Living close to the prairies in Central Alberta, Canada, for 30+ years,
I have been a keen observer of weather. Over the last three years I have served on the board of the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance.
This non-profit society serve as the designated Watershed Planning and Advisory Council for the Red Deer River watershed comprising some 50,000 square kilometres, under the Government of Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy.
And now things are coming to a head where we are entering into a second summer of severe drought, which is happening in the North Western United States as well.
At this time water flow rates in our rivers in Central/South Alberta are well below normal for this time of year, indicating depleted shallow ground water reserves.
Thankfully, the snowpack in the mountains is reported as being petty well normal which should ensure that our water reservoirs (Like Gleniffer Lake where I live) will be filled up over the summer.
Periods of drought are not new on the Canadian prairies, the last major one being in the 1930ies, during the Great Depression, also called the “dirty thirties” when dry topsoil was blown around by great winds and into peoples’ homes and literally moved from one farm to another some times by the wind.
Sad to say, but the only time we really appreciate the value of something is when we lose it. And that goes for water as well.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Drought
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Violent weather
We are now heading into the Northern summer and early high temperature events have already been reported from southern Europe and Eastern Turtle Island (North America). Associated with them are severe thunderstorms as cold dry air masses collide with warm and humid ones.
At the same time we are building massive solar and wind farms in order to generate renewable energy in places all over the world, including offshore wind farms.
The question arises: How vulnerable are these structures to violent weather events that are now increasing on an annual basis? Picture those rows and rows of solar panels just being peeled off a field like pieces of paper by a passing tornado.
Or windmills being twisted and blades shredded by same?
In contrast, nuclear plants can be placed in “geosafe” (non seismic) locations with minimal exposure to wind and weather.
And if the sun doesn’t shine and the wind declines to blow, they are still merrily working away, keeping us warm or cool as the case may be.
That is exactly what we would do if we were to set up shop on an alien planet with violent unpredictable weather. Which is what our Earth is beginning to look like.