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[thundley4]

The Straight Story   (1000+ posts)             Sun Dec-19-10 11:59 AM
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US southwest could see 60-year drought: study
   
US southwest could see 60-year drought: study

Annual tree rings record a detailed history of drought (narrow rings) and wetness (wide rings). This sample from a dead Douglas-fir tree in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Ariz., has nearly 400 rings and dates back to the year 1600. Stress cracks, visible in the foreground of the image, occur as the dead wood dries and contracts. Credit: Copyright Daniel Griffin.

An unprecedented combination of heat plus decades of drought could be in store for the Southwest sometime this century, suggests new research from a University of Arizona-led team.

To come to this conclusion, the team reviewed previous studies that document the region's past temperatures and droughts.

"Major 20th century droughts pale in comparison to droughts documented in paleoclimatic records over the past two millennia," the researchers wrote. During the Medieval period, elevated temperatures coincided with lengthy and widespread droughts.

By figuring out when and for how long drought and warm temperatures coincided in the past, the team identified plausible worst-case scenarios for the future. Such scenarios can help water and other resource managers plan for the future, the team wrote.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-hot-decades-drought...

  http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x39432

From the link.

"Major 20th century droughts pale in comparison to droughts documented in paleoclimatic records over the past two millennia," the researchers wrote. During the Medieval period, elevated temperatures coincided with lengthy and widespread droughts.

An article showing that climate change was severe in the past really confuses the DUmmies because it undermines their argument that man causes it.

[LC EFA]

I listen to these idiots making climate predictions and all I hear is <blah><blah><blah> .

Wasn't much more than 12 months ago the same breed of idiot was predicting Drought Foreverâ„¢ all across Australia.

Today ?

Well all those dams that were nearly empty then are overflowing - flooding across large parts of the eastern third of the country and water water everywhere.

All that country that was bare earth and parched ?

Six feet underwater.

Makes it hard to take them seriously.

[Tess Anderson]

Cap-and-tax just passed in California, they still believe in it.

[ColonialMarine0431]

In 2000, the British rag The Independent said that "snow is starting to disappear from our lives."

Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past

Meanwhile, White Christmas snow brings Britain to a standstill

 

Twits!

[GOBUCKS]

US southwest could see 60-year drought

Or not.

[jukin]

I'm in kalifornia and are in a five day 12 inches of rain storm. It's coming your way and it will not be pretty for the USA.

Somehow, someway I am sure that this record breaking rain, like the record breaking cold we had is TOTALLY ALL from the global warming.

[AllosaursRus]

Cap-and-tax just passed in California, they still believe in it.

We need to start contacting our congress critters right now! No ****in' bail out for a brain dead state!

These morons are hell bent on slidin' off into the ocean, without an earthquake!

[ColonialMarine0431]

congress critters

You're too kind. I have a few other adjetives I prefer to use when referencing congress. 

[diesel driver]

Cap-and-tax just passed in California, they still believe in it.

I would expect nothing less from the land of Scientologists and other assorted fruits and nuts.

[cavegal]

Kalifornia is run by loons.

[zeitgeist]

Kalifornia is run by loons.

Well they aren't the only ones (run by loons). I will offer for your perusal the following tongue in cheek commentary in todays version of Izvestia.  This is in response to a recent proposal to tax the rain coming down.

What's in a name? 'Utility' means a new 'tax'

By MARK BRIGHTON AND RAMONA CHARLAND

December 19, 2010 2:00

A spectacularly bad idea is being floated by Portsmouth City Hall at the moment. It is called a "storm water utility." When ordinary folks think of a utility, they think of an electric, gas, water, or maybe even cable bill. In exchange for their money they are getting a product, something tangible.

What is a "storm water utility?" It is in essence a tax on rain. And, yes, a rose by any other name is called a tax. How many other taxes are based on an act of God? Politicians like to gussy things up by calling them fees or a utility, but taxes they remain.

This "storm water utility" is defined as a tax on impervious surfaces on your property. In simple terms, anything that prevents or retards water penetrating the ground is an impervious surface. These include rooftops, walkways, patios, driveways, parking lots, storage areas, concrete or asphalt paving and gravel roads.

Many interesting questions arise. If someone has a dog house, will they get taxed for its roof? Will we get taxed for covering a woodpile with a tarp? Since gravel is considered impervious, would the wood pile itself also be considered impervious? If gravel is impervious, what about the rocks in a rock garden? Is a tree considered impervious? During summer showers we can sit under our canopy in our yard and not get wet.

If your driveway is sloped such that the water runs into your neighbor's yard and never makes it to the street, should you get taxed? Would residents who have purchased rain barrels get a break? How about cars? They are certainly impervious — at least, one hopes. Shouldn't they get taxed as they make the driveway doubly impervious? Should tents that your children leave up all summer long get taxed? How about your children's slide? Do tree houses count?

We can contemplate abatements to this "utility." If we suffer a drought and it doesn't rain for nine months, does that mean that three quarters of the tax will be forgiven? Does a leaky old basement qualify for an abatement? We know ours is definitely "pervious." If we punch a dozen or so six-inch holes in our drive and fill them with dirt (not gravel), will we get an abatement? For those of us really being pinched by expenses, if we punch these same holes into our roofs and catch the water in our recently purchased rain barrels, will that also qualify us for relief?

As to roofs, wouldn't taxing them as impervious surfaces be double taxation, since they are already covered through property taxes? Will we be taxed for the total square footage of our roofs or only the portion that faces the sky? Depending on the slope of one's roof, there can be an enormous difference.

Will the city tax itself for streets and sidewalks? And if it defaults, do the mayor and council get rounded up and thrown into the hoosegow? Who gets to foreclose? Shades of the "Mouse that Roared." We have the uncomfortable feeling that City Hall is operating on the premise that if a tax gets called a utility the ordinary folks — those paying the bill — have less chance of fighting it. How many times has there been a public hearing on water rates? The state of New Hampshire says it controls electric rates. Have you ever been to one of their meetings and complained?

If it is an expense, then rain water runoff needs to be a budget line item. Then we can compare relative worth and decide what we want to spend our money on. If someone from the cast of Criminal Minds is breaking into our house at night, are we considering the problem of water runoff or getting about a dozen well-armed cops kicking down our door?

If we have a chimney fire, do we pray for some of this rain or hope like heck that the Fire Department has not been phased out because of a misplaced concern for a gentle spring shower?

Exactly how many inches of rain water is a teacher worth?

Rain is an act of God, and it appears that the Portsmouth taxpayer is about to get peed on from a great height.

City Engineer Peter Rice needs to have the air quality in his office checked. He has stated, "Stormwater is viewed as being on the next frontier of pollutants of concern." Talk about a Star Trek moment. One can only hope that this is the politicians' final frontier. Beam us up, Scotty.

Mark Brighton and Ramona Charland are residents of Portsmouth.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20101219-OPINION-12190339

Why does The Beatles "Tax Man" keep running through my mind?

[thundley4]

Well they aren't the only ones (run by loons). I will offer for your perusal the following tongue in cheek commentary in todays version of Izvestia.  This is in response to a recent proposal to tax the rain coming down.



Why does The Beatles "Tax Man" keep running through my mind?

Don't worry, Obama's EPA is getting into the act regarding rainwater runoff. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stormwater-runoff

[Boudicca]

Or not.

One drought we're seeing a bit of in Arizona, and one which I totally support, is a drought of illegals.  I hope they all flee to California.

[Evil_Conservative]

I'm in kalifornia and are in a five day 12 inches of rain storm. It's coming your way and it will not be pretty for the USA.

Somehow, someway I am sure that this record breaking rain, like the record breaking cold we had is TOTALLY ALL from the global warming.

We are suppose to start getting rain tonight, all the way through Wednesday.  I believe we are going to get your rain.

[AllosaursRus]

We are suppose to start getting rain tonight, all the way through Wednesday.  I believe we are going to get your rain.

Quick! Ya better look up the last minutes of your city council meetin'! Ya might end up owin' an arm, a leg, and your first male born child!!!!!!

You're still young enough it could make a helluva difference!

[Evil_Conservative]

Quick! Ya better look up the last minutes of your city council meetin'! Ya might end up owin' an arm, a leg, and your first male born child!!!!!!

You're still young enough it could make a helluva difference!

What?  lol

I have no boys.  Just a very bratty, drama queen girl.

[AllosaursRus]

What?  lol

I have no boys.  Just a very bratty, drama queen girl.

I'll just keep my mouth shut for fear of sayin' somethin' truly repulsive! lol!

Oh, and I have one of those drama queens too! My granddaughter, she's just turned 3!

[crockspot]

Tuscon is gonna be hot and dry? Who knew?

[DumbAss Tanker]

It'll be a 60-year drought if (a) there's a drought, and (b) it lasts 60 years, two things that we'll only know in retrospect.  All this worst-case Doomsday crap is just jaw-jacking.  Could just as easily say 'Best case projections are for moderately increasing rainfall, historically bountiful crop yields, and flying monkeys shooting out of skeptics asses.' 

[true_blood]

Cap-and-tax just passed in California, they still believe in it.

One word = Liberalism.