Sears

Not the retail chain, but what the sun seems to be doing to us. The government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a State of the Climate Report for July that should have us deeply concerned. Here’s the main emphasis of that report:

Drought expands to cover nearly 63% of the Lower 48; wildfires consume 2 million acres

The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during July was 77.6°F, 3.3°F above the 20th century average, marking the hottest July and the hottest month on record for the nation. The previous warmest July for the nation was July 1936 [Dust Bowl Memories, if I recall] when the average U.S. temperature was 77.4°F. The warm July temperatures contributed to a record-warm first seven months of the year and the warmest 12-month period the nation has experienced since recordkeeping began in 1895…

· Higher-than-average temperatures engulfed much of the contiguous U.S. during July, with the largest temperature departures from the 20th century average occurring across most of the Plains, the Midwest, and along the Eastern Seaboard. Virginia had its warmest July on record, with a statewide temperature 4.0°F above average. In total, 32 states had July temperatures among its ten warmest, with seven states having their second warmest July on record.

· Drier-than-average conditions continued across the Central Plains and Midwest during July. Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri had July precipitation totals ranking among their ten driest. Maine had its fifth driest July on record.

· An active storm pattern in the Southwest contributed to California having its fifth wettest July on record and Nevada having its eighth wettest. Wetter-than-average conditions were also observed through the rest of the Southwest, along the western Gulf Coast, and through the Ohio Valley where West Virginia had its tenth wettest July.

· The warm and dry conditions over a large portion of the country were associated with ideal wildfire conditions. Over 2 million acres were burned nationwide during July due to wildfires, nearly half a million acres above average, and the fourth most on record since 2000.

Oh, and on August 9^th, NOAA made this little announcement that altered their earlier prediction of a normal hurricane season (reported on Weather.Aol.com): “Forecasters say wind patterns conducive to storm formation and warmer-than-normal sea temperatures mean chances are higher for an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season… NOAA forecasters say they expect 12 to 17 tropical storms, with as many as five to eight hurricanes, for the season from June 1 to Nov. 30. Two to three storms could become major hurricanes.” Too much water in certain places, not enough in others.

Global warming confirmed? Is there a silver lining to this, or are we facing a perpetual dust bowl going for the foreseeable future? We are pumping about 5 trillion gallons a year out of that massive Ogallala Aquifer (that stretches from the Dakotas to north Texas and supplies a huge proportion of water to our grain-growing plains states), a body that will be down to 20% of capacity by 2020. Beyond that, it could all drain away, with no shot at replacement through expected precipitation. Like the temperatures this summer? What will it be like next year?

If nothing else, this temperature debacle is a reminder to all of us to pay more attention to our water supplies and understand that they are rapidly depleting resources. We need to eliminate wasteful irrigation practices (like gravity irrigation that pumps too much water into the top of a field to make sure there is enough at the bottom), use a lot more focused watering (like drip irrigation that has been so successful in the Israeli deserts), create greater variety in our crop selections for these regions and emphasis the introduction of new strains of vegetation that require less water. It’s all possible, but for once, can we plan for this future rather than incur massive devastation first and then react to it?

I’m Peter Dekom, and if we do not plan for continued drought conditions, we may find ourselves importing yet another commodity: food!