Listen to this week’s radio segment on some of the less talked about affects of climate change in Iowa.

The times, they are a-changin’ in Iowa. Or at least the weather patterns are.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

Researchers from Iowa’s three public universities have detailed in a report the many ways Iowa’s climate has changed over the past decades.

Their study shows that: Rainfall has been greater and more extreme, river and stream flows have increased, nights and winters have warmed up, and our growing seasons have stretched longer.

While some of these changes have positively affected Iowa, many others have proved costly. For instance: longer growing seasons may increase some crop yields, but the increased flooding we’ve experienced has been devastating for farmers, and the rest of Iowa.

Expect these trends to continue. Iowans are already adapting, but we need to do more. For more information about the new report, visit us at IowaEnvironmentalFocus.org.

I’m Jerry Schnoor, from the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research.

Thank You.