California drought: before/after

[Ns1]

O_O

http://imgur.com/a/IgoUq

 

[MrCassdin]

Things were worse in the 70s, right?

 

[KeithP]

Things were worse in the 70s, right?

I don't believe so. Plus, some scientists have speculated, based on geological/fossil evidence, that this area has experienced droughts (in the distant past) that might have lasted for decades, or more.

http://time.com/1986/hundred-years-of-dry-how-californias-drought-could-get-much-much-worse/

If you go back thousands of years, you see that droughts can go on for years if not decades, and there were some dry periods that lasted over a century, like during the Medieval period and the middle Holocene [the current geological epoch, which began about 11,000 years ago]. The 20th century was unusually mild here, in the sense that the droughts weren’t as severe as in the past. It was a wetter century, and a lot of our development has been based on that.*

*emphasis mine

That being said, every "California drought" email/link that I have seen so far contains misleading, mislabeled pictures. Someone else can do the leg work on this one to see if it is accurate.

-KeithP

 

[sandorski]

Wow

 

[rsbennett00]

So the lesson here? Stop farking with nature by making lakes.

I swear every day I hate humanity more and more.

 

[squarecut1]

So the lesson here? Stop farking with nature by making lakes.

I swear every day I hate humanity more and more.

Is that infinite hate then, or is there an upper limit?

 

[T9D]

There are droughts, then ample water, droughts, ample water. Same cycle there has always been in California. Interesting to see before and after though. Lake Shasta always does the up and way down water line constantly. They didn't show it on there but I used to drive over it all the time and it was the same as those photos.

 

[Kadarin]

I remember 1976 being pretty bad.

 

[bradley]

So the lesson here? Stop farking with nature by making lakes.

I swear every day I hate humanity more and more.

Your post just reminded me of Lake Peigneur's Salt Mine drilling accident
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cXnxGIDhOA

Except for water reservoirs, I agree about man-made lakes being a bad idea and California has a huge number. Apparently Lake Shasta and Oroville are the biggest man-made lakes in the state.

Wish I could find a map listing all of the naturally occurring and made-made lakes in the US.

 

[rsbennett00]

Is that infinite hate then, or is there an upper limit?

It's just depressing. Whomever made that comparison to humans being a virus on this planet seems so apt. We multiply, consume, destroy, and ultimately wipe out most/all life on our host.

 

[mmntech]

A third of California is desert. When people first settled there, they were miners or ranchers. Somewhere along the line, they decided to try farming it. Problem is that industrial agriculture requires vast amounts of water. Which isn't a problem if you, say, live on the eastern half of the continent. Though even we're susceptible to drought. Really, we're just repeating the same mistakes that were made in the Dust Bowl.

 

[JulesMaximus]

We're building a desalinization plant here in Carlsbad (near where I live) but that won't be online until sometime in 2016. It will be interesting to see how much that helps with our water needs.

 

[Imp]

I call dibs on the stuff at the bottom of all those water bodies.

... Looks like in the future, you won't have to blow money building and maintaining bridges. All that money goes into desalination.

 

[squarecut1]

It's just depressing. Whomever made that comparison to humans being a virus on this planet seems so apt. We multiply, consume, destroy, and ultimately wipe out most/all life on our host.

Because we as a specie have that intelligence which has made us selfish and greedy. The root cause of so much strife in this third planet from earth

 

[JulesMaximus]

Because we as a specie have that intelligence which has made us selfish and greedy. The root cause of so much strife in this third planet from earth

I hope you didn't labor too long on that thought.

 

[MrPickins]

I call dibs on the stuff at the bottom of all those water bodies.

Texas has the same situation going on, and they've been taking the opportunity to move flooded cars (among other crap) off the bottom of the lakes.

 

[crashtech]

We're building a desalinization plant here in Carlsbad (near where I live) but that won't be online until sometime in 2016. It will be interesting to see how much that helps with our water needs.

Need to see a lot more of that. I wonder if conservation efforts are going to be enough to see the state through? Lots of dead lawns in the near term, I think, to be replaced with colored rocks or what-have-you. I remember living through a drought there back in the early nineties, we kept a 5 gal bucket in the shower to flush the toilet and washed our cars on the lawn. I think back then the efforts were so successful that they caused a revenue shortfall for the DWP.

 

[lxskllr]

I hope you didn't labor too long on that thought.

Pretty cool meeting a Saturnite. What are the odds?

 

[Imp]

Need to see a lot more of that. I wonder if conservation efforts are going to be enough to see the state through? Lots of dead lawns in the near term, I think, to be replaced with colored rocks or what-have-you. I remember living through a drought there back in the early nineties, we kept a 5 gal bucket in the shower to flush the toilet and washed our cars on the lawn. I think back then the efforts were so successful that they caused a revenue shortfall for the DWP.

I haven't checked the stats in a while, but I think I remember reading or hearing that the most water used is for industrial purposes. Every last bit counts... especially when you use water to make the front or back of your house prettier. At least showers and toilets are sanitation related. Using good water to flush shit doesn't make much sense, but at least it makes sense in terms of plumbing.

 

[RaistlinZ]

I call dibs on the stuff at the bottom of all those water bodies.

Wouldn't be surprised to find numerous skeletons down there.

 

[Jaskalas]

Things were worse in the 70s, right?

CA population -

1970: 20 million
2014: 39 million

:hmm:

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wow that's crazy, what exactly happened? Even if people are using more water doesn't the waste just go back into the ecosystem anyway after it's been treated? It's almost like there were more natural dams at one point and they all been removed. Or is it because of global warming and it's just evaporating all?

 

[SagaLore]

Captions include man-made lake and resevoir. Umm okay. The trees look fine.

 

[Jaskalas]

Wow that's crazy, what exactly happened?

The drought is focused on CA. Basically there have been no El Ninos since 2010. Without that their winter does not give them the snowpack they need.

This drier condition is expected to persist for the next 25-30 years, with more La Ninas and fewer El Ninos.

 

[Ns1]

We're fucked. It's not the earthquakes that's gonna kill us, it's the fucking drought. I'm moving to Canada or Washington or something.