For Friday, Jan. 17, 2024

1 – Worried about how electric vehicles (EVs) handle cold winters? The latest tech might ease your mind. 

The power needed to heat the inside of EVs is a big reason for range loss, or how far they can go on a charge.

According to Inside Climate News, advances like heat pumps—now standard in many EV models—can make a difference. 

A recent study by the advocacy group Recurrent looked at popular EV models.

They found that heat pumps reduced range loss by 13% on average under freezing temperatures.

Vehicles without heat pumps saw more than twice the range loss. 

The group also notes that the average daily drive in the U.S. is about 30 miles—so that’s well within most EVs’ adjusted winter range. 

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2 – Algal blooms are often associated with summer but they’re a concern in the winter, too. 

New research from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, highlighted by The Conversation news site, says climate change is intensifying the issue across the Great Lakes. 

There have been warmer winters and earlier soil thaws, releasing nutrients like phosphorus into lakes before plants can absorb them. 

These conditions fuel more frequent and widespread blooms. 

Algal blooms disrupt ecosystems, harm water quality, and impact local economies that rely on recreation and tourism. 

Scientists say addressing this challenge will require reducing nutrient runoff from sources like farms, which can occur year-round.

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3 – Got the winter blahs? 

There’s a Wildlife Weekend planned for early February at the Department of Natural Resources center in Roscommon. 

The program is called Cabin Fever and will include: 

• Tips from conservation officers on winter survival  

• A wildlife biologist talking about black bears, and perhaps where they build their dens

• Information wild edibles such as wild mushrooms

• A guide through the night sky by a retired teacher. 

The Feb. 7-9 event is by the nonprofit Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education. It starts at 5 p.m. Friday and wraps up with lunch on Sunday. There is a cost for lodging, meals and the courses. 

For more information about this “adult weekend getaway,” see maeoe.com/wildlifeweekend.

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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