We
are in a GLOBAL crisis but I like to monitor what is happening in my
own backyard.
Stats
indicate that Hutt River flow rates are HALF of what they were last
year
More on the (unreported) sorry state of the Hutt River
Today
it is "raining" - there is some precipitation which has wet
our garden table but no more.
Recently, I
listened to a discussion between Jeff Rense and Dane Wigington in
which they were talking about conditions in California in which they
described conditions in California. They described how it would
be rain which would provide moisture to at most the top inch of soil
but never replenish moisture in the subsoil.
The
authorities can present information so it looks like an isolated
event (an anomaly).
However, I have been looking at this for a number
of years with an observant layman's eye and I have seen no evidence
to counteract my theory that droughts come and go but within that
there is an ongoing process of drying-out.
In addition to the "rain" there is another anomaly - it is one of a handful of days where the temperature has sunk below 20 degrees Celsius, which is the mean maximum temperature for this time of the year. If I had to think of a ballpark figure I would say that most days for weeks the temperature has been hovering around 25C, up to 27C.
Personal anecdote admittedly I cannot think of a summer here that has seen "wetter-than-usual" conditions. For that matter, outside the odd flood, I could possibly add winter to that.
Unfortunately I am not a gardner but it may be an interesting exercise to dig down in your garden and see what the condition of the soil is below the very top inch which may be moistened for a while but returns to its usual dry conditions very quickly.
Certainly this is not the worst year I have seen but there are some worrying indications because they are likely to represent a trend.
Toxic algae
Hutt
River toxic algae alert
Greater
Wellington Regional Council is warning swimmers to stay out of the
Hutt River from Kaitoke Regional Park to where the river meets
Wellington Harbour. This is due to the risk of swallowing pieces of
toxic algae. Toxic algae is naturally occurring, but poses a
significant risk to human and animal health if ingested.
Because
of the warm, dry weather the toxic algae bloom in the Hutt River has
increased significantly, and pieces are detaching from the riverbed
which poses a risk to swimmers. Even small pieces of toxic algae can
be fatal to people and dogs if swallowed. Young children are
particularly at risk due to their size.
We
advise against swimming anywhere along the Hutt River until further
notice. We are working with Regional Public Health and local
authorities to inform people of the risks, but we encourage you to
know what toxic algae looks like so you can avoid it and stay safe.
The
black "shadow" in the video is the algae.
Rainfall anomoly
I find the following graphs (which I have always taken from the same
location -Taita Gorge) to be rather unhelpful.
Perhaps the most indicative thing is the absolute value given for the day
16/02/2018 . 6.960 m3/second
16/02/2019 . 3.588 m3/second
See
below -
Soil moisture
This confirms dry conditions along the Hutt River but appears to me to underestimate just how dry things are.
This region has been affected by the hot summer but far less so than other parts of the country.
In particular , with floods last year, now drought and fires in the Tasman district at the top of the South Island is the area worst affected.
In the news today -
Tasman facing serious drought
The
Waimea Plains, cradled between two mountain ranges, are usually
immune to such extremes in the weather.
But
a Tasman District Council water scientist says the wider area is
facing its worst drought since 2001.
Joseph
Thomas met with MPs and opposition leader Simon Bridges today on the
Waimea River bed, which is now flowing at its lowest level in
decades.
The
region hit by two large ex-tropical cyclones a year ago, which
sluiced out hillsides and tore through homes and crops, has been
stricken by a large wildfire over the past 10 days.
Now
it's as dry as a bone, with no immediate relief in sight.
Mr
Thomas, who has been working as water scientist in Tasman since 1992,
said the situation is now dire.
"This
is as bad as I've seen it since 2001. Back then the river went dry,
but a lot later - we're earlier by a month so if it doesn't rain
we'll be in a dire situation."
P.S. I tried posting this on a Facebook group and was blocked because this is is "abusive".
A
discussion on drought, ecology, and the inter-connected web of Nature
Pam
and Robin have completed their annual tour-of-inspection of the Hutt
River. We describe this, the drought as well as the question of
pollination and the interconnectedness of Nature and how poorly this
is understood
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