Modern Marvels, Fall Foliage and Lake Effect Snow: What I’m Reading This Week

Hi everyone! This is my last roundup before the holiday season commences. As such, I wanted to acknowledge that while the next six weeks can be the best time of the year for some people, they’re also some of the hardest for others.

So while there is much to celebrate and be thankful for, I’m going to be extra mindful with people who aren’t overly enthusiastic or seem to be struggling. For them, I hope they find peace this holiday season, however they choose to or not to recognize them.

If you or someone else you know can’t get into the holiday spirit, I hope the days land gently and that you find (or can be) that someone to talk to. As a reminder, the suicide prevention hotline number is 988, and The National Helpline at 1-800-HELP (4357) provides 24-hour free and confidential treatment referral and information about mental and/or substance use disorders, prevention, and recovery in English and Spanish.

Please take good care of yourself and those around you. And, as always, stay safe and be kind!

Modern Marvels

The last time I lost power, I felt helpless. I couldn’t surf the internet, watch TV, turn on a light or open the fridge.

I think that’s why Max Bearak’s piece in The New York Times stopped me in my tracks. How lucky am I to have this engineering magic that lets me be entertained, keep food cold and have access to the world’s knowledge at my fingertips.

Bearak reports from two islands in Brazil, not far from this year’s location for COP30, the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference, where some residents just got electricity earlier this year. 

He writes:

"Basic electricity access is, for many, the first step toward participation in a broader economy.

"At home, it might mean buying a fridge, a TV and a cellphone with a camera and messaging apps that you can reliably keep charged. In a community, it might mean a speaker system at church or public Wi-Fi. Access to electric-powered machines, such as an oil press, can make production more efficient, allowing people to earn more.

"Whatever the case, the question of whether or not one has electricity ripples out into nearly every moment of life."

Living in America, it’s easy for me to take electricity for granted, but it’s something hundreds of millions of people around the world still don’t have. And as more people around the world are getting access to other luxuries like automobiles, we’re collectively going to need to contend with the increasing energy usage and waste (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions).

Bearak’s beautifully written piece is a reminder of our differing realities yet universal needs. You can read it here.

Fall Foliage

I’m so lucky to live somewhere that has four seasons (more on that below). There’s nothing quite like walking or driving around to admire the trees bursting with shades of red, orange and yellow.

Scientists understand the general mechanism through which trees shed their leaves, but I didn’t realize that why leaves turn certain colors was still a mystery. In fact, biologist Nicole Hughes at High Point University explains to NPR that red leaves are the result of brand-new chemicals, which are also responsible for orange leaves.

There are theories, but they still don’t explain why a fraction of tree species put out red leaves in the fall.

"I mean, you might think we know everything," Hughes says of her students are surprised to learn scientists still don’t understand the mechanism behind red leaves, "but really there's just not enough people studying these fun mysteries of life."

I admit I don’t fully understand the hypothesized processes of photoprotection, aphids and anti-fungal properties. Instead, I’ll content myself by watching my maple tree whose leaves turn red early in the season and my neighbor’s tree that’s one of the last to drop its bright red leaves in fall.

Read the full story about one of nature’s wonders here.

Lake Effect Snow

Last week, we got our first snowfall of the season. There was about 3 inches of snow outside my window, though others across town barely saw a dusting. It all varies based on wind patterns and proximity to Lake Erie.

Lake effect snow is a common phenomenon in the Great Lakes region, because those large bodies of water provide the moisture that make it all possible.

I’ve lived along Lake Erie for most of my life. Lately, I’ve reflected on how the winters today are not like the winters of my youth. Domonique Tolliver explored the changing weather for National Geographic.

She spoke with Adam Burnett, a geography professor at Colgate University, who first started examining the relationship between climate change and lake effect snow in 2003. Over the past 22 years, he’s reviewed the models and observed the nuanced relationship. The prediction is that the Great Lakes region may get more snowfall in the short term, but in the long term there’ll be more winter rain because the air will be too warm.

I wasn’t ready for the early fall snow last week, but I will never, ever be ready for a rainy winter.

I encourage you to read Tolliver’s piece here even if you don’t live in the Midwest, because changing weather patterns over the nation’s biggest source of fresh water will have consequences for us all.