California's 'phantom lake' returns with a vengeance (Tulare, Port Hueneme: store, eat)

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by dustin183

Not all human engineering... but certainly some. More so in heavily forested states where they cut down these native forests to put up another Walmart. Happening all over the midwest.

Ideally, at this point in humanity, we should be smarter and take a holistic view of the country's geography and grow the population where it would have the least harm on nature. Look at a map of the US but remove the state lines and just focus on the geology and geography.

The midwest and south and northwest are very green (forested) and the middle and south/southwest is much less so due to less rainfall. Ideally humanity would grow where we have to cull the least forest area. Trees help us keep the atmospheric gases in good balance, so let's stop chopping them down to build walmarts.

Why grow humanity at all? What is the obsession with perpetual growth?

[dustin183]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Why grow humanity at all? What is the obsession with perpetual growth?

Fair point. I don't claim to know the answer as to the optimal growth rate.

Maybe it's zero.


But I'm just saying that if we are to grow, I just wish we would take a different approach, which isn't going to happen, not for a while.

For ex, look even broader, at the whole globe. We should not grow where there is high bio diversity; eg the rain forests. Don't cut down the rain forests. Better to build in the plains because you cause less bio diversity damage.


Probably in the long long run we will grow by expanding into the universe; first by having bases on rock planets and moons. That will take some pressure off earth.


But some societies need growth because they are aging and the young provide tax revenues for the pensions and social security of the old. We'll see how it pans out as places like Japan and Italy have to deal with this in the coming decades as their birthrate is very low.

[SFX]

Great thread on Twitter, with photos and links to scientific data and visualizations and so much more.

https://twitter.com/Sorenenelson/sta...016318977?s=20



A clear view of current flooded areas.

https://twitter.com/djacksonwater/st...635749376?s=20



Not sure about the image below



It doesn't match anything I can see on sat images or photos.

But the hard data definitely isn't impeachable.

My rough estimates say over 200 square miles under water so far!

With the predictions from the meltwater, and the fact they can't stop it from ending up in the lakebed, it could be a thousand square miles when the snow melts.

One article says it could be there for two years, they simply don't know.

[MechAndy]

Those are awesome pictures and they really show the magnitude of it.
Thank you for that.

I can see that getting really interesting in mosquito season.
Just you wait, some brainiac is going to recommend spraying pesticides .

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

Those are awesome pictures and they really show the magnitude of it.
Thank you for that.

I can see that getting really interesting in mosquito season.
Just you wait, some brainiac is going to recommend spraying pesticides .

I agree about the photos. Excellent Oh, please. Don't even hint at spraying pesticides. Were you here during the era when planes flew over the state, spraying for fruit flies? They told people to stay indoors and park their car in the garage (if they could). That solution covered everything (and anyone who was outside). Think of it happening today with all the homeless on the streets.

[MechAndy]

Yes I was here.
I remember the freaking medfly and all the poisons landing on us that poisoned us.

Don’t worry though Mars it’s just like a mandatory experimental vaccination.
I mean the government wouldn’t lead us down the wrong path.
Would they?

[SFX]

https://youtu.be/VxCbjEoJxj0

Nice video, with a link to a longer one about how they drained the lake. I found it while checking the Twitter thread.

The weir that prevents the two other big lakes (that are also gone), Buena-Vista lake and Kern lake, is in danger of failing. The Kern river is so full they can't take water fast enough down the canals.

In complete irony, considering the permanent drought, theCentral Valley has "too much" water. Since the southern valley does not drain to the ocean, but instead historically had huge lakes and wetlands, there is no system set up to get save, divert or dump water into the ocean there.

Interesting video.

[davdaven]

Originally Posted by SFX

Not sure about the image below

It doesn't match anything I can see on sat images or photos.

This most definitely is not an aerial of Tulare Lake, or Lake Tahoe or the Salton Sea for that matter. But thanks for sharing the first link; it's nice to see a current image showing the main extent of the flooding.

[Reggiezz]

In the agricultural regions of Australia, when they have a severe multi-year drought, followed by a season of very high precipitation, they get Plagues of mice. Seriously. Field mice multiply to ridiculous population numbers. Their behavior changes and they get into anything that has food. You can't keep them out of your house and they become fearless in their numbers. Look it up.

The Aztecs were wiped out by a plague of mice in the late 1500s, several generations after European diseases felled their ancestors. These mice were carrying Hanta virus and they got into the Aztec corn stores.

It has also happened in California's central valley before. I think the last time was a century ago. These are the exact conditions that precede one.

[SFX]

The water has washed away farm infrastructure, drowned crops, and killed livestock, but it may have also wiped out any resurgence of a mouse plague. It has been just over a year since numbers of the pesky rodent started waning, and the widespread flooding of 2022 appears to have stopped them in their tracks.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-...-nsw/101853960