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Alexander555

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #50 on: April 12, 2018, 11:02:54 PM »
I wonder how this is going to work out. It takes the entire flow of the Nile for 11 months to fill the dam.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4939938/Dam-upstream-leaves-Egypt-fearing-lifeline-Nile.html

oren

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #51 on: April 13, 2018, 03:39:19 AM »
I wonder how this is going to work out. It takes the entire flow of the Nile for 11 months to fill the dam.
It can take many years to fill up a dam's reservoir. While Lake Mead took about 4 years, Lake Powell took about 15. In any case, this GERD is going to be a real challenge to all countries involved.
Here is an article discussing the subject.
https://www.water.ox.ac.uk/filling-the-grand-ethiopian-renaissance-dam-seeking-middle-ground-on-the-nile/

bluesky

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #52 on: April 21, 2018, 11:40:14 PM »

Whither the 100th Meridian? The Once and Future Physical and Human Geography of America’s Arid–Humid Divide. Part II: The Meridian Moves East (R. Seager, Earths Interactions)

https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/10.1175/EI-D-17-0012.1


"The 100th meridian bisects the Great Plains of the United States and effectively divides the continent into more arid western and less arid eastern halves and is well expressed in terms of vegetation, land hydrology, crops, and the farm economy. Here, it is considered how this arid–humid divide will change in intensity and location during the current century under rising greenhouse gases. It is first shown that state-of-the-art climate models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project generally underestimate the degree of aridity of the United States and simulate an arid–humid divide that is too diffuse. These biases are traced to excessive precipitation and evapotranspiration and inadequate blocking of eastward moisture flux by the Pacific coastal ranges and Rockies. Bias-corrected future projections are developed that modify observationally based measures of aridity by the model-projected fractional changes in aridity. Aridity increases across the United States, and the aridity gradient weakens. The main contributor to the changes is rising potential evapotranspiration, while changes in precipitation working alone increase aridity across the southern and decrease across the northern United States. The “effective 100th meridian” moves to the east as the century progresses. In the current farm economy, farm size and percent of county under rangelands increase and percent of cropland under corn decreases as aridity increases. Statistical relations between these quantities and the bias-corrected aridity projections suggest that, all else being equal (which it will not be), adjustment to changing environmental conditions would cause farm size and rangeland area to increase across the plains and percent of cropland under corn to decrease in the northern plains as the century advances."

sidd

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #53 on: April 22, 2018, 12:56:31 AM »
That pair of Seager papers is very good. I can see that i will spend some hours on it. Thanks for the link.

sidd

Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #54 on: April 23, 2018, 08:24:10 PM »
While the city has removed for this year the threat of a “Day Zero” when it would turn off the taps, daily consumption remains 57 million liters above the target of 450 million.

As Cape Town Dam Levels Drop to 20%, Residents Get Flood Warning
- Drought-hit city warned to prepare for deluge later Monday
- Daily water consumption still above 450 million liter target
Quote
Cape Town residents were warned to prepare for potential flooding Monday, on the same day that the average level of dams serving the drought-hit city dwindled to just 20 percent.

The South African government’s weather service said flooding is expected in the metropolis and surrounding regions later, moderating overnight. The forecast of heavy rain is in stark contrast with conditions caused by the worst drought on record, which have led to residents being restricted to using 50 liters (13 gallons) of water each a day and told to take 90-second showers. ...
https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2018-04-23/as-cape-town-dam-levels-drop-to-20-residents-get-flood-warning
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Daniel B.

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #55 on: April 24, 2018, 07:06:23 PM »
That pair of Seager papers is very good. I can see that i will spend some hours on it. Thanks for the link.

sidd

Those at interesting models.  We will see if recent precipitation increase observations will change to follow it.

Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #56 on: May 04, 2018, 12:13:55 AM »
The U.S. Southwest.

The water war that will decide the fate of 1 in 8 Americans
Quote
What’s happening could be seen as the slow death of an era of easy living, the unwinding of a nearly 100-year-old series of multi-state compacts (collectively called “The Law of the River”) that’s been widely viewed as too permissive. Over-reliance on the Colorado River has helped pave the way for rapid population growth across the region, from Southern California to Denver, which may now, ironically, begin to pose a threat to those same cities.

For many reasons, Arizona is last in line for the Colorado River’s water, and the state is already preparing for the mandatory restrictions that could be less than two years away. The latest official projections from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that manages the Colorado River system, shows that Lake Mead is likely to dip below the critical threshold of 1,075 feet above sea level late next year. That could trigger the first official “call on the river” — a legally-mandated cutback for certain users aimed at avoiding an all-out free-for-all. ...
https://grist.org/article/the-water-war-that-will-decide-the-fate-of-1-in-8-americans/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #57 on: May 11, 2018, 03:37:44 AM »
Southwest U.S.

“Dating back to 2000, this current period is one of the worst drought cycles over the past 1,200 plus years,” the bureau’s statement said.

Look! A federal agency is pushing for urgent climate action.
https://grist.org/article/look-a-federal-agency-is-pushing-for-urgent-climate-action/
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gerontocrat

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #58 on: May 25, 2018, 05:42:39 PM »
Southwest U.S.

“Dating back to 2000, this current period is one of the worst drought cycles over the past 1,200 plus years,” the bureau’s statement said.

Look! A federal agency is pushing for urgent climate action.
https://grist.org/article/look-a-federal-agency-is-pushing-for-urgent-climate-action/
Meanwhile:-

https://www.abqjournal.com/1175765/drought-on-tap-to-intensify-over-us-southwest.html

Experts: ‘Alarming’ drought conditions hit US Southwest

and

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/24/climate/dry-rio-grande.html

In a Warming West, the
Rio Grande Is Drying Up
[/size][/b]
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Tor Bejnar

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #59 on: May 25, 2018, 07:23:58 PM »
I plan to walk across the Rio Grande next week when I visit family.  It might be just across the Rio Grande sand and dried mud flats.  (Most of the water is channelized [where I'm from], but the 'wild' river bed [as pictured above] used to often have water, sometimes even waist deep or deeper across the width.  One could always walk across it during the summer, albeit getting wet feet and maybe shins.  "Summer" is just getting earlier and earlier.)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #61 on: June 05, 2018, 08:38:11 PM »
Cape Town Dam Levels Recover to 30% After Higher May Rainfall
Quote
Dam levels in reservoirs serving the drought-hit South African city of Cape Town jumped by 5.8 percentage points last week after rainfall in May exceeded year-earlier figures and as residents continued to endure strict curbs on water use.

The dams were 29.8 percent full as of Monday, compared with 24 percent a week earlier, and 19.6 percent at the same stage in 2017. The level crept up to 30.4 percent on Tuesday, the city said in postings on its website. Three years ago, it was at 79 percent.

May’s rainfall of 216.3 millimeters (8.5 inches) was close to the long-term average, city authorities said in a statement. Residents still aren’t meeting a target of reducing daily consumption to 450 million liters (119 million gallons), using 530 million liters daily last week, an increase of 5 percent on the previous week.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-05/cape-town-dam-levels-recover-to-30-after-higher-may-rainfall
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Tor Bejnar

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #62 on: June 06, 2018, 04:46:50 AM »
I plan to walk across the Rio Grande next week when I visit family.  ...
My great niece and I walked across the Rio Grande.  Although I found a spot 20-30 cm deep, my g. niece was never in over her ankles.  (There were pools along the edge that looked like they might be deep.)  I learned that the channel that used to carry most of the Rio Grande during the summer in south central New Mexico is no longer used for that purpose, and I noted it was dry below a permanent weir, holding water for local irrigation.

Note the truck tire marks showing where some fool drove in the river bed. The local river banks where we walked would be impassable.
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miki

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #63 on: June 06, 2018, 04:48:31 AM »
I plan to walk across the Rio Grande next week when I visit family.  ...
My great niece and I walked across the Rio Grande.  Although I found a spot a 20-30 cm deep, my g. niece was never in over her ankles.  (There were pools along the edge that looked like they might be deep.)  I learned that the channel that used to carry most of the Rio Grande during the summer in south central New Mexico is no longer used for that purpose, and I noted it was dry below a permanent weir, holding water for local irrigation.

Yeah! We call it now Rio Poquito  ;)

Alexander555

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Alexander555

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DrTskoul

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #66 on: June 12, 2018, 12:49:56 PM »
Why Delhi is facing an acute water crisis today

Quote
Ahead of the summer, Delhi sees the same story play out every year. Of depleting groundwater levels. Of the water mafia who run illegal borewells. Of apathy by Delhi administration. Of haphazard urbanisation and flawed development models. Of faulty or non-existent plans to meet the ever-rising demand for water. Of courts reprimanding civic authorities. But more than anything, of a callous Delhi citizenry that exploits groundwater as if there is no tomorrow.

On May 9, many citizens woke up to alarming newspaper headlines that pointed to the over-exploitation of groundwater, with the Supreme Court calling the situation "semi-critical". The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) told the top court that in different parts of the capital, the groundwater level has steadily declined from 0.5 metre a year to more than two metres a year and "could lead to a crisis if not halted".

Quote
...But the most serious revelation made by the CGWB report submitted to the top court is that New Delhi is now counted among "overexploited" zones. It is the same area that witnessed acute water retention till the 1970s, following which New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) deployed sumps to pump out the excess sub-surface water.

The crisis began as commercial high-rises came up near the Connaught Place area in the '70s. More than two decades later, in the 2000s, the Delhi Metro lines were laid and today, the Supreme Court extension chambers and a convention centre at Pragati Maidan are being constructed - all adding to the rising demand for water in New Delhi. Such large-scale construction requires de-watering, which leads to continuous depletion of the groundwater level....

gerontocrat

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #67 on: June 12, 2018, 01:29:30 PM »
In the late 80's up to 2004 I did water projects in several large cities in South Asia and China. The story was the same everywhere - depletion of groundwater, illegal wells, water tariffs giving cheap water to the rich and expensive water to the poor, new water projects always lagging behind population growth and industrial demand. In many places, it was as bad or worse in agricultural areas - groundwater levels dropping like a stone.

Somehow the situation was and is always bad but never quite Armageddon. The worst was Jordan. In the Northern third of Jordan the average lift of water from source to consumer was over 700 metres. Water is heavy.

In Israel there are wells over one kilometre deep. They are investing heavily in desalination - but that is still - despite improved reverse osmosis systems -very expensive in energy and cost.

These problems exist AGW or no AGW. However, climate change may be the final nail in the coffin for one of these large cities somewhere in the world (Mexico City, Phoenix Arizona?). Who knows.
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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #68 on: June 12, 2018, 02:55:04 PM »
From the UNL drought monitor website:


Daniel B.

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #69 on: June 12, 2018, 03:11:11 PM »
Over the past 120 years, the US as seen a decrease in areas experiencing the worst drought.

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/uspa/wet-dry/0#data-select

jai mitchell

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #70 on: June 12, 2018, 05:57:37 PM »
NASA Observatory,

Intensifying Drought in the U.S. Southwest
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=92274&eocn=home&eoci=iotd_title

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FrostKing70

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #71 on: June 12, 2018, 06:28:59 PM »
I seem to recall that the big dam in China was projected to have the same issue (years to fill up), then a series of storms hit the area and it was full in less than a year, and helped reduce downstream flooding.   I hope the Nile / Ethiopian dam can experience a similar fill scenario.

Ned W

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #72 on: June 12, 2018, 07:51:11 PM »
FWIW, Jai, that's literally the same map I posted just a few hours ago, two posts up-thread from yours....

Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #73 on: June 13, 2018, 08:22:23 PM »
'Australia doesn’t realise’: worsening drought pushes farmers to the brink
Liverpool plains farmer Megan Kuhn says cows are being slaughtered because there is no way of feeding them after years of extreme weather
Quote
December was the end of their seventh calendar year of below-average rainfall. In the 12 months to May this year, they have had just over 50% of their annual average rainfall.

“It’s terrible on the back of seven below-average rainfall years in a row,” Fleck says.  “We can’t get over a string of really hot summers. With the sheer consistency of extreme temperatures, the rate of evaporating is so high. We don’t have any surface water left on our property.”

They are relying on two bores and have begun selling their cattle as it becomes harder to sustain the high cashflow that’s necessary to buy in feed. “We spoke to the owners who had this property from 1954 to 1989. We asked what the creek was like in their 34 years. They said it had never dried up,” Fleck says.

“Everywhere is worse than I've ever seen it”
- Jane Judd, National Parks and Wildlife adviser


During the past 14 months, the Bureau of Meteorology has recorded below-average rainfall across New South Wales, central Queensland, the north-west of Victoria and into South Australia.  NSW has been the hardest hit in 2018. With the exception of the north and south coasts, most of the state has recorded the lowest rainfall in a five-month period since 1900.

Soil moisture levels are below average across much of Australia and in its latest winter outlook, the bureau is forecasting warmer and drier than average conditions across large parts of the country.  Communities in NSW say people are struggling and the rest of the country is not aware of the extent of the troubles in parts of that state. ...
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/10/australia-doesnt-realise-worsening-drought-pushes-farmers-to-the-brink
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Telihod

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #74 on: June 15, 2018, 08:36:24 PM »
"(CNN) India is facing its worst water shortage in history. Six hundred million people are dealing with high to extreme water shortage, according to a report by Niti Aayog, a policy think tank for the Indian government.
The report states that an average of 200,000 Indian lives are lost every year due to inadequate supply or contamination of water."
"Twenty-one major Indian cities are estimated to run out of groundwater by 2020 -- just two years away."
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/15/health/india-water-shortage-crisis-intl/index.html

Susan Anderson

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #75 on: June 15, 2018, 08:52:14 PM »
Friends up north are reporting trouble (Vermont and Maine; I'm in Boston). This is a somewhat folksy response in a discussion group I'm part of; the writer is an expert meteorologist who tracks these things and lives in the middle of Maine. These problems are minor in the global scheme of things, but we are only just getting used to fairly serious droughts in northern New England. I hear that England is also in trouble (from a friend there).

Quote
Everything south of Augusta stayed dry and didn't even see that many clouds.  Aroostook hit the jackpot with well over an inch as most of the rain fell there and into southeast Quebec.  But this system really didn't have any tropical moisture with it, only what it had managed to pick up as it crossed the plains and southern Ontario near the Great Lakes.  That's what I was getting at when I said the polar vortex circulation has remained stuck over Nunavut, sometimes wobbling this way and sometimes that way across northern and northeast Canada.  Currently it's actually split with one half sliding closer to Greenland and the other half over the Northwest Territories as a big blocking high has set up over most of Nunavut in between.  But that pattern has still diverted the main jet stream on a west to east track across the Midwest and Northeast and that spells very dry conditions for this part of the world as only a few hit or miss rain systems occasionally manage to come through while most of the wet tropical air remains locked up down South.  Good luck with the garden.  Things could still change as we get into the summer, but don't count on it.  I think we'll all need some luck with our gardens again this year!!


jacksmith4tx

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #76 on: June 16, 2018, 02:42:21 AM »
"(CNN) India is facing its worst water shortage in history. Six hundred million people are dealing with high to extreme water shortage, according to a report by Niti Aayog, a policy think tank for the Indian government.
The report states that an average of 200,000 Indian lives are lost every year due to inadequate supply or contamination of water."
"Twenty-one major Indian cities are estimated to run out of groundwater by 2020 -- just two years away."
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/15/health/india-water-shortage-crisis-intl/index.html
Thanks for the news.
At some point they will have to make some hard choices. Do they continue to use thermal energy(boil [and evaporate] water) to make electricity or use it for agriculture and drinking. They seem to be making a token effort to install renewable energy but they will be lucky to hit their own targets and decades behind the Paris targets. I would add that the warmer the ambient temperature of the air and water the less efficient all thermal powers plants. That's not just a India problem since we regularly shut down power plants in the US for the same reason.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #77 on: July 01, 2018, 07:20:16 PM »
Videos show gunfire amid Iran protests over water scarcity
Online videos appear to show Iranian security forces shooting at protesters early Sunday amid demonstrations over water scarcity in the country’s south.
Quote
Online videos appear to show Iranian security forces shooting at protesters early Sunday amid demonstrations over water scarcity in the country’s south, though authorities said only one person was wounded in the clashes.

The protests around Khorramshahr, some 400 miles southwest of Tehran, come as residents of the predominantly Arab city near the border with Iraq complain of salty, muddy water coming out of their taps amid a years-long drought.
...
Exacerbating that unrest is the drought. The Iran Meteorological Organization estimates 97 percent of the country faced some form of drought. Analysts also blame government mismanagement for diverting water away from some farmers in favor of others.

“Although Iran has a history of drought, over the last decade, Iran has experienced its most prolonged, extensive and severe drought in over 30 years,” said a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency. ...
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/01/videos-show-gunfire-amid-iran-protests-over-water-scarcity.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #78 on: July 13, 2018, 02:09:37 PM »
Drought in Ireland reveals old “henge” monument

Ireland's heatwave reveals amazing Newgrange discovery | IrishCentral.com
https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/forget-stonehenge-ireland-make-major-new-ancient-discovery
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silkman

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #79 on: July 19, 2018, 08:58:56 AM »
Some graphic images of the drought in New South Wales in this photo essay from the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/19/you-count-your-blessings-farm-families-battling-drought-photo-essay


Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #80 on: July 21, 2018, 08:18:43 PM »
Crop failure and bankruptcy threaten farmers as drought grips Europe
Abnormally hot temperatures continue to wreak devastation across northern and central parts of the continent
Quote
Farmers across northern and central Europe are facing crop failure and bankruptcy as one of the most intense regional droughts in recent memory strengthens its grip.

States of emergency have been declared in Latvia and Lithuania, while the sun continues to bake Swedish fields that have received only 12% of their normal rainfall. ...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/20/crop-failure-and-bankruptcy-threaten-farmers-as-drought-grips-europe
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Martin Gisser

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #81 on: July 21, 2018, 10:27:56 PM »
Reminds me of Syria and a bit of Yemen:
Drought + water mismanagement + social tension (clans, sects...) = civil war

Videos show gunfire amid Iran protests over water scarcity
Online videos appear to show Iranian security forces shooting at protesters early Sunday amid demonstrations over water scarcity in the country’s south.
Quote
Online videos appear to show Iranian security forces shooting at protesters early Sunday amid demonstrations over water scarcity in the country’s south, though authorities said only one person was wounded in the clashes.

The protests around Khorramshahr, some 400 miles southwest of Tehran, come as residents of the predominantly Arab city near the border with Iraq complain of salty, muddy water coming out of their taps amid a years-long drought.
...
Exacerbating that unrest is the drought. The Iran Meteorological Organization estimates 97 percent of the country faced some form of drought. Analysts also blame government mismanagement for diverting water away from some farmers in favor of others.

“Although Iran has a history of drought, over the last decade, Iran has experienced its most prolonged, extensive and severe drought in over 30 years,” said a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency. ...
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/01/videos-show-gunfire-amid-iran-protests-over-water-scarcity.html

Martin Gisser

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #82 on: July 22, 2018, 01:55:51 AM »
I forgot a crucial other factor: Overpopulation. E.g. Syria and Yemen have vastly overstretched the carrying capacity of their land. Then drought is the straw that breaks the camels back.

Martin Gisser

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #83 on: July 22, 2018, 03:52:41 AM »
As to Yemen what pushed The Yemeni People over the edge was when those in the north who had been moving freely for hundreds of years across the Saudi border to tender their farms water wells etc were blocked from doing so when the Saudis built a Border fence and unilaterally banned the Yemenis from crossing the border anymore a few years ago - then the Civil War started as a result because the Yemeni (Saudi controlled) Govt did nothing about it. The people started to starve and their children were malnourished and started to get ill and die.

Detailed facts matter.
I blame that on overpopulation. Same complaints from Syrian farmers, who had been breeding like mindless rabbits even while receiving food help. That population bubble burst with the great drought, and the rest is ongoing history...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/02/syrias-drought-has-likely-been-its-worst-in-900-years

The Saudi-Yemen border is mostly desert (Rub' al Khali, the Empty Quarter). Nothing to quarrel over there. To the west there's some green, equally distributed between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. I don't see any reason for complaints - Except one side has overstretched their resources (and then it is unsurprising when history repeats itself...).

A major exception to this equidistribution is Najran in Saudi Arabia, which looks greener on Google Earth, due to the Najran Dam. Yemen might even profit a little from the reservoir lifting groundwater level at the edge of the border. -- Najran has its own grotesque population explosion: 10x since 1974. But the lucky Saudis still have enough oil to turn into food...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najran

The Houthi almost captured Najran Dam in 2016. Perhaps one factor why the war grew so fierce.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi%E2%80%93Yemeni_border_conflict_(2015%E2%80%93present)
« Last Edit: July 22, 2018, 04:11:32 AM by Martin Gisser »

oren

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #84 on: July 22, 2018, 01:34:06 PM »
Supporting the Yemen overpopulation claim:
Quote
Yemen's population is 28 million by 2016 estimates, with 46% of the population being under 15 years old and 2.7% above 65 years. In 1950, it was 4.3 million. By 2050, the population is estimated to increase to about 60 million.Yemen has a high total fertility rate, at 4.45 children per woman. It is the 30th highest in the world. Sana'a's population has increased rapidly, from roughly 55,000 in 1978 to nearly 2 million in the early 21st century
With the population in this desert country growing 6 times in about 65 years, while water resources have not grown and there are not enough natural resources/oil/export industries to support massive food imports, no wonder there are widespread food shortages and a civil war.
They are just on the fast lane of the road we are all on.

bbr2314

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #85 on: July 25, 2018, 01:14:36 AM »
Europe has changed color. The Alps, however, appear much snowier than normal. Probably residual from springtime but nevertheless a possibly significant development.

« Last Edit: July 25, 2018, 01:28:10 AM by bbr2314 »

magnamentis

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #86 on: July 25, 2018, 02:02:32 AM »
Europe has changed color. The Alps, however, appear much snowier than normal. Probably residual from springtime but nevertheless a possibly significant development.



concerning the alps (only)

if there is any institution i trust 100% when it comes to snow and avalanges it's this one, flawless record and used by most scientists as reliable source. as to the rest i dunno whether this is possible to get in good enough english but in general it looks like extreme winter snow masses turned into earlier than average meltout.

since you're so interested in snow cover i thought perhaps this might be a source for you:

https://www.slf.ch/en.html

dunno didn't find below article in english just see what's usable or your purposes

https://www.slf.ch/de/lawinenbulletin-und-schneesituation/wochen-und-winterberichte/201718/wob-01-30-juni.html
Auf dem SLF-Messfeld am Weissfluhjoch Davos (2536 m, GR) waren die 118 cm Schnee (Schneehöhe vom 01.06.) in 20 Tagen geschmolzen. Das Messfeld war am 21.06. ausgeapert, 18 Tage vor dem durchschnittlichen Ausaperungsdatum am 09.07.

the blue part says 18 days before average, that's a lot and for that station only but beside that it's an indicator from experience, means the rest is often not that far from those measurements, has to be verified each time of course

bbr2314

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #87 on: July 25, 2018, 02:18:18 AM »
Europe has changed color. The Alps, however, appear much snowier than normal. Probably residual from springtime but nevertheless a possibly significant development.



concerning the alps (only)

if there is any institution i trust 100% when it comes to snow and avalanges it's this one, flawless record and used by most scientists as reliable source. as to the rest i dunno whether this is possible to get in good enough english but in general it looks like extreme winter snow masses turned into earlier than average meltout.

since you're so interested in snow cover i thought perhaps this might be a source for you:

https://www.slf.ch/en.html

dunno didn't find below article in english just see what's usable or your purposes

https://www.slf.ch/de/lawinenbulletin-und-schneesituation/wochen-und-winterberichte/201718/wob-01-30-juni.html
Auf dem SLF-Messfeld am Weissfluhjoch Davos (2536 m, GR) waren die 118 cm Schnee (Schneehöhe vom 01.06.) in 20 Tagen geschmolzen. Das Messfeld war am 21.06. ausgeapert, 18 Tage vor dem durchschnittlichen Ausaperungsdatum am 09.07.

the blue part says 18 days before average, that's a lot and for that station only but beside that it's an indicator from experience, means the rest is often not that far from those measurements, has to be verified each time of course
Thanks! Evidently though we may be better than some / many recent years summer is still below historical avgs in this area. Good to know.  ;D

oren

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #88 on: July 25, 2018, 08:28:57 AM »
Thank you Magna. Here is what they have to say about snow trends, I will also post it to the NH snow thread where it properly belongs.
Quote
Snowpack responds to climate change
Thanks to the long-term measurement data, we have been able to identify some clear trends. The last 30 years have seen very low levels of snow, particularly on the Swiss Plateau. The trend towards less snowy winters at most stations below 1300 m is statistically significant. The lower the altitude of the observation station, the more apparent the changes are. By contrast, above 2000 m the snow depths in midwinter (December to February) show no clear trend. The same is not true of snow cover duration: the vast majority of stations are seeing a clear reduction in the number of days with snow-covered ground, regardless of their altitude or location. The primary reason for this is earlier snow melt in the spring. The delay of snow onset in autumn is also a factor at lower-altitude stations. In addition, the annual maxima for snowfall and snow depths have tended to decline at all stations over recent decades.

https://www.slf.ch/en/snow/snow-and-climate-change.html

Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #89 on: July 30, 2018, 01:00:11 AM »
HotSpots H2O, July 23, 2018: Chaos Engulfs Venezuela as Mismanagement and Drought Cut Water Access
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Since President Nicolas Maduro took control of the Venezuelan government in 2013, the country has endured a growing wave of human rights abuses and resource shortages. Maduro put many industries, including the water sector, into the hands of the Venezuelan military. Water in the socialist nation is supposed to be subsidized and government-provided, but mismanagement and decaying infrastructure force most citizens in the capital, Caracas, to rely on trucked-in water or communal pumps. As the military takes control of the city’s water points and supply trucks, access is becoming more restricted and the price of water is soaring.

Throughout the rest of Venezuela, access to water, food, medicine, and other staples is also restricted. Last week, in the city of San Felix, a 12-year-old boy was shot in the chest during a protest over water and electricity outages. Similar protests are igniting across the country as Venezuela’s economy and infrastructure collapse.

“The water sector has been completely taken because of a government that believes the military can grant order to things. If on top of this institutional incompetence, you add a dry year, then the consequences are tremendous.” –Norberto Bausson, the head of Cracas water utility Hidrocapital in the 1990s. Venezuela’s rainfall has been below-average this year, exacerbating the water shortages. ...
https://www.circleofblue.org/2018/world/hotspots-h2o-july-23-chaos-engulfs-venezuela-as-mismanagement-and-drought-cut-water-access/
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Alexander555

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Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #91 on: August 11, 2018, 12:12:28 AM »
A Mid-winter Drought in Australia
Quote
July 2018 was the driest July in Australia since 2002. The dry month exacerbated an ongoing drought that had already ruined large swaths of grazing land and cropland. New South Wales has been hit the hardest, according to a news reports. About 99 percent of the state was in drought heading into August.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92583/a-mid-winter-drought-in-australia
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Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #92 on: August 16, 2018, 08:58:06 PM »
NIDIS (@DroughtGov)
8/16/18, 9:17 AM
There are a lot of changes in this week's US #DroughtMonitor - Exceptional #drought spreads in MO & KS while Extreme drought appears in OR & expands in CO. More expansion of drought in the High Plains & Pacific Northwest.

Significant improvement in parts of TX, LA, AR & AZ
https://twitter.com/droughtgov/status/1030081231944265728
Map below.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #93 on: August 19, 2018, 05:16:25 PM »
How Delhi's rising heat and a love of concrete caused a deadly water crisis
Reports warn it could run out of groundwater by 2020. Has Delhi run out of time to reverse years of mismanagement and unchecked urbanisation?
Quote
Population growth, climate change, disputes between states, urbanisation and poor management of resources have made water – especially fresh, clean water – a commodity that is not readily available to all. A recent government thinktank report revealed that several major cities in India, including Delhi, could run out of groundwater as soon as 2020.
...
Paving over history

Ironically, the fight for water now comes amid heavy rain. May’s heatwave has given way to the monsoon season, causing flooding across India. Last week flash floods in Kerala killed 37 people and displaced a further 36,000.

For much of Delhi’s history, this seasonal rainfall was harnessed for use during the summer from March to May, with water stored and distributed through check dams, stepwells (baolis) and natural drains (nullahs). It reflected a philosophy that urban environmental planner Manu Bhatnagar calls “respecting the topography”, which has since fallen by the wayside in the city.

“Everybody respected the rain … [people knew] they had to gather it,” says Bhatnagar, director of natural heritage at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. “When we started getting all these supplies coming from distant places or tube wells, taking water from 300 or 400 feet [below ground], we forgot about our rainfall. We forgot about our local resources.”

The neglect of those resources is said to have much to do with Delhi’s massive urbanisation, especially in recent decades. The city’s 1976 master plan featured 201 natural drains; as of last year, only 44 could be traced. Those that remain are mostly filthy open sewers, while the rest have been paved over with roads and parks. ...
https://amp.theguardian.com/cities/2018/aug/16/how-delhis-rising-heat-and-a-love-of-concrete-caused-a-deadly-water-crisis
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jacksmith4tx

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #94 on: August 20, 2018, 09:10:05 PM »
Drought reveals remains of German ‘Atlantis’ in lake Village abandoned when a large reservoir was created more than 100 years ago.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/08/19/drought-reveals-remains-of-german-atlantis-in-lake/

Germany’s third-biggest reservoir is being drained to keep water levels on the Weser river high enough for shipping.

Like many European countries, Germany has seen remarkably little rain in recent months.

The government is expected to decide Wednesday whether to provide federal aid to farmers whose business has suffered from the drought. Eight German states have already reported drought-related damage amounting to $3.4 billion.
Science is a thought process, technology will change reality.

jacksmith4tx

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #95 on: August 23, 2018, 10:02:59 PM »
Falling water levels of a river in Europe reveals forbidding omen.
https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/drought-reveals-ancient-hunger-stones-european-river-57354211

Quote

Due to this summer's drought in Central Europe, boulders known as "hunger stones" are reappearing in the Elbe River.

The low water levels in the river that begins in the Czech Republic then crosses Germany into the North Sea has exposed stones on the river bed whose appearances in history used to warn people that hard times were coming.

Over a dozen of the hunger stones, chosen to record low water levels, can now be seen in and near the northern Czech town of Decin near the German border.

The oldest water mark visible dates to 1616. That stone, is considered the oldest hydrological landmark in Central Europe, bears a chiseled inscription in German that says: "When you see me, cry."
Science is a thought process, technology will change reality.

Martin Gisser

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #96 on: August 23, 2018, 10:37:45 PM »
Here is a better picture from 1904. The oldest inscriptions 1417, 1473 are meanwhile gone, eroded by anchoring ships.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerstein_(Gew%C3%A4ssergrund)

-----------------------
P.S.:


From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6090727/Drought-reveals-ancient-hunger-stones-European-river.html
where they have an even better video.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2018, 10:49:56 PM by Martin Gisser »

TerryM

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #97 on: August 24, 2018, 01:45:03 AM »
The "Hunger stones" are totally new to me. I've a number of friends that devote themselves to discovering and attempting to decipher ancient petroglyphs in the deserts of the American Southwest.
I think that they will be very interested in this information.
Thanks
Terry

Ktb

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #98 on: August 24, 2018, 06:19:57 AM »

"When you see me, cry."


A chilling line, no doubt
And, given a story to enact in which the world is a foe to be conquered, they will conquer it like a foe, and one day, inevitably, their foe will lie bleeding to death at their feet, as the world is now.
- Ishmael

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Re: 2018 Droughts
« Reply #99 on: September 08, 2018, 12:23:32 PM »
Some footage here of my research areas after the record drought & heat.
You'll have to excuse me swearing  :P
It's pretty shocking especially when we have given ample warning for this type of disaster being made a lot worse by mismanagement.
The Dutch are still hellbent to recreate the vegetation of before 1600.
Species such as heath, blueberry, rowan, etc which have no chance and additionally are a fire hazard.
While wiping out others such as wild cherry which is now pretty much the only remaining food source producing fruit and even more essential to the food chain.
So with nothing to eat, wildlife has pretty much fled into the city where more trouble awaits.