Questions and Answers about
Climate
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in ScienceWhat is Coral Bleaching?
Coral bleaching happens when corals, under stress from warmer water, expel the colorful algae living in their tissues, making them turn white.
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in ScienceIn the United States, which products can display the triangular “chasing arrows” recycling symbol?
Any ֲ product can display the triangular “chasing arrows” recycling symbol in the US, even if it isn’t recyclable.
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in PoliticsWhat is Insulate Britain?
Insulate Britain is an environmentalist protest group campaigning to force the British government to insulate Britain’s leaky homes. The group argues that since the UK has the oldest and least energy-efficient housing stock in Europe, improving the quality of British homes is fundamental to achieve the Government’s climate change targets.
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in ScienceWhat are Ana, Elsa, Grace, and Ida?
Ana, Elsa, Grace, and Ida are all storm names of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. The others, so far, being: Bil, Claudette, Danny, Fred, and Henry._x000D_
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in PlacesWhich country recorded its warmest winter ever in 2021?
New Zealand had the warmest southern winter ever recorded in 2021. New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research scientists say that climate change is driving temperatures ever higher.
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in ScienceWhat is the world’s largest lizard?
The komodo dragon is the world’s most giant lizard._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat’s a “red tide”?
Red tides are the discoloration of the sea surface caused by harmful algal blooms._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat’s the hottest month ever recorded on earth?
July 2021 became the hottest month in 142 years of recordkeeping, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. The globe averaged 62.07 degrees Fahrenheit (16.73 degrees Celsius) in July 2021, beating previous records set in July 2016, July 2019, and July 2020. The last seven Julys, from 2015 to 2021,…
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in ScienceWhen was the world’s highest temperature recorded?
According to the US National Weather Service in Las Vegas, Death Valley, California, had reported a temperature of 130°F (54.4°C) on July 9, 2021. WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) is currently evaluating a 130°F reading in Aug 2020 at Death Valley, which holds the world’s highest temperature record.
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in ScienceWhat is the current official highest temperature record in Europe?
The highest temperature ever officially recorded on the European continent is 48 degrees Celsius (118.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in 1977 in Athens, but this record may have been broken in 2021._x000D_
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in ScienceHow is Flash flooding different from just flooding?
Flash flooding is a sudden deluge after heavy rainfall. The flooding begins within six hours and often within three hours of heavy rain. Urban areas are particularly vulnerable to flash flooding because they have a lot of paved surfaces. The US Weather Service defines a flood as the inundation of a normally dry area with…
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in ScienceWhat’s described as Germany’s worst natural disaster in almost six decades?
July 17, 2021, floodings in west Germany are Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century._x000D_
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in PlacesWhat’s connecting the Dutch town of Venlo, the Belgian town of Pepinster, and the Austrian town of Kufstein?
The Dutch town of Venlo, the Belgian town of Pepinster, and the Austrian town of Kufstein were all severely damaged during the floods of July 17, 2021 – the same floods that hit the Ahrweiler area in western Germany.
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in PlacesIn the US, what is the top producing state of bee honey?
North Dakota is the top-producing US state of bee honey._x000D_
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in PlacesWhich of these happened in Siberia during July 2021 for the 3rd year in a row?
For the third year in a row, residents of northeastern Siberia are reeling from the worst wildfires they can remember. In recent years, summer temperatures in the Russian Arctic have gone as high as 100 degrees, feeding enormous blazes. Last year, wildfires scorched more than 60,000 square miles of forest and tundra, an area the…
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in PlacesWhere is the world’s largest coral reef system?
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the world’s most extensive coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, stretching for over 2,300 kilometers over an area of about 344,400 square kilometers._x000D_
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in ScienceHow long might a coelacanth fish live?
The coelacanth fish, nicknamed a “living fossil,” can live for 100 years, a new study published Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Current Biology, found._x000D_
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in PlacesPortland International Airport in Oregon hit the highest temperature ever recorded there since historical records began in 1940. What was it?
Portland International Airport in Oregon hit a new record high temperature of 115°F (46°C) on Monday, June 28, 2021., breaking Sunday’s June 27, 2021, record high temperature of 112°F (44°C) and Saturday’s June 26, 2021, of 108°F (42°C). Records began in 1940._x000D_
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in ScienceWhat Is a Megadrought?
A megadrought is a period of extreme dryness that lasts for decades. There may be occasional better, wet years within that period, but the dryness soon returns, and drought maintains its long-term grip._x000D_
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in PlacesCalifornians and Texans are asked to conserve energy and set thermostats to which temperature?
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the state’s electric grid, put out the call on Monday, June 28, 2021, for people to conserve electricity, asking them to set thermostats to 78°F (25°C) or higher, turn off lights and avoid using large appliances. The California Flex alert features the same recommendations.