Who Likes Shack Nasties: *cars Cause Rivers To Dry*

[Harps]

People blamed for water woes in West By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer

Thu Jan 31, 2:00 PM ET

 

Human activity such as driving and powering air conditioners is responsible for up to 60 percent of changes contributing to dwindling water supplies in the arid and growing West, a new study finds.

 

Those changes are likely to accelerate, says the study published Thursday in Science magazine, portending "a coming crisis in water supply for the western United States."

 

The study is likely to add to urgent calls for action already coming from Western states competing for the precious resource to irrigate farms and quench the thirst of growing populations. Devastating wildfires, avalanches and drought have also underscored the need.

 

Researchers led by climate expert Tim P. Barnett at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, studied climate changes in the West between 1950-1999. They noted that winter precipitation falls increasingly as rain rather than snow, snow melts faster, river flows decrease in summer months, and overall warming is exacerbating dry summer conditions.

 

The researchers used statistical modeling to compare climate changes that would have happened with natural fluctuations over time, to climate changes with the addition of human-caused greenhouse gases and other emissions from vehicles, power plants and other sources.

 

They found that most changes in river flow, temperature and snow pack between 1950 and 1999 can be attributed to human activities, such as driving, that release emissions including carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

 

The changes they observed differed significantly from trends that could be attributed to natural fluctuations between wet and dry periods over time, they said.

 

"The climate's changing in the West. We've known that. The question is why, and no one's really addressed that," Barnett said in an interview. According to his study, "The answer is it is us."

 

"The picture painted is quite grim so it's time to collectively sit down and get our act together," Barnett added, suggesting the need for conservation, more water storage, and a slowdown on development in the desert Southwest.

 

"The building is just going crazy, so it would be a pretty good idea to put a curb on that unless they can figure out how to get more water," he said.

 

The study also included researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of Washington, Seattle, and the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan.

 

"Our results are not good news for those living in the western United States," they conclude. The research "foretells of water shortages, lack of storage capability to meet seasonally changing river flow, transfers of water from agricultural to urban uses and other critical impacts."

 

On the Net: http://www.sciencemag.org/sciencexpress/recent.dtl

 

See also this recently:

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080131/ful...s.2008.545.html

Greenhouse effect has 'significantly dried' the western United States

 

[Gary]

Interesting note and makes sense. Unfortunately most Albertans if not Canadians know what the U.S. solution will be. I have heard tell already of an Albertan being trained in how to negotiate with the US regarding the sale of our water.....and I am not talking about bottled water.

[Taco]

So that's why an old NDPer took a run @ the Conservative nomination

[Gary]

Yeah still trying to figure that one out myself at times Taco Only thing absolute in politics: is there are no absolutes.

[Taco]

Alberta politics Gary, Alberta politics.... keeps the rest of the Canada confused too