[dohboi]

‘Drought Across U.S. Reaches Highest Levels Since 2014’

February 7, 2018
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... since-2014

“….Drought, which has left winter wheat struggling across the Great Plains, expanded to cover 38.4 percent of the contiguous U.S., the most since May 2014.

Only 14 percent of Kansas wheat was rated in good or excellent condition at the end of the month, the lowest for that time since 2006, according to an earlier U.S. Department of Agriculture report.”

[dohboi]

“It hasn’t rained (meaningfully) in California since the beginning of January. Nothing much in sight until at least early March.

Some ‘rainy season’ we’re having, sheesh ”

https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status ... 2115049472

[AdamB]

The world has abundant freshwater but it is unevenly distributed and under increasing pressure, UN agencies say, as highlighted by the severe shortages in Cape Town. WATER, WATER 'EVERYWHERE' More than 97 per cent of the planet's water is salty, most of it in the oceans and seas, but there is also a good supply of freshwater. Every year around 42.8 trillion cubic metres of renewable freshwater circulates as rain, surface water or groundwater, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This equals 16,216 litres per person per day - four times the amount required in the United States, for example, for personal and domestic consumption, industry and agriculture. Depending on diet and lifestyle, a person needs between 2,000 and 5,000 litres of water a day to produce their food and meet their drinking and sanitation requirements, the FAO says. About 60 per cent

Water: Why the taps run dry

[vox_mundi]

Forest Fires Increasingly Dominate Amazonian Carbon Emissions During Droughts

Carbon emissions from the Brazilian Amazon are increasingly dominated by forest fires during extreme droughts rather than by emissions from fires directly associated with the deforestation process, according to a study in Nature Communications.

The authors found that despite a 76 percent decline in deforestation rates over the past 13 years, fire incidence increased by 36 percent during the 2015 drought compared to the preceding 12 years.

They estimate that forest fires during drought years alone contribute on average emissions of one billion tonnes of CO2 annually to the atmosphere, which are more than half those from old-growth forest deforestation.

According to Dr. Aragão, this is the first time scientists have clearly demonstrated how forest fires can become widely spread during recent droughts and how much they influence Amazonian carbon emissions in a decadal scale.

Dr. Marengo adds that three "droughts of the century" in 2005, 2010, 2015/2016 have occurred in the region due to a warmer tropical North Atlantic ocean or to El Nino, and the intensification of these phenomena in the future favours more droughts.

... Our results emphasize the fact that in a hotter and drier future, large swaths of the Amazon, distant from the main deforestation epicentres, may burn.

... We suggest that the Brazilian Amazon may be entering a new land use and land cover phase change in which a decoupling between fire-related and deforestation carbon emissions, driven by recurrent 21st century droughts, can undermine the Brazilian achievement of reducing emissions from deforestation.

Our analyses confirm the hypothesis that C emissions from the Brazilian Amazon are increasingly dominated by forest fires during extreme droughts, rather than emissions from fires directly associated with the deforestation process.

Conceptual model of feedbacks between climate, land use, forests and policies and their expected impacts on fire emissions. The system is divided in two large components: the political sphere (purple box) and the complex environmental system. In the political sphere, the mechanisms for fire emission reduction are divided into three levels of organization from global to local. The complex environmental system is divided in three components: climate (blue box), forests (green box) and land use (light brown box). Positive and negative feedbacks among the components are identified by red and blue arrows, respectively. The resulting effects of these feedbacks are described by coloured diamonds for the expected probability of fire occurrence and circles for the potential fire impact on C emissions. Numbers are displayed to assist with the description of the processes depicted in the main text

Luiz E. O. C. Aragão et al. 21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions, Nature Communications (2018)

[Plantagenet]

Luiz E. O. C. Aragão et al. 21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions, Nature Communications (2018)

The whole idea that tree growth in the Amazon or elsewhere would "soak up" atmospheric CO2 and mitigate global warming was always a farce.

Even if the trees don't burn up and release the CO2, they eventually die and topple over and rot and release the CO2. Its how the natural carbon cycle works.

Cheers!

[AdamB]

The world has abundant fresh water but it is unevenly distributed and under increasing pressure, United Nations agencies say, as highlighted by the drought in Cape Town. On Tuesday South Africa declared the drought that has hit parts of the country and threatened to leave the Mother City without domestic tap water a national disaster. More than 97% of the planet’s water is salty, most of it in the oceans and seas. But every year about 42.8-trillion cubic metres of renewable fresh water circulates as rain, surface water or groundwater, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This equals 16 216 litres a person a day — four times the amount required in the United States, for example, for personal and domestic consumption, industry and agriculture. Depending on diet and lifestyle, a person needs between 2 000 and 5 000 litres of water a day

The world’s taps are rapidly running dry

[dohboi]

...California just experienced one of its widest year-to-year precipitation swings on record: extreme whiplash between record-wet start to 2016-2017 and extremely dry start to 2017-2018.

#CAwx #CAwater

https://twitter.com/Weather_West/status ... 3257952256

“We just wrapped up the 3rd driest February in modern California history... #CAwx @CBSSF “
https://twitter.com/PaulDeannoKPIX/stat ... 9627084801


“Also worth noting that in some key hydrological regions in California (in Southern Sierra Nevada, and upstream of Shasta Dam), DJF 2017-2018 was indeed the singularly driest winter on record. #CAwx ”
https://twitter.com/Weather_West/status ... 6422592512


“2017-2018 was only the third warmest winter (DJF) on record in California (rank dropped a bit due to late Feb cold snap). Still, California's top 3 warmest winters have all occurred in the past 4 years. #CAwx #CAwater ”
https://twitter.com/Weather_West/status ... 6768179200

[Whitefang]

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/201 ... er-cities/

Thanks to AdamB,

Population growth and a record drought, perhaps exacerbated by climate change, is sparking one of the world's most dramatic urban water crises, as South African leaders warn that residents are increasingly likely to face "Day Zero." That's the day, previously projected for mid-April but now mid-July, when the city says it will be forced to shut off taps to homes and businesses because reservoirs have gotten perilously low—a possibility officials now consider almost inevitable.

There will be riots and bullits flying.....

Neat video.

I think Sao Paulo dodged that bullit for now, fortunately for 12 million inhabitants.
I hope the same for 4 million people in Kaapstad.
They speak such a funny way of Dutch

"I'm afraid we're at the 11th hour," says South African resource-management expert Anthony Turton. "There is no more time for solutions. We need an act of God. We need divine intervention."

Much like Cape Town's fiasco, reservoirs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, dropped so low in 2015 that pipes drew in mud, emergency water trucks were looted, and the flow of water to taps in many homes was cut to just a few hours twice a week. Only last-minute rains prevented Brazilian authorities from having to close taps completely.

"Sao Paulo was down to less than 20 days of water supply," says Betsy Otto, director of the global water program at the World Resources Institute. "What we're starting to see are the confluence of a lot of factors that might be underappreciated, ignored, or changing. Brought together, though, they create the perfect storm."

Abrupt Change is what we are up against, no one will be spared.

"Residents of Cape Town are very surprised by how dramatically the situation has escalated, says Magalie Bourblanc, a public policy analyst specializing in resource management at South Africa's University of Pretoria. "But I think people are realizing very quickly just how bad the situation could be."

[M_B_S]

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1685824/1- ... ng-levels/

SINDHPUNJABBALOCHISTANKP & FATAJAMMU & KASHMIRGILGIT BALTISTAN
Custom Search
S THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > PAKISTAN > PUNJAB
Tube wells running dry: Water crisis in RCB and CCB reaching alarming levels
By Our CorrespondentPublished: April 15, 2018

RAWALPINDI: The water crisis in Rawalpindi Cantonment Board and Chaklala Cantonment Board and rest of the garrison city has worsened.

Cantonment boards of RCB and CCB besides Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) have started preparations for the rationing of water through which water supply to service stations, big hotels is being curtailed.

Water reserve in Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam is left for two months only. Due to dangerous drop in limits of water coming from ground, the tube wells of WASA and Cantt board have started drying up. Many of the tube wells have begun producing impure water. The tube wells all over city have started drying up......
**********************

Now the India Pakistan INDUS WATER WAR looms ....


We told you so.....

*********************************
https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/dha ... er-crisis/

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/304430-water-shortage

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/93 ... orld-war-3

BRINK OF CRISIS - India in furious warning to Pakistan: We will CUT OFF your water supply
INDIA is set to reignite its long running water dispute with Pakistan by building three dams to redirect water from the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers away from its hostile neighbour.

https://www.northeasttoday.in/water-war ... ing-truth/

https://www.citylab.com/environment/201 ... ct/555410/

[M_B_S]

Drought in eastern Victoria forcing farmers to sell off half their herds as dams run dry

It is so dry in eastern Victoria that farmer Chris Nixon is considering selling an entire herd of cattle.

He is not alone. Many farmers in East Gippsland have sold off half their herds as they continue to battle extreme dry conditions.

The region is currently experiencing a 1-in-20-year rainfall deficiency.

Mr Nixon is a fifth-generation farmer and runs three farming operations: a beef farm and dairy farm at Orbost, and a 600-herd of cows at the Black Mountain Station in the high country.

He said the region was going through its fourth failed season, which had made conditions worse than the Millennium Drought.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-0 ... ht/9668288

***********************

GW MAD MAX SCENARIO

[M_B_S]

Drought returns to huge swaths of U.S.
Last year's torrential Texas Gulf Coast rains seem a distant memory.

AUSTIN, Texas — Less than eight months after Hurricane Harvey pelted the Texas Gulf Coast with torrential rainfall, drought has returned to Texas and other parts of the West, Southwest and Southeast, rekindling old worries for residents who dealt with earlier waves of dry spells and once again forcing state governments to reckon with how to keep the water flowing.

Nearly a third of the continental United States was in drought as of April 10, more than three times the coverage of a year ago. And the specter of a drought-ridden summer has focused renewed urgency on state and local conservation efforts, some of which would fundamentally alter Americans’ behavior in how they use water.

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/04/18/ ... hs-of-u-s/
****************************
Fracking will not help @ all here ......

=> What will YOU EAT after the HEAT?

[dohboi]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/us/clima ... index.html

Climate change could leave Californians with 'weather whiplash'

...dramatic swings are becoming more common and will continue to do so in the coming decades thanks to manmade climate change, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.

These climate extremes have significant impacts on society, and swinging rapidly from one extreme to the other only makes mitigation and adaptation that much harder...

Drastic swings from extremely wet to extremely dry and vice versa will be nearly twice as likely, occuring on average once every 25 years, by 2100.

"In a place like California, we really need to be thinking about both risks [drought and flood] simultaneously," said Daniel Swain, a University of California, Los Angeles climate scientist and lead author of the study...

Weather whiplash from wet to dry can make for explosive fire conditions, as enhanced vegetation from above-average rainfall years becomes parched during an exceedingly dry year. Toss in regular Santa Ana winds to fuel the flames, and the result is devastating wildfires...

[M_B_S]

https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-water- ... 86602.html

IRAN:Millions Facing Water Shortages, Warns Energy Minister





Iran is facing its harshest drought in the last 50 years, and nearly half the country’s population will soon face water shortages, according to the Energy Ministry.

“334 cities with 35 million people across Iran are currently struggling with water stress,” said Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian April 21 in a speech to top members of President Hassan Rouhani’s administration.

Classifying cities in three different categories, Ardakanian explained, “165 cities with 10.5 million people are in yellow, 62 cities with 6.8 million are in orange, and 107 cities with 17.2 million residents are in a red alert situation across Iran.”

Iran has been experiencing long cycles of drought for the last fifty years, with the average amount of precipitation per decade dropping from 250 to 217 millimeters during that time.
***************************************

Iran pays the price now for flooding the world with oil and gas!

Burning the own population to death thats a crime

=>CIVIL UNREST maybe Civil WAR looms

https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-farmer-pro ... 57028.html
***********************
USA

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/colora ... lic-policy

France

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... e-accused/

Spain

http://www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/artic ... -expansion

More

https://sanvada.com/2018/04/16/spain-mo ... er-crisis/

[vox_mundi]

Nearly 200 Wild Horses Dead Amid Southwest Drought

Approximately 191 feral horses have been found dead in a stock pond on Navajo land in northern Arizona, according to Navajo leaders, who attributed the death to ongoing drought and famine.

"These animals were searching for water to stay alive. In the process, they unfortunately burrowed themselves into the mud and couldn't escape because they were so weak," Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez said in a statement on Thursday.

Some of the horses were found thigh- to neck-deep in the mud at the stock pond in Gray Mountain, according to Nina Chester, a staff assistant for the office of the president and vice president.



Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation tribe, said Tuesday via Twitter:

"This is only the beginning. The Navajo Nation has over 70,000 feral horses."

[Outcast_Searcher]

Nearly 200 Wild Horses Dead Amid Southwest Drought

Approximately 191 feral horses have been found dead in a stock pond on Navajo land in northern Arizona, according to Navajo leaders, who attributed the death to ongoing drought and famine.

What, no giant red font for this?

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to just point out the extent and severity of the current drought in the US Southwest. Like: affecting 7 states, all with areas of exceptional drought?

A 5 second Google search yielded hits like this:

https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Weekly-Drought-Update

Because while sad about the horses, the state of one stock pond tells me very little about the Southwest, just as Senator Inhofe's infamous snowball tells very little about climate change.

[dohboi]

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archiv ... -the-1930s

Is this better, OS?

Drought Conditions In The Southwest Are So Bad That They Are Already Being Compared To The Dust Bowl Of The 1930s

[Tuike]

There seems to be some sort of drought in Finland. I don't have any drought maps, but May has been very warm and dry. Forest fire risk is very high in every part of the country. There has been an advice to leave a shallow bowl outside house filled with water, so hedgehogs and squirrels don't die to thirst.

[Tanada]

[Tuike]

In the above map, half of Finland is in grey colour for some reason. In the same time, forest fire warning is all over the country.

[dohboi]

Yikes! Are people worried? Is that a usual thing there this time of year?