SPRINGBANK AND JETSTREAMS

POST # 138


As a former Calgarian, I do glance at the headlines in their local newspaper called the Calgary Herald from time to time. This morning was one of those times. A headline that caught my eye had the word Springbank in it, and as I have friends that live there, I wanted to read what it was all about. It turns out that the new Premier of the province has come up with a suggestion to build a dry reservoir west of Calgary in the Springbank area, in order to protect the city from any chance of future floods, similar to the ones that happened in 2013. In addition to that, the province is analyzing a feasibility study to build a 5km tunnel from the Glenmore reservoir to the Bow River in order to divert water from the Elbow river. The combined cost of these two projects if they were to be approved is expected to be around $700 million, and would take years to complete. Naturally there is some opposition to these plans, however as quoted from the article,


Prentice defended the Springbank dry reservoir as the “most cost-effective” and “most environmentally defensible solution in the immediate term.”

While negotiations with landowners living within the boundaries of the dry reservoir would be handled with sensitivity, the government often needs to make difficult decisions, he added.

“Government involves tough decisions and tough choices,” Prentice said. “And our government is intent on making those choices.”


it appears that the government will probably go ahead, in spite of opposition which seems to be the norm for governments in this day and age. Even huge public demonstrations on a variety of issues has little or no effect on the outcome. Another quote from the article seems to confirm this:

But the coalition of Springbank landowners and environmentalists blasted the province for approving the dry reservoir, claiming the government did not adequately consult with residents and chose the reservoir because it was a “politically convenient option.”


Assuming the projects go ahead, there is absolutely no guarantee that it would make any difference in the long run. Why? Meandering jet streams. I've spoken about this in previous blog posts but just to review. Due to the rapid warming of the Arctic, the temperature gradient between the pole and the equator has been reduced, which has caused the jet stream to both slow down, and meander. The greatest side effect of this, is to cause weather systems that would normally pass through a particular area fairly rapidly, to slow down and get stuck. A classic example is what is going on in California at the moment causing severe drought conditions. The opposite of course is a torrential downpour. It all depends on which side of the jet stream you're on.

So let us get back to Mr Prentice and his plans to mitigate flooding in Calgary in the future. The money will be spent, and it will no doubt be more than is assumed at the moment (it always is), and Calgary will then think it is prepared for the next big rainstorm. The last one dumped between 8 and 10 inches of rain on the area, and the infrastructure just couldn't cope with that much water in such a short period of time. But what's to say that the next time it happens it won't be twice as much rain, or three times as much? Or perhaps the opposite happens and the Calgary area is affected by a long term drought as in California. The point is, that trying to now put in place systems that will mitigate the effect of these positive feedback loops like the meandering jet stream, are way too little, and way, way too late. It's like a doctor putting a band aid on a gaping wound. It will have virtually no impact and the patient will soon die.

But this is the world we live in now, as insane as it all seems. Perhaps the people running the show in Alberta could do a bit of study on what's really going on regarding climate change and its impact, however I don't expect that to happen. Instead, they, like many others have chosen the option below, as a way forward.

In the meantime, back here in Nanaimo, there is a furball named Piper who is wanting some attention because he is looking for a treat. Plus it's a beautiful sunny Sunday, so I want to spend some of my precious time outdoors. It's time to sign off until next month.


Happy trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

A RELAXING WEEK

POST # 137

Today, I'll just let Piper tell the story of what the past week has been like around here.

In other words, it's been a very relaxed week with Mr. Piper. I'm so relaxed that I can't even come up with much to write about, even though I know there is plenty of material to chose from. However, I did come across a quote this week which I rather liked and it is as follows:

"Happiness, whether consisting in pleasure or virtue, or both, is more often found with those who are highly cultivated in their minds and in their character, and have only a moderate share of external goods..."

Aristotle (384bc - 322bc)



Happy Trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

And a late PS: Today was the world climate march, which is meant to wake up the world to the problems faced by climate change. Unfortunately, this day, like so many others will pass by, and nothing will change. We've past the point of no return on the climate front, and now mother nature is in control. Plenty of speeches will be made, but in the end it won't make any difference at all. This is where we are at on September 21st 2014.

A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS AND I WONDER WHERE HE IS TODAY? (plus a bonus video)

POST # 136


This past week my thoughts went back to a young Indian lad I had come to know and like during my travels to Srinigar in Kashmir back in the year 1980. He was probably around ten years old at the time, but I can't remember his name. A Canadian friend and me were relaxing on a houseboat on Lake Dal in Srinigar, after having completed a long and interesting bus ride from New Delhi. As I recall, we stayed on the houseboat for close to a week, and during that time our little Indian friend was there to help us with whatever we needed. Along with helping around the houseboat, he was also our Shikara boat operator, and in this role, he would paddle us to shore and back to the houseboat when we needed to go to town to buy supplies.

SHIKARA BOATS AND HOUSEBOATS ON LAKE DAL IN SRINIGAR



On our final ride to shore in preparation for our departure back to New Delhi, the mood was somewhat sad. Richard and I had become friends with this young man and soon we would have to say our final goodbye, knowing that we would probably never meet again. However, I had a plan that I hoped would help during the goodbye scene. I had been practising the harmonica for a while, and I could tell that the young man was interested in it. As we got out of the boat, I handed the harmonica to him as a gift. It was just a random act of kindness, however the joy that it brought to the both of us was something that I can still recall, and even now, it puts a smile on my face. My friend Richard even managed to get a photo of the scene. Somehow, that small gesture, made our goodbye, a little bit easier to cope with.

So why after 34 years, would this memory have popped back into my brain? Meandering jet streams, is probably why. You see, this past week, Srinigar and the surrounding area has been inundated with extreme amounts of rain which has caused unprecedented flooding.

This...

...and this

For those paying attention, this scene has become common in various locations around the world now. As the Arctic sea ice continues its trend to zero, the temperature gradient between the equator and the pole becomes less, which causes the jet stream to slow down and meander, and so when it rains in a particular area, it REALLY RAINS. Even my home town of Calgary had the opportunity to experience what this was like last year.

THE ELBOW RIVER WITH THE HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL WHERE I WAS BORN (top centre, light brown colour) AND MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL (top right corner of photo)

And, wherever it happens, the infrastructure in place just cannot cope with such a huge amount of water in such a short period of time. (For more info you can check out guymcpherson.com or google Dr. Jennifer Francis regarding the meandering jet stream)

My little Indian friend, if alive today, would be in his mid 40's, and if he is still living in Srinigar, I can only imagine what he must be having to go through now.















And finally for today, here is a video that I came across this week, and I thought it could be of interest to anyone in the audience who might be considering a flight on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. After watching this, I would have to think twice about it.


Happy trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

PHOTO BLOG IN NANAIMO

POST # 135

Just for a change of pace, I've decided to do a photo blog for today. Every picture is worth a thousand words as they say, so here we go.

BEWARE OF CATS BEARING GIFTS


And speaking of cats:

PRETTY PIPER


...and again

HIS AFTER DINNER NAP TIME


...and don't forget

CAT YOGA


Moving right along, it's time to go for a bike ride,

down to the harbour,

to look at the boats,

...and eventually return back home, to see just how dry the grass is.

But it's not all bad, as there are yummy things growing in the garden.

...and

Piper likes living here because the sign on the front door says:

But there is another sign at the front door, which is probably a warning to all the dogs in the neighbourhood and it says:

Time for an afternoon nap with Paul.

PIPER WITH A STRANGE GROWTH COMING OUT OF HIS HEAD

And finally, after a long and rewarding day of eating and sleeping, Piper is now ready to curl up with his house sitter friend, and turn out the light.

However, just to be absolutely crystal clear who runs the show around here, Piper likes to make sure I'm aware of this book:

Happy trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer