Where is all the snow this winter?

Also, the NPR Student Podcast Challenge is back!

• Alexandra Stein
  BioRecent Stories

  
• Smart Talk
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Smart Talk is a lively and thoughtful conversation on a wide range of issues and ideas relevant to Central Pennsylvanians.

If you are wondering where this winter’s cold temps and wintry conditions are, you’re probably not alone. Globally, this year’s January has been the Earth’s hottest January on record, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.  

Snow trackers also point out that snow coverage in both North America and Europe are significantly lower this winter. Snow coverage is measured and analyzed because it is considered a “critical climate indicator.” Less snow and ice cover mean that the Earth’s surface can absorb more of the sun’s energy and become warmer.  

David Robinson, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor with the Department of Geography at Rutgers University and NJ State Climatologist tracks snow coverage through the Global Snow Lab and he appears on Smart Talk to discuss their observations. 

Also, the NPR Student Podcast Challenge is back. Students in grades five through twelve can team up with their teachers to create a podcast for a chance to have it broadcast on NPR.  

Submissions are accepted until March 24, 2020, and the winning podcasts from each age group will be featured in segments on either All Things Considered or Morning Edition. NPR’s Education Desk podcast staff members Lauren Migaki, Senior Producer, and Jeffrey Pierre, Assistant Producer, join Smart Talk to discuss the Student Podcast Challenge.