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
Dear Neighbor: An Open Response to Raj Bhakta
In response to a ‘Dear Neighbor’ letter from a local millionaire, I’m setting the record straight. As we approach our annual town meeting, he is using misinformation to pressure the town into action. My open letter challenges his claims and highlights the truth.