Hop off the Blog at LAX

THE END?

Summarizing the drying American Southwest

This dog is so Beverly Hills. Source: Tumblr

Hey everyone! As the Term and Holidays draw to a close it's time to go over what we've discovered on our American journey. We started off on the natural landscape changes in the Southwest. The basis of the 'thirstification' is less precipitation (both summer and winter) which leads to lower river flows and reduced water reservoirs. This then leads to water intensive agriculture using water reserves furthering the region's drought. The cities have to adjust and debate water usage and the drier landscape poses health threats to citizens. The aridification threatens the tourism industry as many parks can no longer be used the same way they once were with higher temperatures, less water and lower snowfalls. Finally, the entire region is at risk as the systematic drying of the Southwest further increases the region's risk of wildfires. 

But finding solutions isn't easy! We can't just ask the millions who call the Southwest home to change overnight! I've posed some alternatives to the business-as-usual in a drier Southwest and I'm sure there's many more that have already been implemented, are in discussion or are yet to be found. From community gardens for relieving agricultural pressure to solar energy for offsetting carbon emissions to unified ski resort action for lobbying snow season protection the Southwest has a future in its drying climate and they will have to adapt as time goes on. 

Catch some powder in the mountains! Source: Tumblr

In case you missed any of my posts over these few months I've linked them all below:

Introduction

• Getting Thirsty?

Part I- Natural Landscape Changes

• Rain rain go away but please come back to L.A.
• Let it flow; let it flow. Can't hold it back anymore!
• Will we have a Groasis?

Part II- Agriculture

• Yes I know guac costs extra
• Fresh Fruit
• Goodbye Jobs

Part III- Urban Settlements

• Water the Lawns
• Let the Sun Shine!
• Catch My Breath
• Power to the People

Part IV- Recreation

• Double Black Diamond or a Bunny Baby?
• Will They Wake Up Like This?
• Does the Castle Need a Moat?

Part V- Disaster

• (R)ice Bucket Challenge
• I See Fire
• Fire. Camera. Action.

Weather Updates

• Hashtag Rain
• Hashtag Snow

The Southwest is a very diverse region made up of several ecosystems from deserts to mountains to coasts. Some of the largest U.S. states in terms of area and population are a part of this region. I hope I have been able to capture how the general trend of aridification can affect all these different places in its own way. If you have any questions or comments about any of my posts please leave a response on my blog or tweet at me @Chaxelsson1

Next time you find yourself cruising Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible or toasting a drink in a Rocky Mountain ski lodge or practicing a round of golf surrounded by the desert landscape take a moment to appreciate this great region and ask yourself what you can do to help the region (or even your own area) adapt to the future! 

Go out and explore the deserts! Source: Tumblr

Fire. Camera. Action.

PART V- DISASTER

Too hot to touch

Flames are always hungry, although they're not always this cute. Source: Tumblr

So why is there all this focus on forest fire? Why does this blog even give it a whole section? While fire seasons and conditions are monitor-able actual wildfires are unpredictable. These destructive (and sometimes fatal) events scare us yet we can't look away; the media latches on to fire stories. As the Southwest burns more often, the media attention may help bring wider attention to the drying at hand which in turn could bring more attention to the urban problems or the agricultural problems. Let's get into the reality of fires in the Southwest.

Fires are increasing in the Southwest. Throughout the Western U.S. 73% of early springs 1970-2003 occurred post-1986. In addition, 56% of wildfires and 72% of burnt land occurred during early spring years (Westerling et al. 2006). Westerling et al. (2011) run a model to suggest that California will see an increase in burning from 36-74% and over 100% in the North. The region is burning; check out these two maps below. In the first one what pops out at you? SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (and this isn't because of all those endless houses and lights)! And in the second see how much of Arizona and New Mexico have a high frequency of fire!

Major fires and their intensity 2001-2012 (oddly enough in units of nuclear power which is about 1,000 megawats per plant). Source: Live Science 2012

Fire frequency everywhere. Fire history in Arizona and New Mexico. Source: The Nature Conservancy

With all this burning it's no doubt the media is constantly showing these fires. The Black Forest Fire burned in Colorado in 2013. It destroyed nearly 500 homes, killed 2 and the damages are estimated at nearly $100 million (Huffingtonpost 10/07/2013). It is Colorado's most destructive fire, which happened to take the title from the Waldo Canyon fire the year before! People care about other people and images like the video below really grabbed the U.S.'s attention:

The increasing media presence around this result of Southwest drying coincides with the fact that media is used to inform us about disasters. As more fires happen, more media will be used to inform the public about them! The media is one of the main bridges between the disaster scientists and the public (Rattien 1990). While Rattien argues that we focus on post-disaster relief, he acknowledges its huge potential for disaster mitigation, something I hope can happen for the Southwest. Social media has an ever bigger ability to inform us during all stages of a disaster instantly and in our palm of our hands through our devices (Houston et al. 2015). We can now live tweet disasters to make sure people evacuate and everyone is safe!

You may have noticed me talking about fires in various states and that's because it's an underlying problem across the Southwest. However, the fires may bring in more media and more awareness thus facilitating more action to counter the 'thirstification'. Is it always darkest (with smoke) just before the dawn?

Hashtag Snow

UPDATE: SOUTHWEST SNOW

Ski into the new year! Source: Tumblr

Hey everyone and Happy New Year! Over the celebrations the Southwest was hit with some interesting weather, SNOW! I wanted to give everyone a quick update on what happened!

Most of the country is in a cold spell and with the colder weather a lot of the Southwest is looking at snow! Snowfall preparations were being made from California through Vegas to the Rockies (NBC 31/12/14). Take a look at this snowfall prediction map:

Lots of NYE snow! Source: Accuweather 29/12/14

Snowfall was observed throughout the region giving a light dusting (this isn't blizzard weather we're talking about) to the sunsoaked Southern California and dry deserts of the Southwest (Washington Post, 31/12/14). Perhaps most importantly, however, snowfall reached the Rockies and the ski resorts! Here's a selection of Colorado locations and their snowfall during the storm (Denver Post, 31/12/14):

• Alma- 7.5 inches
• Boulder- 6.5 inches
• Denver- 2 inches
• Green Mountain Reservoir- 7.5 inches
• Rabbit Ears Pass- 5 inches
• Tiny Town- 5 inches

This snowfall helps relieve pressure on the ski resorts to produce snow and may also help sustain the Colorado River by becoming snow melt in the spring. While we talk about the changing climate of the Southwest it's important to remember that while the overall trend is one of drying, there can still be periods of relief and moisture. The latter quarter of 2014 has given the Southwest rain and snow; what will 2015 bring?