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Rivers in Earth Science books:
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The big Galveston hurricane. Erik Larson (the Devil in the White City guy) wrote a book about it called Isaac's Storm. Pretty interesting read.
Lot of the houses survived the wind, but the storm surge lifted big rafts of debris that plowed across the island. I was in Biloxi for Katrina, and even though the building was more than tough enough to survive the wind you could hear shit banging around out in the darkness. I can't imagine what that would have been like in wooden buildings.
He was a pioneer in establishing what we know now as the NWS so you aren’t far off. One of the best books I’ve ever read is called <em>Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History</em> by Erik Larson(Devil in the White City) that reads like a firsthand account recreated with what’s known from the actual history.
It’s a relatively quick read and it really dives into interesting things like how poor communication(among other socio-political issues) between the US and Cuba prevented the news of the 1900 storm getting out in enough time to do much about it. The book was gifted to me when I lived in Houston, and interestingly enough also explains how Houston became the dominant port city as a latent effect of the 1900 storm’s effect on Galveston and any future it may have had as the big-dog port city.
Pressed send too soon. Do yourself a favor and read about this storm in Isaacs Storm by Erik Larson. This storm and this man are why we now have a national weather service.
https://www.amazon.com/Isaacs-Storm-Deadliest-Hurricane-History/dp/0375708278
Have you read Isaac’s Storm by Peter Larson*? It’s about the 1900 Hurricane and is written by the same guy who wrote The Devil in the White City that’s being made into a movie. It’s a fantastic read and really gave me perspective on the region after moving to Houston years back. I highly recommend it if you haven’t already.
edit- fixed speeling
Sure thing! I always recommend that NW newbies pick up (or check out from the library) Cliff Mass' 'Weather of the Pacific Northwest.' (you can find used copies on amazon for $2). It's way more exciting than it sounds ;p
All ya'll should read 'Cadillac Desert'.
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Also I was annoyed by the one farmer that complained about ground water restrictions taking acres out of production. How many acres will go out of production when it becomes too expensive (if not impossible at any price) to pump out ground water?
I suggest reading the book Cadillac Desert about the Southwest and how its tricky relationship its water came to be.
Long story short. US government knew there was a lot of land, a somewhat inhospitable climate, and an unpredictable snow-fed river in the American southwest. During the depression and through WWII they began building dams all over the Southwest with the aim that none of the Colorado's water "go to waste". The Colorado valley was supposed to become a modern cradle of civilization, and all of it was made possible by securing its water. It is one of the reasons Arizona is more than three times New Mexico in population---New Mexico does not have nearly the same water resources---and why Los Angeles became powerful and influential...but only in the 2nd half of the 20th century. The massive damming operations elsewhere in California have helped the State produce the majority of fruits and vegetable in the US.
So it was never a matter of 'muh free land'. It was land with untapped potential. It was very valuable land when the right technology was introduced to it.
I'm a climate change natalist - I recognize that civilization is over and humanity might be too. Our grandkids won't have electricity and may not have agriculture. Our great-gradkids may not have enough oxygen. Anyways given the coming crash I had a kid that I'm raising to make it through the bottleneck with good wholesome values intact. I'm raising her competent and co-operative.
If you're feeling down about working retail you should read this book. It's about the expected results of each degree of climate warming. It's 10 years old. The changes predicted here are actually mild compared to the changes we've seen, suggesting that we may be on track for a 4° warmer world (mass extinction, complete desertion of the mid-latitudes, the amazon first burning then drying to a desert, human fight toward the poles, endemic drought throughout asia, most crop-land blowing away as dust). Capitalism can't survive that!!
Very true. While this isn't an argument to avoid water saving measures at the municipal level, the primary changes need to come from ag. And the ag related solutions aren't as simple as us city-dwellers would like to think.
Two good books I recommend on the topic:
You should consider including arguments for both sides. There’s a book called unsettled that covers this topic really well. I’m not going to claim to summarize this or that I agree fully with him. But I definitely try to seek as many perspectives as possible especially with something as difficult as climate change. It’s a great read that even covers how governments go about making decisions related to this topic.
https://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Climate-Science-Doesnt-Matters/dp/1950665798
"The Guardian" is a warped eco-Marxist modern media manipulation operation. I've read some of the actual IPCC report...the one that has very specific scenarios for future models. The one that readily admits, the worst case scenario is extremely unlikely.
Steve Koonin wrote a brilliant synopsis of the IPCC reports. This is not a "denial" of anthropogenic climate change, it is a realistic examination of what is actually going on vs the hysteria being stirred up by "The Guardian".
Really great non-fiction read on this and how one man screwed over a whole lotta people by denying what the Cuban meteorological office kept telling him was going to happen: Isaac's Storm.
I do. I read this book about a year ago https://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Climate-Science-Doesnt-Matters/dp/1950665798
I also read Bill Gates book. https://www.amazon.com/How-Avoid-Climate-Disaster-Breakthroughs/dp/059321577X
Both are pretty convincing and well sourced. TLDR: Climate change is a real problem that needs facing. It is not "the end of the world" and we have valid strategies to combat it without destroying economies. Nuclear power is the bridge to more sustainable energy.
I read this book and found it pretty convincing. You might be interested, but it doesnt sound like you have an open mind on the topic.
https://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Climate-Science-Doesnt-Matters/dp/1950665798
I also read Bill Gates book, who has a much more level headed approach than the mainstream climate movement.
TLDR: Climate change is real and it is is a problem. It is dramatically overstated, largely due to the belief that unless people act like its the end of the world (it's not) then no one will do anything about it. Lying to get the behavior you want is not how you influence change.
Cadillac DESERT, BY MARC REISNER
https://www.amazon.com/Cadillac-Desert-American-Disappearing-Revised/dp/0140178244
The book Cadillac Desert predicted all of this.
It was written in 1986...
The true price of an acre-foot of water includes the cost of capture, storage, and transportation. For more than a century taxpayers have been paying for dams that solely benefit large farmers. More often than not, the true cost of collecting each acre-foot of water (cost of dam construction, operations, pumping) exceeds the price paid by farmers 10-1.
This is an incredibly well-documented phenomena in the west.
There's a legal difference between "groundwater" and "surface water". The boundary between the two is...fuzzy.
Surface water is regulated strongly, and is responsible for a lot of fun legal fights all across the west (Recommend the book Cadillac Desert if you want to learn more), but groundwater is much less regulated. If you're a hydrologist, all groundwater was surface water at one time, but if you're a farmer or a lawyer then the difference has a bit more nuance.
You're being misled, and you're doubling down on your ignorance. Literally the worst kind of person in this debate.
https://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Climate-Science-Doesnt-Matters/dp/1950665798
There's a very good book which describes what has happened to the Colorado and while it's several years old at this point, most of its predictions for the future of the river are clearly coming to pass. It's called Cadillac Desert
Good to hear, yea I really liked it as well.
If you ever get the chance, I would recommend Isaac's Storm which tells the story of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane which effectively wiped the city off the face of the map.
It’s got that same gripping account storytelling of the Circus fire.
Google e5 tornadoes and find they happen every 8 to 10 years and rate of tornadoes has not increased. Do the same for hurricanes over the last 100 years. Then read a book that challenges your understanding and you might learn something Unsettled: What Climate Science... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1950665798?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
An interesting book on that topic:
Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters
The Weather of the Pacific Northwest was written by him. He is the real deal.
https://www.amazon.com/Weather-Pacific-Northwest-Samuel-Althea/dp/0295988479
If you’re interested in the politics and history of water in the western U.S. read Cadillac Desert; it’s a really entertaining book!
https://www.amazon.com/Cadillac-Desert-American-Disappearing-Revised/dp/0140178244
If you’re interested in the politics and history of water in the western U.S. read Cadillac Desert; it’s a really entertaining book!
https://www.amazon.com/Cadillac-Desert-American-Disappearing-Revised/dp/0140178244
This book is well researched and has a more thorough discussion about the potential consequences of climate change than this subreddit will give you. Much of his discussion is based on primary science and US Dept. of Defense reports. Read it and decide for yourself how much of a doomer you should be.
https://www.amazon.com/Climate-Wars-Fight-Survival-Overheats/dp/1851688145
The pandemic that originated in a Chinese laboratory... that is racist to even suggest that.
Climate change rhetoric that is heavily biased? Flat earther! https://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Climate-Science-Doesnt-Matters/dp/1950665798
You've got that right. This is an awesome book by an awesome author about the 1900 Category 4 hurricane that almost scraped Galveston off the map.
I’m just starting this book. I try my best to avoid alarmism and those who are 100% certain.
Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters https://www.amazon.com/dp/1950665798/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XZTZYVBTW0H01F0PSZPH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1