[ RadSafe ] USA Drought

[Amoling, Ronald]

It's not all self-inflicted.  From what I've read some of it relates more to the water collection and storage.  The current system is designed to collect and use water from snow melt.  No snow, no snow melt.  They've not yet developed adequate methods of collecting rain/stormwater and collecting it in reservoirs so it pretty much runs through storm drains into the ocean.  I'm sure that this is a woefully inadequate oversimplification on my part, but the main point is that they're geared toward getting water from snow, not rain.


Ronald Amoling, RSO / EHS Manager 
American Science and Engineering, Inc. | www.as-e.com  
829 Middlesex Turnpike | Billerica, MA 01821 USA
Office +1-978-495-9012 | Cell +1-508-728-1348 | RAmoling at as-e.com


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Dixon, John E. (CDC/ONDIEH/NCEH)
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 8:55 AM
To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List' <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] USA Drought

CA's problems may in fact be self- inflicted. 40 years of not building and utilizing storage reservoirs to save a smelt fish might be one reason...

John

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of S L Gawarecki
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2015 2:25 AM
To: RadSafe <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] USA Drought

There is plenty of moisture available in the atmosphere whether icecaps are freezing or not (and they are currently melting). The California drought is a result of at least a couple of problems.

   1. Changing storm tracks - in recent years a persistent high pressure
   system has developed in the Gulf of Alaska (normally under the influence of
   the Aleutian Low), which has diverted the jet stream, and this causes
   Pacific cyclones to bear northwards away from California then dip
   southwards in the mid-continent. Coincidentally, the Gulf of Alaska has
   warmed as much as 5 degrees above its normal seasonal averages.

   2. Winter temperatures in the Sierra Nevada are warmer, so that rain is
   increasing in proportion to snow. Snow pack is what feeds the reservoirs
   into late summer, and consequently the water distribution systems.

Climatologists are hopeful that a strong El Nino predicted for this year will restore normal storm tracks and bring more rain to California. I say "prepare for mudslide season."

Regards,
*Susan Gawarecki*

ph: 865-494-0102
cell:  865-604-3724
SLGawarecki at gmail.com
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