THE US Drought Thread (merged)

CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1304

We're just a few hours drive south of Pops here in North Central Arkansas, and we're also under severe drought status. I've also given up on a fall garden. Pulling up the last of the summer garden, it was clear to me where the OK dust bowl got its name. We have one of our own in our garden.
Heineken,

Heineken

Kathy, Arkansas seems to have been in severe drought all year, according to the drought maps I've perused. I guess Katrina's rain passed well east of you?

Here in VA I've been hoping for something out of Ophelia, but it isn't looking too promising now. And other than that there's still nary a drop in sight.

A drought is agony for those tied in any way to the land. It's like Chinese water torture in reverse. If I hear one more TV weatherperson remark on what glorious weather we're having, I'm going to kick him or her right in the glass teeth.
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shakespear1 · Light Sweet Crude Joined: May 13, 2005 Posts: 1520

Yes, the weather person does not get into any analysis of the current weather situation except to wave their hands and rattle off the temperatures Crying or Very sad

A lot of good they are to the farmer.

Merlin would be more useful in this case.
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backstop · Last edited by backstop on Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:12 am; edited 1 time in total

Not wishing merely to alarm people, let alone to advance the apathy of so-called ultra-doomerism,
I'd point out that we're now at an early point in an exponential curve of intensifying climate destabilization.
I say an early point for three reasons:
1/. There is fairly strong evidence of long time-lags between Global Warming and consequent impacts on climate, due, not least, to the years taken to significantly change ocean temperatures. This means that the impacts we see now reflect GW in the '90s, the '80s or earlier still, so even if fossil fuel use stops this week we still have the results of that period of rising greenhouse gas outputs to endure.
2/. Truly massive positive feedback loops between GW, CD and mega-banks of carbon have been awoken and are in acceleration. The melting of Siberian permafrost is just the most recently publicied of these various loops. They look set to accelerate until either:
a) - natural processes cleanse the atmosphere (after the end of our GHG pollution) and cool the planet
to the point of de-activating them, or (possibly)
b) - a threshold is passed whereby the Gulf Stream ceases to carry tropical heat to the arctic,
and transforms both global climate and human society.
3/. The serious prospect of global agreement to phase out fossil fuel dependence, known as "Contraction & Convergence," has gained widespread support (mostly outside the US) in senior scientific, industrial, financial, religious and political communities - for instance the EU Parliament and the entire Africa-group of nations have formally requested it.

However, it is still a matter of painfully slow negotiation with both China & the US,
and, once agreed, it is then a process of an orderly reduction of global carbon emission budgets over a number of decades,
and just to stop making the problem worse we need to cut GHG output by about 2/3rds.
In sum, it appears that, apart from a loss of the Gulf Stream (in which case all bets are off) there is simply no avoiding several decades of intensifying climate destabilization,.
Therefore I can't stress strongly enough the importance of preparing for extreme weather events of full-spectrum range : unprecedented droughts to floods to crippling frost. As it is hard to imagine the elemental force of such an event if one's not actually experienced it, its worth observing that during hurricane Mitch some of the rivers in Honduras rose 120 ft in two days.

The farmers round here on the Welsh border have made a start on repairing old rainfall reservoirs and I'm urging more action where it'll do any good. When it comes down to it, all but the block-headed are well aware that it would only takes a few unproductive years in succession to force families off their land and down the road.
Hoping this encourages much action and no apathy,
regards,
Backstop

P.S. For those interested there's info on "Contraction & Convergence" at : www.gci.org.uk and a breif outline of its direct relevance to PO on page 9 of "Jevon's Paradox - Death by Conservation"
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Heineken

Great summary of the climate mess, backstop. Who could argue that there is a large delay built into the system? We are playing with a giant flywheel. I'm glad I'm not a child growing up today.

Personally, I'm hoping for a quick collapse of the Gulf Stream. Given Greenland's fast-melting ice shield and the accompanying vandalism to the halocline, this is looking like more and more of a possibility to my untrained eye. Although most reports focus on the impact on Europe (colder and, presumably, wetter), I think the Eastern seaboard of North America could also be strongly affected, bringing us colder and wetter weather as well. That's not to say that it would be all good, of course. Many unknowns.

But otherwise, the erratic warming and drying trend seems set to continue on both sides of the pond.

Doly · Expert Joined: Dec 03, 2004 Posts: 4027

Pops

When we lived in the Sierra Nevada foothills in California I joked that we would have beachfront property after the Big One (earthquake).
We’re around 1,200 feet above sea level here in the Ozarks now so at least we won’t be underwater.

Seriously, I just updated my plans in the Assessments and Plans thread and the number one to do item is water storage. This afternoon I going out with the tractor and scraper blade to try and get another foot or two of depth in the pond – it looks like there is a good chance of rain in the next couple of days and I may not see the bottom till the next dry year, and of course then it will be too late.
I’m thinking seriously about trying to dredge out another pond as well down in the pasture. This area gets an average of 45” of rain a year which is one of the main reasons we moved here, but I mostly water the steers from the well – a 450’ well.
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backstop

Pops -
just a thought in case it's not something you've considered -
Here in Britain we have what are called dew ponds - and I've no idea if they made it across the atlantic. They are pools up to 50ft across, often on high ground, that appear to be maintained by condensing dew.
There is a hundred years of dispute over quite how they work, but none over the fact that they do work and will sustain many head of livestock on otherwise waterless terrain.

There's some variation in design, but they nearly all include a lining of puddled clay (stock driven round for hours to poach it) sometimes over a layer of straw, and sometimes several layers of clay & straw. Some may go back to prehistoric times and their origins are unknown.
I googled for Dew Ponds' Construction a while back and got some good links, but sadly didn't note them so can't post them.

Worth a look- that is if you're not already fully up to speed on this option Cool

regards,
Backstop
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"The best of conservation . . . is written not with a pen but with an axe."
(from "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold, 1948.

kelee877

You are not the only ones..Northern Ontario Canada..and my tomatoes look like plewwwwwwwww..they have just started turning red..and that is just a bit..it is Sept 12th and today we are already at 30 degree,s celcuis and we have a humidex...I thought we where done with the heat, in fact we had a few cold days in there and I had to turn the gas heat on...I guess this is what we use to call and Indian summer....
I,m not looking forward to the winter this year things are afoot, and this weather is crazy..if I had the funds I would be out buying a wood burning stove right now and would head down the road with a flat bed and go to the wood guy..he gives his ends away for free all that you can carry...(well the sides that he slices off) some he sells, but others he cannot give away up here..we have lots of wood...

Heineken

CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1304

Pops

The dewpond idea is interesting: http://www.rexresearch.com/airwells/airwells.htm

I don’t think I have ever read about them before but it is kind of funny you mentioned it as my pond has absolutely no visible surface water draining into it aside from a little runoff from one side of the barn, the rest of the ground – for maybe 320 degrees or more definitely slopes away - heck it looks like it is higher that all the surrounding land though I haven’t actually put a transit on it. As I understand from some old folks it was there before the barn.

It isn’t in any kind of waterway whatsoever and is still is wetter that a lots of ponds I’ve seen around here that have what look like several hundred acres of watershed. Actually today I found out the hard way it is still too wet to get into with the tractor even though many ponds around are dust.

I assume subsurface water or maybe a seep keeps it fed. The soil here is 18”-20” of silt/clay loam over what they call fragipan – a very compacted layer of decomposed parent rock, which creates a perched water table. I can dig a posthole just about anywhere and though the surface appears dry that hole will have water in it in the morning – if there has been any rain in the last month that is.
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backstop

Pops -

the account of your pond is intriguing to me.

Particularly how a perched water table might somehow "put gravity aside for a bit" and rise to the highest point . . . .
Sounds weird, but actully I'd not be that surprised.

On the offchance it might have a clay liner put in by some wise old bird,
I guess you'll be going gently with the tractor ?

When you find out more, I hope you'll post about it .

regards,

Backstop
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"The best of conservation . . . is written not with a pen but with an axe."
(from "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold, 1948.

Pops

Realize the place here is rolling but the steepest slope is maybe 3 degrees so it isn’t like that pond sits on top of a big hill. OTOH, it is at the downhill end of a slight - though barely perceptible, ridge. The pond is about 50-75 feet across and the portion of the ridge high enough to drain into it is maybe 30 feet across.

After a rain the pond fills slowly over a period of days so I’m sure it is water moving along that impermeable layer and down that little ridge. It surprises me why it doesn’t just continue moving downhill to the creek though.

As I said, the subsoil here is red clay and gravel and water just won’t penetrate it, so there really wouldn’t be a need to make a liner per say if one were to try making a dewpond, its already there.

Once there is water in it again I may make some notes regarding air and water temps, humidity, water level etc. just for fun.
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Heineken

Forget ponds. I'd be happy for a damned shower.