Shrinidhi Ambinakudige

The Yazoo–Mississippi Delta has undergone substantial land use and land cover transitions over the past century, with cropland expansion peaking in the mid-twentieth century followed by sustained decline and partial reforestation. These landscape changes modify surface properties and may influence regional hydroclimate through altered land–atmosphere coupling. Here, we integrate satellite observations (MODIS), historical reconstructions (LUH2), reanalysis products (ERA5), and high-resolution PRISM temperature data to quantify cropland trends and associated changes in vegetation structure, surface energy fluxes, boundary layer characteristics, and convective potential from 2001–2022, with historical context extending to 1850. To isolate local land-surface forcing from large-scale climate variability, we conduct idealized experiments using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in which cropland surface characteristics are progressively replaced with deciduous broadleaf forest values under identical atmospheric forcing. Observations indicate an approximately 5% decline in cropland since 2001, accompanied by increases in woody vegetation. Reanalysis data suggest modest regional increases in latent heat and decrease in sensible heat, although spatial patterns are heterogeneous and influenced by broader southeastern U.S. climate trends. WRF simulations reveal a coherent and generally statistically significant responses in latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, Planetary boundary layer height, and near-surface air temperature during the growing season. Atmospheric stability metrics indicate a more favorable local thermodynamic environment for convection, whereas precipitation responses remain spatially variable and are not confined to the Delta. These results show that cropland decline and reforestation can alter surface energy partitioning and boundary layer structure in the Mississippi Delta, while precipitation remains strongly modulated by synoptic-scale forcing. Findings underscore the importance of representing agricultural land transitions in regional climate assessments of highly managed landscapes.

The 2019 Mississippi River floods were among the most severe in recent U.S. history, impacting 11 states and driven by multiple tributary flood events rather than a single episode. This study focuses on the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Mississippi, examining how flood frequency interacts with land ownership patterns to influence agricultural losses in the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta. Using Sentinel-2 imagery within Google Earth Engine, land use and land cover were classified with a random forest algorithm, followed by change detection and a flood recurrence–persistence modeling framework to map and characterize inundation. Results indicate that mid-year floods (April–July) caused the greatest crop losses, particularly in soybeans (4475 ha), cotton (501 ha), and corn (546 ha). Most impacts were associated with short-duration, low-recurrence floods, which affected many structures (1812) and extensive agricultural areas due to their broad spatial reach. Small agricultural parcels (≤48 ha) experienced the highest proportional exposure across flood zones, while medium and large parcels showed comparatively lower vulnerability. These findings highlight the importance of targeted resilience and mitigation strategies that account for flood frequency, land use, and land ownership patterns across the Delta.

This database underpins the analysis of the Fear of Hunger (FOH) Hypothesis, based on a large-scale telephone survey conducted between April and August 2024 across eight countries—Burkina Faso, Chad, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. The dataset includes 12,000 nationally representative adult respondents (1,500 per country) aged 18 and above. The survey instrument, translated into multiple local languages, collected detailed demographic, socioeconomic, and attitudinal information related to food security and migration. Core variables encompass WillMove (migration intention), MovePlace (international vs. internal migration), Score1–Score5 (five FOH levels from minimal to extreme), Age, Gender, Marital Status, Education, ChildPresent, Household Size, Rural/Urban residence, Employment, and ContactMig. Contextual indicators include Community Attachment, Safety, and Climate Conditions indices (ranging from 0–100). Food security is represented through four binary indicators (FoodSecure, Mildly, Moderately, Severely). The Fear of Hunger Scale (FHS) integrates three validated sub-dimensions: perceived risks (α = 0.87), perceived consequences (α = 0.94), and preventive behaviors (α = 0.70) standardized on a five-point scale. Cross-analysis between migration intentions and FOH highlights behavioral responses to food-related stressors. FOH correlates moderately (r = 0.35) with food insecurity, confirming conceptual distinctness. Importantly, 40% of food-secure individuals exhibit significant FOH, underscoring its broader psychological and policy relevance across vulnerable populations.

How are Black farmers experiencing agriculture today? The shadow of an egregious history for Black farmers over the last century has sought to submerge into the story behind the experiences of Black farmers today. Yet, contemporary Black farmers are reshaping the narrative beyond their demise, revitalizing their significance and what they bring to rural areas such as the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta region. This article takes a qualitative explor­atory approach to examine how small-scale Black farmers in the region experience agriculture through strategies of self-reliance and autonomy. We draw on the theory of Black agrarianism to illu­minate how such experiences are shaped by (1) Farm Profitability and Farm Expenses, (2) Resource Scarcity and U.S. Department of Agri­culture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Rela­tionships, and (3) Resiliency Strategies. Our find­ings offer new perspectives on Black agrarianism by exploring coping strategies that uphold self-empowerment and self-sufficiency, interconnecting both tangible and intangible responses by Black farmers to agricultural, political, social, and eco­nomic inequities. While evidence shows that Black farmers in the Delta are subject to unequal treatment in the agricultural system, the legacy of Black agrarianism persists among Mississippi’s Black farmers as a testament to their resilience in the face of agricultural barriers.

In this study, we utilized Random Forest machine learning classification to assess the current state of glaciers in the western United States using Sentinel-2A satellite imagery. By analyzing Sentinel-2A imagery from September 2020 and comparing it to the RGI inventory, the study determined the current conditions of the glaciers. Our findings unveiled a significant reduction in both glacier area and volume in the western United States since the mid-20th century. Currently, the region hosts 2878 glaciers and perennial snowfield spanning eight states, covering a total area of 428.32 ± 7.8 km² with a corresponding volume of 9.00 ± 0.9 km³. During the study period, a loss of 244.31 km² in glacier area was observed, representing a 36.32% decrease when contrasted with the RGI boundaries. The volume lost during this period amounted to 4.96 km³, roughly equivalent to 4.7 gigatons of water. Among the states, Washington experienced the most significant glacier area reduction, with a loss of 133.16 km². Notably, glaciers in the North Cascade Range of Washington, such as those in Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan, now cover, on average, only 85% of their original glacier boundaries with ice and snow at the conclusion of the 2020 hydrological year. Major glaciers, including the White River Glacier, West Nooksack Glacier, and White Chuck Glacier, have lost more than 50 percent of their original area.