Drought
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Boat

Drought in Europe threatens major shipping river

Europe's low water levels threaten Rhine river
Europe's low water levels threaten Rhine river

The Rhine is an important shipping route for raw materials such as grain, chemicals, minerals, coal and oil products including fuel oil.

Companies are keeping a close eye on its water levels and the potential impact on their operations.

The water levels on the Rhine have recently continued to drop due to soaring hot temperatures and lack of rainfall in the region.


Sun

France on course for driest July on record

france drought
© Fabrice COFFRINI / AFPAn aerial view shows the dried out bed of Brenets Lake, part of the Doubs river, a natural border between eastern France and western Switzerland
"The month of July will very likely be the driest July ever recorded since 1959," spokesman Christian Veil from Meteo-France told AFP.

On average, just eight mm (0.3 inches) of rain fell across the country from July 1-25, less than the previous low of 16 mm which was clocked in 2020, he said.

Comment: See also:


Sun

Most of France on drought alert, farmers forced to reduce water use by 50% in some regions, harvest also threatened by recurrent heatwave

Doubs river France Drought 2022
© Fabrice COFFRINI / AFPThe bed of the Doubs river in eastern France, which has dried up
Almost all of France is now on drought alert, with restrictions on water usage as the country battles an exceptionally dry summer.


Comment: It's exceptional, but it's not unprecedented, there have been others years where similar dry conditions have been recorded.


After record breaking heatwaves and forest fires across the country, most of France is now on drought alert.

Drought is impacting almost the entirety of the country from east to west. Of the 96 French mainland départements, 86 are currently on some level of drought alert, meaning there are restrictions on water usage in place.

There are four levels of alert, beginning with least to most severe: vigilance, alert (yellow), heightened alert (orange), and crisis (red).

Comment: An agrometeorologist details how the government figures conceal just how badly affected the production of wheat in France has been by the drought and heatwaves:
[Thread] Reassuring messages are circulating on the estimate of NATIONAL wheat production. "Only" -5.8% compared to 2016-22 (Agreste). This national figure hides the reality of #[drought] : the figures are much worse at the departmental level. Explanations

See also: Video shows explosion and fire at Hoover Dam in US


Info

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: You need to do this if you want to survive

david
Massive droughts in Europe and N. America decreasing crop yields right as Amazon forbids the sale of Mylar Bags if they are not see through. How to live without money in a grid down event.


Water

Mismanagement or green agenda? California's farmland rapidly turns to dust amid water crisis

California drought
As much of the Western US suffers from a historic drought, all eyes have shifted to Californian farmers as hundreds of thousands of acres become fallow in a state responsible for a tremendous amount of US food production.

Unprecedented cuts to water supplies are jeopardizing the future of growing for many farmers. Drought conditions are worsening, making it harder for farmers to irrigate crops.

Comment: The MSM makes it appear as this is due to global warming, yet the huge reservoirs in California were built because years with little rain and snowmelt were known in the past. In 2019 California was officially out of the drought and all the reservoirs were full with enough water to last 5 dry years. An article from 2021 gives some to the explanation:
Engdahl: A sinister agenda behind the California water crisis?
The Green lobby is asserting, while presenting no factual evidence, that Global Warming, i.e. increased CO2 manmade emission, is causing the drought. The NOAA examined the case and found no evidence. But the media repeats the narrative to advance the Green New Deal agenda with frightening statements such as claiming the drought is, "comparable to the worst mega-droughts since 800 CE."

After 2011, California underwent a severe seven year drought. The drought ended in 2019 as major rains filled the California reservoir system to capacity. According to state water experts the reservoirs held enough water to easily endure at least a five-year drought. Yet two years later, the administration of Governor Newsom is declaring a new drought and threatening emergency measures. What his Administration is not saying is that the State Water Board and relevant state water authorities have been deliberately letting water flow into the Pacific Ocean. Why? They say to save two endangered fish species that are all but extinct — one, a rare type of Salmon, the second a Delta Smelt, a tiny minnow-size fish of some 2" size which has all but disappeared.
[...]
Allegedly to "save" these fish varieties, during just 14 days in May, according to Kristi Diener, a California water expert and farmer, "90% of (Bay Area) Delta inflow went to sea. It's equal to a year's supply of water for 1 million people." Diener has been warning repeatedly in recent years that water is unnecessarily being let out to sea as the state faces a normal dry year. She asks, "Should we be having water shortages in the start of our second dry year? No. Our reservoirs were designed to provide a steady five year supply for all users, and were filled to the top in June 2019."
[...]
Appointed by green Gov. Jerry Brown as chair of the State Water Board in 2018, Marcus is directly responsible for the draining of the reservoirs into the ocean after they filled in 2019, using the claim of protecting endangered species. In March 2021 with Marcus as attorney, the NRDC requested that the State Water Resources Control Board Marcus headed until recently, take "immediate action" to address perceived threats to listed salmon in the Sacramento River watershed from Central Valley Project ("CVP") operations. This as the state is facing a new drought emergency?

In 2020 Gov. Gavin Newsom, a protégé of Jerry Brown, signed Senate Bill 1, the California Environmental, Public Health and Workers Defense Act, which would send billions of gallons of water out to the Pacific Ocean, ostensibly to save more fish. It was a cover for manufacturing the present water crisis and specifically attacking farming, as incredible as it may seem.
The Globe in an article from August 2021 wrote:
It was only in April when California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press event in Oroville, with a 60% empty Oroville Dam Reservoir as his backdrop, and said he was not ready to declare an official drought emergency - despite that the previous two weeks 91% of Delta inflow went to the sea, state pumps were at -97%, federal pumps at -85%, and outflows showed 6,060,828,600 gallons. Since April, Oroville has been drained almost dry.
[...]
People forget the winter of 2019 brought 200 percent of average rains and snow pack. The state's reservoirs held enough water for 5 to 7 years. Yet the state still held back on water to farmers, and residents faced rationing, the Globe reported May 2019, proving that water in California is a political football.
[...]
"Lake Oroville was at full capacity two years ago, as well as in 2017," said LaMalfa. "This dam was designed to provide water and power through five years of drought. Governor Newsom's administration mismanaged and wasted so much water that Oroville ran out of water in just a year and half. Throughout the winter and spring, the state let water out of the lake, ignoring that we were in a drought. The government has used our water for its pet projects like the delta smelt, a fish no one has found a single one of in over three years. Yet families and farms have seen dramatic cutbacks in their water availability. Mismanagement of our water means we lose 450 megawatts of power, recreation, drinking water, water for farms and water for fall run salmon. Everybody loses because of the states wasteful management," LaMalfa said.



Sun

Huge crop losses expected as Italy endures prolonged heatwave

dried
© PIERO CRUCIATTI
Italy is experiencing an unusual and prolonged heat wave and little rain this summer. Experts say it's the worst drought in 70 years in the country and the government has been forced to declare a state of emergency in five northern regions until the end of this year to deal with the situation.

Emergency funds amounting to €37 million were also announced along with special powers for regional authorities to help guarantee public safety and to offer compensation for agricultural losses.

The heat and lack of rain being experienced, particularly in the Po Valley, are not only drying up the rivers but causing significant concern to the agriculture sector in what is normally one of the country's breadbaskets.

"It's the perfect storm, less than 70 percent of snow in the winter, four months of lack of rain, temperatures three or four degrees higher than the seasonal average," said Meuccio Berselli, secretary general for the district authority of the Po Valley.


Fire

Heat, drought and wildfires: Torrid spell torments Portugal

Lisbon protestor
© AP Photo/Armando FrancaA protestor shades herself from the sun behind her poster in hot weather during a demonstration by workers' unions outside the parliament in Lisbon, Thursday, July 7, 2022.
Portugal is bracing for a heat wave, with temperatures in some areas forecast to climb as high as 43 C (109 F) this weekend just as a severe drought grips the country.

The Civil Protection Agency, a Portuguese government body that coordinates official responses to emergencies, said Thursday it is placing crews on high alert because of the risk of wildfires. About a third of the country faces an extreme risk of forest fires, authorities say.

The high temperatures are forecast to last at least a week. The national weather service IPMA says what it calls "tropical nights," when temperatures stay above 20 C (68 F) after sunset, are likely.

The government said it will place the country on a formal state of alert against wildfires from Friday. That step grants authorities special powers, such as outlawing stubble burning and fireworks at summer festivals, and allows it to requisition equipment such as bulldozers for clearing fire breaks.

Sun

Surprise solar storm with 'disruptive potential' slams into Earth

Experts were initially unsure what caused the freak geomagnetic event.

Solar Storm
© ShutterstockSome satellites are dropping over two kilometres per year, and smaller crafts are at a greater risk
Scientists were recently left scratching their heads after a "potentially disruptive" solar storm smashed into Earth without warning.

The surprise solar storm hit Earth just before midnight UTC June 25 and continued throughout most of June 26, according to Spaceweather.com. Scientists classified it as a G1-class storm, which means it was strong enough to create weak power grid fluctuations, cause minor impacts to satellite operation, disrupt the navigational abilities of some migrating animals, and cause unusually strong auroras.

The unexpected solar storm coincided with the peak of an extremely rare five-planet alignment, where Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn lined up in the sky in order of their proximity to the sun (which hasn't happened since 1864). Amateur astronomers in the northern hemisphere were able to capture images of the surprise auroras as they photobombed the neatly aligned planets.

Photographer Harlan Thomas captured an image of bright auroras in Calgary, Canada, which flashed across the dawn sky in front of the planetary alignment on June 26.

"Wow, talk about surprises," Thomas told Spaceweather.com. "The aurora became [visible to the] naked eye with beautiful pillars," and lasted for around 5 minutes, Thomas said.

Sun

Drought threatens France's crops, Italy receives only half of usual rainfall

drought italy
© ReutersItaly has received only half the usual rainfall levels so far in 2022
Farms across France were hit by heavy hail and fierce storms over the weekend, the National Farmers' Union Federation (FNSEA) said on Monday, while their counterparts in Italy warned of the impact of drought on crop yields.

Hail, strong winds and torrential rain caused damage in nearly 65 departments of France, affecting wheat as well as fruit crops and vineyards, the FNSEA said in a statement.

"The damage is very significant, with some farms seeing 100% of their crop affected," the statement said.

The wheat harvest is approaching in France, the world's fourth-largest wheat exporter.

Comment: For months, world leaders have been warning of a looming global famine, and it would appear that unless unprecedented action is taken it's unlikely that the last two years (and more) of incompetence and corruption - exemplified by the lockdowns - can be rectified, and, indeed, mass starvation is up ahead: Also check out SOTT radio's:



Sun

20+ million affected by African droughts

Like its neighbours in the horn of Africa, Kenya is experiencing extreme drought conditions. Some 3.5 million people are suffering from starvation.
Like its neighbours in the horn of Africa, Kenya is experiencing extreme drought conditions. Some 3.5 million people are suffering from starvation.
Historic droughts have hit Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia today, on May 19th 2022.

The worst drought in over 40 years has affected over 20 million people on the horn of Africa.

Crops and food supplies have been ruined following delayed rains, for the fourth successive year.

The impact has been increased following a rise in food prices following events elsewhere in the world.

Dry weather has also led to sandstorms and dust devil's, causing further impacts in the area.

Aid services are working to help affected citizens, as this situation looks set to worsen in the coming weeks.