Archive: Nature | Weather Weather
2014 one of the warmest Czech years on record
The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute – the body responsible for
monitoring the country’s weather – has reported that 2014 will be one
of the warmest years since records began back in 1775. It also predicts
that overall warming in the country and extreme weather events will
continue to grow more common. More
Will climate change put at risk European bird species?
The signs of climate change that Europe has been witnessing in the spring
and summer of this year have severely impacted some of the country’s bird
species. Persistent rain during the spring months, storms and heavy floods
decimated the young population of white storks in an unprecedented measure.
Many of the newly hatched young died in their nests, elsewhere nests
remained completely empty. In this edition of Panorama I talk to
ornithologist Petr Voříšek about the fate of this and other endangered
bird species in connection with the ongoing environmental changes. More
Czech researchers studying global climate change on James Ross Island
Czech scientists from Brno’s Masaryk University have been involved in
polar research since the 1980s and since 2006 they have their own polar
station in Antarctica –the Johann Gregor Mendel station. For the duration
of the polar summer a team of scientists from Masaryk University works at
the station doing glacier research and collecting data relating to the
impact of global warming on micro-organisms. The sixteen-member- team is
just back from its 2014 expedition and this week I talked to the head of
the team Pavel Kapler about its work. More
Will climate change put at risk European bird species?
The signs of climate change that Europe has been witnessing in the spring
and summer of this year have severely impacted some of the country’s bird
species. Persistent rain during the spring months, storms and heavy floods
decimated the young population of white storks in an unprecedented measure.
Many of the newly hatched young died in their nests, elsewhere nests
remained completely empty. In this edition of Panorama I talk to
ornithologist Petr Voříšek about the fate of this and other endangered
bird species in connection with the ongoing environmental changes. More
After the flood: droves of mosquitoes, mudslides
New lagoons and ponds left over from recent floods in parts of Bohemia are
proving fertile ground for mosquitoes. Officials have so far registered the
most in the areas of Třeboň, south Bohemia and Mělník, north of Prague.
Potentially more dangerous are mudslides in areas where the ground was
thoroughly inundated. More
Persisting rain causing flash floods and complicating clean-up work
The weekend brought no respite for the thousands of people evacuated from
their homes in last week’s devastating floods. Torrential rain and
hailstorms swept through central and north Bohemia causing flash floods in
places previously considered safe and complicating clean-up work in areas
where water-levels had been receding. More
Stark choice for mankind - move off floodplain or get used to floods
The severe flooding in the Czech Republic has reinvigorated the debate as
to what causes flooding and how we can protect ourselves from it. There’s
been much talk of technological solutions such as building higher flood
defences and bigger dams. But some ecologists believe it’s time for a
total rethink of where humans should settle, even if that means abandoning
the floodplain altogether. Radio Prague has been discussing the matter with
Ondřej Liška, head of the non-parliamentary Green Party. More
Climatologist: Czechs can expect more frequent flooding in future
Over the last 15 years, the Czech Republic has experienced more floods than
in the whole of the 20th century. In 1997, flooding devastated parts of
Moravia; five years later, the west of the country, including the capital
Prague, were inundated. The country has also experienced a series of local
flash floods which caused serious damage. Leading Czech climatologist Radim
Tolasz says Czechs should brace themselves for more floods to come in what
he calls central Europe’s wet period. More
Heat wave breaks all-time Czech temperature record
The Czech Republic has been hit with a severe heat wave. Currents of hot
air coming from north Africa via France and southern Germany raised
temperatures by to record-breaking highs this week, with a new record of
40.4 degrees Celsius registered outside Prague on Monday. While doctors
advise people to take extra caution to avoid problems, meteorologists warn
the heat will soon give way to heavy storms expected later on Tuesday. More
Ozone layer may be on the mend
Recent research findings by European scientists suggest that man’s
efforts to protect the environment are beginning to pay off. Ozone data
collected by a number of satellite stations indicate that the ozone layer
is gradually beginning to recover. More
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