Posted on August 5th, 2025

Apollo News Snippets – August 2025

The global ocean surface experienced its third warmest June on record while a cold front brought snow, heavy rain and strong winds to the Eastern Cape province in South Africa, leading to deadly floods after rivers overflowed their banks. Heavy rain in Rio Grande do Sul also triggered widespread flooding. Hurricane Erick was the earliest major hurricane on record to make landfall in Mexico while South America had a warmer than average month. Globally, tropical cyclone activity was above average with nine named storms. North America had its eighth warmest record June on record and the sea ice extent for the globe was near record low for June. (Image Credit: NOAA Global Climate Report)
  • The Global Climate Change Report for June 2025 has been released by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information and it reveals further proof that global climate change remains a serious concern. June 2025 recorded the third highest June global surface temperature in NOAA’s 176-year record, which dates back to 1850. The temperature anomaly for June 2025 was 0.98°C (1.76°F) higher than the 20th Century average. This June was cooler than June 2023 (second warmest) and June 2024 (warmest). All 10 warmest Junes on record have occurred since 2016, and June 2025 extended the streak of consecutive Junes with above-average global temperatures to 49 years. Notably, June 2025 was the first month since May 2023 where the global temperature anomaly was below 1.0°C (1.80°F). Regionally, Europe and Asia both experienced their fifth warmest June on record. North America had its eighth-warmest June and Africa had its ninth warmest. While South America, Oceania, the Arctic, Antarctic and the Caribbean and Hawaiian regions also recorded above-average temperatures for June, their anomalies did not place among their respective top ten warmest Junes on record. It is worth noting that the Arctic’s June 2025 temperature anomaly of 1.20°C (2.16°F) was its lowest since June 2017.
  • Every first Saturday of August, flower lovers fawn over the giants of the flower world – sunflowers. National Sunflower Day celebrates the golden blooms with pokey brown centers that brighten everyone’s day. The special day was launched by the National Sunflower Association in partnership with the North Dakota Tourism Division. Did you know…
    • Sunflowers are famous for heliotropism, meaning they twist their heads to follow the sun from dawn to dusk.
    • Sunflowers are sometimes more than 12 feet tall.
    • Across cultures, sunflowers stand for happiness, loyalty, and vitality. Their bright faces exude optimism, making them a go-to for bouquets meant to up-lift spirits.
    • Sunflowers don’t just look good, they also do good. Their deep roots can clean soil by pulling out toxins. Plus, their seeds feed birds, bees, and humans alike.

GIS technology is used often by sunflower farmers in various ways, including in the production of these glorious golden flowers. Remote sensing data (like Sentinel-2 imagery), analyzed with GIS, can be used to estimate sunflower yields at different stages of growth, providing valuable information for planning and management. GIS can map the spatial distribution of sunflower diseases, helping identify areas at risk and track disease outbreaks. GIS also can map sunflower planted areas using remote sensing data, helping track changes in cultivation, and assess the impact of various factors on sunflower production.

Brock Adam McCarty
Map Wizard
(720) 470-7988
brock@apollomapping.com

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