery of a way to recognize signs months in advance of a flash drought event. Signs from space, that is. You just have to look for the glow — or, well, lack thereof. It would appear that, in anticipation of a flash drought, the “glow” of a plant begins to dim, and it’s possible to capture such dimming with spacecraft orbiting our planet.
— “Plants signal NASA satellites with waning ‘glow’ ahead of flash drought,” Space.com
My Ten Favorite Albums of 2024
This year, I added 214 albums to my library, spanning nearly a century of music. After much listening, I’ve chosen my ten favorite albums released in 2024. From ambient masterpieces to electrifying jazz, these picks showcase the year’s best. Thank you for following along—here’s to another great year of music!