Archive for the 'erosion' Category

Suffocating The Desert: L.A.’s Need for Water Hurts Others

Published on 05/10/2013 in erosion, hydrology, lakes, management and policy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Photo retrieved from: www.kcet.org

“The skin of the desert has been peeled away. It is aloft, and it chokes those of us who breathe here. Each scrape from each stray plow or dozer, each square foot of exposed lakebed with the water siphoned off, each section of desert deemed to be more useful as a blank square mile ends up as dust in the air. It hangs in our skies. It collects in our lungs. It kills us by increment, and someone else benefits.

My life has been shortened by living here. I have been sick. For the past eight months I have mostly woken in coughing fits. My abdominal muscles ache from it. My body heals itself as best it can, but the slightest cold, the slightest cloud of vapor from a gas pump that would cause a short moment of choking before I moved here, and I’m off again for weeks. It doesn’t take much dust. One day in a month, perhaps, of the blue sky replaced by khaki and that sick metallic, greasy smell is all it takes.

You might come visit for a weekend at a time and never see the dust. You might never get the feeling in running your fingers through your hair that they come away coated in talcum and static electricity. You might never find yourself wondering if that trip to the grocery store might cost you a day’s work in lung spasms.

Stay here for more than a couple weeks and you will know the feeling.

Dust was in court last week, or at least dust’s advocates at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) were in court, hearing their lawsuit against the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District get thrown out on a technicality. LADWP is concerned that taking action to keep alkaline dust from blowing off the Owens Lake bed, which it dried out by stages over the last century, would be — in words LADWP uses over and over again — ” “a waste of water.”

Read more: KCET

 

lily victoria

A 12 Step Program to Stopping Drought and Desertification

Published on 08/03/2012 in agriculture, desertification, drought, erosion, groundwater, management, peak water, solutions and outreach, water conservation, water shortage and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Photo retrieved from: www.greenprophet.com

“Soaring temperatures and low precipitation could not occur at a worse time for many farmers in the United States, and around the world. Intensifying drought conditions are affecting corn and soybean crops throughout the Midwest, raising grain prices as well as concerns about future food prices.

The US Drought Monitor reports that 88 percent of this year’s corn crop and 77 percent of the soybean crop are now affected by the most severe drought since 1988. In response the Worldwatch Institutelaunched a 12 step guide to combatting drought and desertification. These tips can be used by policy makers around the world and in dry climates in the Middle East. Read on for the list.

1. Agroforestry: Planting trees in and around farms reduces soil erosion by providing a natural barrier against strong winds and rainfall. Tree roots also stabilize and nourish soils. The 1990 Farm Bill established the USDA National Agroforestry Center with the expressed aim of encouraging farmers to grow trees as windbreaks or as part of combined forage and livestock production, among other uses. See Green Prophet’s feature on the Nabateans to see how this idea can be applied in the Middle East.

2. Soil management: Alternating crop species allows soil periods of rest, restores nutrients, and also controls pests. Soil amendments, such as biochar, help soils retain moisture near the surface by providing a direct source of water and nutrients to plant roots, even in times of drought.”

Read more: Green Prophet

 

lily victoria

Waldo Canyon Fire: 20 Percent Of Soil So Severely Burned It Is Likened To ‘Moonscape’

Published on 07/19/2012 in climate change, drought, erosion, fires, forests, groundwater, hydrology and riparian zone. 0 Comments Tags: .

Photo retrieved from: www.huffingtonpost.com

“The Waldo Canyon Fire, the most destructive wildfire in state history, burned so hot that wildfire experts say that nearly 20 percent of the total 18,247 acres (29 square miles) consumed by the blaze was burned so severely that no living vegetation was left on the surface nor root systems left below the surface to a depth of about 4 inches, The Associated Press reports.

The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment team determined that 3,375 acres or about 5 square miles was determined to be damaged so badly, left so baren after the blaze ripped through the area that it was likened to moonscape, U.S. Forest Service hydrologist Dana Butler said.

BAER broke the burn severity of the soils and watersheds into three levels, besides the nearly 20 percent severely burned, the group found the remainder of the area to be 41 percent low or unburned severity (7,586 acres) and 40 percent moderate severity (7,286 acres), according to InciWeb.org”

Read more: Huffington Post

lily victoria

Landslide Risk at Reservoir Cited in China

Published on 04/19/2012 in dam removal, dams, displacement of people, erosion and floods. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

“A growing threat of landslides on ground surrounding the massive Three Gorges Dam reservoir could force the government to relocate 100,000 more residents of the area, from which 46,000 were moved earlier, an expert with China’s land and resources ministry said this week.

“The dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric project, has been a target of criticism by environmentalists and some geologists since before the reservoir began to inundate a long stretch of the Yangtze River, long regarded as one of the world’s scenic wonders, in 2003. A massive landslide occurred that year, followed by others, but only in 2007 did the government admit that the rising waters were causing instability and that a catastrophe could occur unless preventive steps were taken.

“Officials have recorded 430 landslides and nearly 2,900 smaller geological incidents along the lakeshore, and 5,386 other potentially dangerous sites are being monitored, Mr. Liu said.

“The government relocated 1.4 million people to build the dam and reservoir, which is comparatively narrow but longer than Lake Superior in North America. The latest proposed relocation would affect residents along hundreds of miles of twisting lakeshore from Jiangjin, in the Chongqing municipality, to the dam’s location at Yichang, in Hubei Province.”

Read More: nytimes

Chippie Kislik

Africa’s great ‘water grab’

Published on 12/03/2011 in agriculture, deforestation, desertification, displacement of people, drought, erosion, hydrology, policy, rivers, water rights, water shortage, water wars and world water supply. 0 Comments

The banks of the Niger river, in southern Mali, have been flooded by a steady stream of foreigners. Coveted by foreign investors eager to snap up large tracts of fertile farmland, the river basin has been at the centre of a race to get hold of African land at rock-bottom prices. Meanwhile, last week, hundreds of smallholder farmers and civil society activists flocked to the same river basin for the first international conference to tackle the global rush for land.

West Africa‘s largest river, the Niger is thought to sustain over 100 million people as it snakes 4,180km through Guinea, Mali and Niger before emptying into Nigeria’s colossal Niger Delta. In Mali, the Office du Niger is home to the vast majority of the country’s largescale land deals, seen by campaigners as emblematic of the “land grabs” taking place in developing countries. Recent estimates suggest that foreign investment in Mali’s limited arable land jumped by 60% between 2009 and 2010. But the potential knock-on effects of these land deals on local communities’ access to water has rarely made it centre-stage.

Ongoing research from the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development seeks to redress this blindspot, honing in on how such land deals might affect water access for fishing, farming and pastoralist communities. In a policy paper out on Thursday, the IIED’s Jamie Skinner and Lorenzo Cotula warn that an alarming number of African governments seem to be signing away water rights for decades, with major implications for local communities.

Read More: The Guardian

 

jenna cavelle

Australia’s Breadbasket Faces Water Squeeze

Published on 12/01/2011 in agriculture, drought, erosion, groundwater, management, peak water and water rights. 0 Comments

“CANBERRA—A plan to reduce water use in Australia’s key food-producing region is pitting farmers against environmentalists and throwing the long-term future of the country’s breadbasket into question.

The release of a draft plan to cut the supply of irrigation water in the Murray-Darling Basin, an area about the size of Texas and California combined, has angered both sides. Conservationists say it isn’t enough to restore local river systems and farmers say it could cost thousands of jobs and drive up food prices.

The basin, degraded by drought, state governments’ overallocation of water rights and by rising levels of salinity in the soil, an effect of irrigation, generates about 15 billion Australian dollars (US$14.7 billion) in agricultural produce a year, mostly grains, livestock and fiber. It accounts for 40% of national farm output by value and well over half of irrigated farm production, using nearly all the water held in the basin area.

The new plan, published over the weekend, proposes to recover 2,750 gigaliters of water a year—more than five times the volume found in the Sydney Harbour area—from irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin. One gigaliter, a billion liters, is enough to fill about 444 Olympic swimming pools.”

Read More: Online Wall Street Journal

 

 

jenna cavelle

Ravi Water Flow: India, Pak Engineers Battle It Out

Published on 07/01/2011 in erosion, floods, rivers, water diversions and water wars. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Ravi River. Retrieved from: www.skyscrapercity.com

“AMRITSAR: Every year the banks of river Ravi becomes the battle field for the engineers of both India and Pakistan during rainy the season. Indian engineers are at war of wits with their Pakistani counterparts in not only preventing the erosion of strategically important land on banks of Ravi but also in neutralising Pakistan’s offensive to deflect river course to India.

Sources informed TOI on Thursday that Pakistan has constructed various bundhs along the river in Amritsar and Gurdaspur sectors to deflect the river course. They have also constructed defense structures including bunkers by raising high bundh on Ichhogil canal.

Due to construction of these bundhs, a large part of land from Ranian and Kakkar villages of Indian side are washed away during the rainy season. During this season Pakistan releases water, nearly one lakh cusec, from its villages of Mandhal and Marala and it increases the water level in Indian villages up to 3 lakh cusec. This high flow of water submerges villages around Ranian and Kakkar. ”

Read more: The Times of India

lily victoria

Estuaries on the northwestern coast of Madagascar As Seen From Orbit

Published on 06/23/2011 in aquatic ecosystems, erosion, riparian zone and rivers. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Estuaries on the northwestern coast of Madagascar are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 28 crew member on the International Space Station. Photo retrieved from: www.spaceref.com

“This photograph highlights two estuaries located along the northwestern coastline of the island of Madagascar. The Mozambique Channel (top) separates Madagascar from the southeastern coast of Africa. Bombetoka Bay (upper left) is fed by the Betsiboka River and is a frequent subject of astronaut photography due to its striking red floodplain sediments. Mahajamba Bay (right) is fed by several rivers including the Mahajamba and Sofia Rivers; like the Betsiboka, the floodplains of these rivers also contain reddish sediments eroded from their basins upstream.

The brackish (mix of fresh and salty water) conditions found in most estuaries host unique plant and animal species adapted to live in such environments. Mangroves in particular are a common plant species found in and around Madagascar estuaries, and Bombetoka Bay contains some of the largest remaining stands. Estuaries also host abundant fish and shellfish species — many of which need access to freshwater for a portion of their life cycles — and these in turn support local and migratory bird species that prey on them.

However, human activities such as urban development, overfishing, and increased sediment loading from erosion of upriver highlands threaten the ecosystem health of the estuaries. In particular, the silt deposits in Bombetoka Bay at the mouth of the Betsiboka River have been filling in the bay.”

Read more: Spaceref

lily victoria

China admits problems with Three Gorges Dam

Published on 05/25/2011 in aquatic ecosystems, dams, drought, erosion, floods, groundwater, hydrology, hydropower, management, peak water, rivers, species extinction and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

dam skippy

Photo retrieved from: NatureNews.com

“China has finally admitted that all is not rosy with its Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric power project. The dam is plagued by problems that need to be resolved urgently, the State Council — China’s cabinet — said last Wednesday.

“The statement was made after a high-level meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, and highlights issues such as pollution, silt accumulation, ecological deterioration and geological hazards near the dam. It also points out the project’s adverse effects on irrigation, water supply and shipping in downstream regions, which affect an area of 633,000 square kilometres over eight provinces. These problems should be addressed through more research and monitoring, and more efficient dam operation, the statement says.

“The admission was welcomed by Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environment Affairs, a non-governmental organization in Beijing. “Although China had acknowledged problems in the dam areas before, this was the first time that it admitted the project’s negative impact on the middle and lower reaches of the river,” he says.”

read more: Nature News

chrismorrow

Smithsonian Studies Landslides: How Rainfall Dried Up Panama’s Drinking Water

Published on 05/16/2011 in contaminated water, erosion and floods. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Retrieved from: art daily

“To understand the long-term effects of a prolonged tropical storm in the Panama Canal watershed, Robert Stallard, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and research hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, and Armando Ubeda, the LightHawk Mesoamerica program manager, organized four flights over the watershed to create a digital map of landslide scars.

“Two feet of heavy rain inundated the Panama Canal watershed between Dec. 7 and 10, 2010. Landslides tore down steep slopes, choking rivers with sediment and overwhelming Panama City’s water-treatment plant. Flooding closed the Panama Canal for the first time since 1935. Despite the deluge, the influx of sediments in the water forced authorities to shut down the plant, leaving a million residents of central Panama without clean drinking water for nearly a month.

“LightHawk, a conservation organization based in the U.S., donates flights for research and conservation efforts. Retired United Airlines captain David Cole flew the Cessna 206 aircraft, and the four flights yielded images of 191 square miles (495 square kilometers) of watershed. Stallard observed numerous new landslide scars left behind by the December storm, supporting his prediction that landslides supplied much of the suspended sediment that disrupted Panama’s water supply.

“The new watershed erosion map will allow Stallard and collaborators from the Panama Canal Authority to calculate the landslide risk of future storms and direct strategies to minimize the effect on Panama’s water supply.

“Tropical hydrologists agree that river-borne sediment originates from surface erosion or from deep erosion from landslides. In 1985, Stallard predicted that “deep erosion, not shallow surface erosion, is the primary process controlling the chemistry and sediment levels in many tropical rivers that pass through mountainous areas.” Few studies have been conducted to test this prediction.

“Deforestation of steep slopes is the primary factor determining the number of landslides. Six decades of aerial photographs analyzed by USGS researchers in similar landscapes in Puerto Rico showed that landslide frequency doubles outside protected nature preserves, and that roads and infrastructure make landslides eight times more likely. Although landslides happen in natural forests, the objective is to limit their impact through appropriate land-use practices.”

Read more: art daily

sammykayed