Extratropical Cyclone Arani in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Storm surge in Icaraí, Niterói

A rare extratropical cyclone swept into Rio de Janeiro, creating some monster waves and flooding the streets - including the street where I lived in Icaraí last summer (summer in Rio, winter in California).

According to NASA:

Arani has the appearance of a tropical cyclone but has been classified as a subtropical cyclone. Subtropical cyclones are low pressure areas that develop with a cold core and transition to a warm core in the mid-levels of the troposphere, resembling a tropical cyclone. They more typically form outside of hurricane season (which is June 1 to Nov. 30 in the Northern Atlantic, for example). They also have broad wind patterns and that means that their maximum sustained winds are usually located farther from the center than a tropical cyclone. They also have no weather fronts linked to them, such as a typical low pressure area that brings summertime storms with an associated cold front. Subtropical cyclones can sometimes become tropical cyclones, and occasionally, tropical cyclones can become subtropical.

Tropical cyclones are very rare in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. In 2004 a cyclone called Catarina formed in the South Atlantic and caused some controversy when it was classified as a hurricane by the United States' National Hurricane Center.

Note that Cyclone Catrina was the first ever hurricane to hit Brazil in recorded history. Arani is only the third (second official) named tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

Things are changing - its about time we take notice so we can start taking proactive, preventative steps to mitigate against the already evident threat of climate change.


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Here is a great video of the waves crashing onto the streets throughout Rio.

Another video - you might recognize the MAC (Museum of Contemporary Art) in the background:

Reactions to Gay Couple in Texas Restaurant

Wow. Small town Texas, you surprised me - especially compared to NYC! What would you do if you saw gay parents berated by a waitress?

Photobomb in Paraty, Brazil

I was just looking at some of my photos from Brazil when I came across this gem. While in Paraty (Parati), Brazil I set up my 12 second timer and just at the right moment a cute dog runs by. PHOTOBOMB!

That's what I get for photobombing others so often. But really, is there anything better than a good photobomb? Ok fine.. swimming in the natural pool at Trindade was better than this photobomb, but you get my point.

Oil spill, radiation, war, tsunami...

The Massacre in Realengo, Rio de Janeiro

A great post by one of my favorite bloggers, Professor Christopher Gaffney, about the recent school shotting in Rio de Janeiro - and I couldn't agree more with what he writes: Geostadia or the Geography of the Obvious: A Chacina do Realango (The massacre in Realengo).

Some highlights:

• "Brazil already has more than 7 million illegal arms with 60% of them coming from the USA. So not only was the act itself an imitation of Columbine, but the weapons likely carried the MADE IN USA stamp."
• We need to recognize that, "constructing a consumer society in which one’s place within the social system, one’s ability to access basic human rights, is determined by one’s ability to pay for those rights is fundamentally flawed. This is increasingly the case in the United States and the idea that human freedom is now inexorably tied to the ability to fit within market systems is a palpable reality in Brazil."
• "What we never think about when we watch the [Olympic and World Cup] games are the dead bodies and broken lives that sustain them."

Tangerine Falls, Santa Barbara, CA

Walking through clouds of mist at Tangerine Falls

I often hike up the East Fork of the Cold Springs trail, which goes up to my favorite swimming hole as well as an incredible view of Montecito and Santa Barbara below. Beyond that is Montecito Peak. This time around, though, I went up the West Fork, which goes to Tangerine Falls. You can take a trail to the top of the falls or the bottom - we choose the bottom of the falls to get a good view. Plus there have been a few people in the past few months who had to get rescued from the upper path because they didn't leave enough time to get back down.

Tangerine Falls

The weather was very moist. If it was warmer I could have mistaken myself in a tropical rainforest. Everything was green and beautiful - and wet and slippery! After taking a few wrong turns and crossing over the rain swollen creek, we found our way to Tangerine Falls and Russell took a dive into the freezing water! He went right under the waterfall and disappeared behind it. The other hikers went wild for that, cheering him on.

After his waterfall shower, Russ and I headed back down to the car. Very nice after work hike, although I still prefer the East Fork (nothing can beat our secluded swimming hole and water slide!)

More photos: Tangerine Falls Hike

Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% | Society | Vanity Fair

A must read article by my favorite economist, Joseph Stiglitz:

Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% | Society | Vanity Fair

Isla Vista Beaches Shut Down Due to Floatopia Fears

This weekend the beaches of Isla Vista will be closed to students and the general public due to a Facebook organized "Floatopia." A Floatopia is a big informal gathering of, generally, UCSB students on the beaches in front of campus who then jump into the water on anything that can float for a drunken, floating, beach/ocean party. Although I may be a bit of a buzz kill, I think that the reasons behind the closure are totally legitimate. Already the beaches inevitably wind up with trash just from beachfront house parties -- can you imagine the trash (and likely urine and vomit) that ends up on the beach once everyone is dehydrated and passed out at home (or on the beach)?! So much trash!! So I have to give a thumbs up to the UC Santa Barbara campus police for nipping this in the bud. KEEP OUR OCEANS CLEAN!!!

Via UCSB PD:

Due to the potential for a "Floatopia" type event to occur, the campus beaches will be closed Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, 2011 and not accessible to the public or campus community. This beach closure is in response to unsafe and unsanitary conditions that have been associated with this unplanned event in the past.

The "Floatopia" event in 2009 failed to provide for the appropriate health, safety, or well being provisions necessary for a large scale public event, to include sanitation or refuse collections.  Because of safety concerns, the University of California, Santa Barbara Police Department will enforce the campus beach closure.

"Damn, Another Effing War." Jon Stewart Criticizes US Attack on Libya

"You can't simultaneously fire teachers and Tomahawk missiles." -- Jon Stewart

Best. Quote. EVER!

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

I seriously love this guy!

Connection Between Climate Change and the Global Food Crisis

As CO2 and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs) continue their upward trend, global warming is expected to intensify. The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (2007) found that global warming and the resulting climate change are strongly predicted to lead to an increase in the number and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heavy precipitation, floods, droughts, and hurricanes (IPCC). Although heavy rains are expected to increase in the moist tropics, water stress is predicted to affect hundreds of millions of people due to the decreased availability of clean, accessible drinking water as well as a decrease in the amount of water available for agriculture (IPCC). Although it is clear that climate change affects agriculture, climate change is also affected by agriculture, which contributes 13.5 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions globally (USGCRP, 2009).

According to the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), “Extreme events such as heavy downpours and droughts are likely to reduce crop yields because excesses or deficits of water have negative impacts on plant growth” (USGCRP, 2009, Agriculture section, 1st text box). For example, a punishing drought in China has put a third of the country’s wheat crop at risk, and since China is the world’s biggest wheat producer, this has put a strain on an already stressed global food supply, which is currently at a record high prices (FAO, 2011). Excessive rainfall also delays spring planting and flooding during growing season can lead to lower crop yields due to “low oxygen levels in the soil, increased susceptibility to root diseases, and increased soil compaction due to the use of heavy farm equipment on wet soils” (USGCRP, 2009, Agriculture section, para. 19).

Carbon dioxide levels are expected to continue their global rise and warming is expected to intensify (IPCC, 2007). Although many crops show positive responses to elevated CO2 levels, higher levels of warming negatively affect growth and crop yields (USGCRP, 2009). For example, even moderate warming has been shown to negatively effect yields of corn, wheat, sorghum, bean, rice, cotton, and peanut crops (USGCRP). Additionally, higher temperatures cause plants to use more water to keep cool and with increasing demand (due to population growth) and competition among its primary uses (urban, agricultural, and environmental), freshwater supplies needed for these crops have been predicted to become increasingly limited. We have already seen this condition throughout California as competition for water continues to intensify.

The effects of climate change on agriculture are clear, but agriculture also effects climate change. As global population increases, food demand increases. This means that industrial farming, and all of the negative externalities associated with it, is growing at a rapid rate. Beyond all of the oil and water that goes into maintaining industrial scale farming, genetically modified seeds are now widespread both in the US and globally. This has led to a huge loss in genetic variability and an increase in the use of pesticides, creating superbugs, which in turn results in an even larger increase in pesticide use (note that pesticides, as well as herbicides and fungicides, are products of the petrochemical industry). The loss of genetic variability is also an important issue because genetic variability is what allows organisms to adapt as well as maintain defenses against viruses and bacteria.

Another concern is the deforestation of large tracts of land in order to create space for agriculture. For example, according to Yale’s Environment 360 (2011), in Ethiopia 400,000 hectares, an area 80 times the size of Manhattan, has been designated as “a huge agricultural investment potential” by the Ethiopian ministry of agriculture, despite a majority of the land being located in a national park and right in the middle of the second largest mammal migration on earth. Most of the concessions are going to Indian agricultural firm Karuturi Global Limited. Along with the new agriculture will come an expected 600 new roads, where there used to be a single dirt road. The large nearby swamp is also being drained for irrigation purposes and locals have complained that ever since the forests were demolished the honeybees have disappeared – honey was a source of food and income for these people, which has now been lost. Moreover, deforestation and draining water reservoirs often lead to increased desertification.

All of these actions, including the oil and GHG emissions associated with agriculture, lead to a further increase in CO2 levels, which lead to increased warming and more intense climate change overall. This in turn leads to lower crop yields, which then leads to more intensive farming practices as well as agricultural expansion… and the positive feedback loop continues.

Carbon dioxide emissions, global warming, world water wars, and agricultural expansion are just a few of the ways that climate change and the global food crisis are interconnected. There are innumerable ways to loop the two issues together simply by reading the news and connecting the dots. Unfortunately, many people apparently lack the skills to make these connections themselves and, sadly, the media is doing a terrible job at pointing out the connections between the emerging global food crisis and global climate change. Hopefully this recognition will come sooner rather than later, and more importantly, I hope that it is not already to late to make this recognition.

Works Cited:

FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2011, March 03). Tight cereal markets as food prices increase again. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/51913/icode/

Pearce, F. (2011, March 07). Agribusiness Boom Threatens Key African Wildlife Migration. Yale Environment 360. Online via: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/agribusiness_boom_threatens_key_african_wildlife_migration/2377/

USGCRP, US Global Change Research Program. (2009). Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, Thomas R. Karl, Jerry M. Melillo, and Thomas C. Peterson, (eds.). Cambridge University Press. Available online at: http://globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts/download-the-report

IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2007). Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA