Those 20 and under might well have a very different view of the Philadelphia winter from that of their elders. All four of the biggest snows in Philadelphia have occurred since 1996, three of those since 2009… Jennifer Francis at Rutgers and others h…
Rutgers scientist-sleuth finds ancient plant locked in amber
More than 15 million years ago, the delicate flowers fell to the floor of a muggy, tropical forest, and somehow did not rot and wither away. Instead, they were trapped in sticky globs of tree resin, hardened into amber, and carried on the high seas to …
Blizzard memories
Driving to work on the Schuylkill the morning of Jan. 7, 1996, was an experience similar to riding through a food processor that was shredding coconut. We had never experienced snow that heavy — and haven’t since, not even during the incredible snow b…
In New Jersey, a newly discovered species of frog
Zoologist Brian Zarate first heard the creature’s unfamiliar calls in 2003 while he and other researchers were working in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Morris County. The strange series of “chucks and occasional groans” emanated from a small frog no bigger than the length of a thumb…Zarate videotaped the spotted creature and posted it on YouTube, where it was seen by Jeremy Feinberg, a doctoral student at the Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Feinberg had been tracking down other reports of an unfamiliar frog call on Staten Island, N.Y. “Our role in the early stages was to help Feinberg’s group and explore what was going on in New Jersey,” Zarate said.
Christie gets credit in Iowa for vetoing pig crate bill
In vetoing a ban on narrow cages that prevent pregnant pigs from turning around, Gov. Christie drew accusations last week from animal-rights advocates of bowing to the will of the pork industry, which has a large presence in the early presidential nomi…
Rutgers climatologist: Expect a ‘volatile’ winter
What kind of winter will it be? Severe as last year’s, or milder like two previous ones? Can an early snow in Siberia affect weather in Philadelphia, and what impact will El Niño have? Rutgers University’s Global Snow Lab in Piscataway tries to answer those questions, using raw federal data on the snow cover in North America and Eurasia to create maps and long-term climate records to aid forecasting. Bottom line, the winter of 2014-15 will likely be “volatile” across the region, said New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson, director of the snow lab. “I’ve been standoffish until now” to make a prediction.
Please, polar vortex, ice these garden pests
For all the forecasters’ frothing about the recent deep freeze, I’m hoping it means one thing: We get a break from some of the awful arthropods that stand in the way of total gardening nirvana. Deep freezes have an ability to knock back populations of …
Sea-level map offers disturbing picture of Shore’s future
Richard Lathrop zeros in on North Wildwood to show off a new tool that predicts where the water will go as sea level rises. Looking at high tide, sections of marsh now flood. With a foot of sea-level rise, water laps at a few streets. Two feet, and som…
Rutgers Tool Simulates the Realities of Sea-Level Rise
At Point Pleasant Coast Guard Station, the rising ocean laps just below the quayside where cars are parked. At Avalon Dunes, it’s shown advancing along a bayside street lined with expensive homes. And at Double Creek Bridge south of Toms River, the wat…
N.J. oyster colony to be expanded
Stand by for increased shelling at a Monmouth County, N.J., naval base. State environmental officials are allowing an experimental oyster colony at a Navy pier in Middletown to expand. The goal of researchers from Rutgers University and the New York/Ne…
