Rivers in the Sky: How Deforestation Is Affecting Global Water Cycles

Yale Environment 360

Producing charcoal in the rainforest.
By User Kelberul on de.wikipedia 

A growing body of evidence indicates that the continuing destruction of tropical forests is disrupting the movement of water in the atmosphere, causing major shifts in precipitation that could lead to drought in key agricultural areas in China, India, and the U.S. Midwest. Story here.

How TransAlta used a university-sanctioned research project to lobby for the coal industry

CBC news

Energy giant TransAlta paid the University of Alberta $54,000 to hand-pick one of its researchers to produce a study and other materials it used to lobby the provincial government to try to protect the coal industry, documents obtained by CBC News reveal. Story here.

‘Powerful Evidence’ of Global Warming’s Effect on Seasons Found in Troposphere

EcoWatch

Scientists studying the troposphere—the lowest level of the atmosphere—have found "powerful evidence" that climate change is altering seasonal temperatures. More here.

Sahara dust may make you cough, but it's a storm killer

Texas A&M University

The bad news: Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa -- totaling a staggering 2 to 9 trillion pounds worldwide -- has been almost a biblical plague on Texas and much of the Southern United States in recent weeks. The good news: the same dust appears to be a severe storm killer. More here.

Wildfires rage in Arctic Circle as Sweden calls for help

The Guardian

Sweden worst hit as hot, dry summer sparks unusual number of fires, with at least 11 in the far north. More here.

Is B.C. headed for another devastating summer of wildfires?

Canada’s

National

Observer

Ashcroft Reserve wildfire as seen across Loon Lake, BC. July 2017 Photo by Shawn Cahill.

With warm weather, a high snowpack and floodwaters rising throughout the province, it may seem like B.C. is set to repeat last year’s weather patterns, which led to a catastrophic summer of fires. But it’s still too early to reliably predict…. More here.

Mercury linked to dramatic decline of migratory songbirds: study

RCI Radio Canada International

The Cape May warbler, while not named in this story, also migrates from the 

West Indies to the Boreal forests of Canada. A PinP photo.

Examination of tail feathers suggests that mercury is one of the determining factors for the steep declines of many songbird populations that migrate long distances to and from North America. More here.