kentucky

The cicadas are coming

June 18, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

After hiding underground for the last 17 years, billions of cicadas are taking to the skies this summer. This batch of insects, known as Brood XIV, will cover more of the U.S. than any other 17-year brood. New York and at least 13 other states – Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and parts of Indiana are being serenaded by the sound of cicadas in May and June.

There are 15 broods of periodical cicadas that emerge every 13 or 17 years. They come out when soil temperatures reach 64 degrees. Around the world there are annual cicadas while periodical cicadas can only be found in the eastern United States.

Once the insects emerge, they will issue their noisy, chirping mating calls for just a few weeks before they lay eggs and die. The offspring from the eggs will burrow underground and remain dormant or in the nymph stage feeding on tree roots for another 17 years. Surfacing in vast numbers is a way to overwhelm predators and ensure that at least some cicadas survive to reproduce.

The emergence of these insects provides a bounty of food to squirrels, lizards, birds, and other creatures. A study found that once cicadas emerge, the population of cuckoos, blue jays, and red-bellied woodpeckers grows.

As the climate changes, the timing of cicada cycles may also change. Warmer weather will lead to cicadas emerging earlier in the year. Eventually, even the time they spend underground may shorten.

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After 17 Years Underground, Massive Cicada Brood to Swarm U.S.

Photo, posted July 16, 2017, courtesy of Renee Grayson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

National drought

December 5, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Climate change brings with it many kinds of extreme weather. It isn’t just higher temperatures. It is changing patterns of weather and weather events that are rare or even unprecedented.

Late October saw drought conditions throughout almost the entire United States. Only Alaska and Kentucky did not have at least moderate drought conditions.

The previous four months were consistently warmer than normal over a large area of the country. When that period started, about a quarter of the country was at least somewhat dry, but in late October, 87% of the country was dry.

Droughts in many parts of the U.S. and in places around the world are becoming more frequent, longer in duration, and more severe.

Residents of New York City were urged to start conserving water. This October was the driest October since record keeping began in 1869. The upstate reservoirs that supply New York’s water were below two-thirds full. They are normally more than three-quarters full in the fall.

Even the Southeast, which received huge amounts of rain from Hurricane Helene, is experiencing drought. Not much rain had fallen since that storm and warmer temperatures mean more evaporation and drier soils.

Drought is not just a lack of precipitation. Drought conditions are driven by abnormally high temperatures that remove moisture from the atmosphere and the ground.

Whether widespread drought conditions will persist is unknown. If a predicted La Niña condition develops in the tropical Pacific, drought conditions in the southern half of the country could get worse, but the Northeast could see lots of rain and snow.

To have nearly the entire country experiencing drought conditions is pretty rare. But unusual weather is becoming the new normal.

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In a Record, All but Two U.S. States Are in Drought

Photo, posted May 21, 2024, courtesy of Adam Bartlett via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Hydrogen hubs

November 2, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 earmarked $7 billion in federal funding aimed at accelerating the commercial-scale deployment of hydrogen as well as driving down its cost. Clean hydrogen is considered to be a key technology for cleaning up hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors like refining, chemicals, and heavy-duty transport.

On October 13th, the Department of Energy named seven regional clean hydrogen hubs which will provide clean hydrogen production, storage, delivery, and end-use components. The so-called H2Hubs are expected to collectively produce three million metric tons of hydrogen annually.

One selected project is the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub that includes West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Another is the California Hydrogen Hub, that will produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass. Then there is the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, centered in the Houston, Texas region. A fourth hub is the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, which includes Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. A fifth hub is the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, that includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. The sixth is the Midwest Hydrogen Hub that includes Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Finally, there is the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub that includes Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Each of these hubs involve multiple partner organizations in their regions and each has specific goals and strategies. The seven centers are located all around the country and are intended to jumpstart a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure.

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Hydrogen hubs have arrived. Here are the big winners of the $7 billion sweepstakes

Photo, posted August 17, 2010, courtesy of David Stanley via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A Boom In Auto Battery Manufacturing | Earth Wise

June 24, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Nearly all automobile manufacturers are in a global race to build electric cars and trucks. There is a rapidly growing need for the battery packs that power those vehicles and therefore manufacturers are in a race to build battery factories to address that need.

The latest battery plant announcement comes from Stellantis – the new company created in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot. Stellantis aims to sell five million electric cars by 2030, which means they will need a lot of batteries. They will be spending $2.5 billion in partnership with Samsung to build a battery factory in Kokomo, Indiana. The facility is expected to create 1,400 jobs. Stellantis already had announced that it would build a battery factory in Windsor, Ontario in partnership with LG Energy Solutions.

They are not alone in their aggressive efforts on electric vehicle battery development. Ford Motor is building two battery plants in Kentucky and a third one in Tennessee. Ford has recently started production of its F-150 electric pickup truck which has attracted large numbers of pre-orders. The gas-powered Ford F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in America for years.

General Motors is opening a new battery production plant in Ohio this summer and has two others under construction in Tennessee and Michigan. Hyundai plans to spend $5.5 billion on an electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility near Savannah, Georgia that is expected to begin operations in 2025.

The auto industry has been struggling in recent times, but there is clearly a massive boom underway as the industry makes the transition from internal combustion engines to battery electric power.

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Stellantis and Samsung to spend $2.5 billion on an electric vehicle battery plant in Indiana

Photo, posted July 29, 2017, courtesy of Steve Jurvetson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Utility-Scale Solar Power

May 11, 2017 By EarthWise

Solar panels on the roofs of houses have become a familiar sight in recent years, but utility-scale solar – installations of 10 megawatts and greater – are really booming these days. Throughout the United States, more than 10.5 gigawatts of utility-scale solar were added to the electric grid in 2016 – enough to power more than 2 million homes – and at least 8 gigawatts more are scheduled to come online this year.