Lake Mead could dry up
So say the experts
C&P YAHOO
Lake Mead, a key source of water for millions of people in the southwestern United States, could go dry by 2021, a new study finds.
The study concludes that natural forces such as evaporation, changes wrought by global warming and the increasing demand from the booming Southwest population are creating a deficit from this part of the Colorado River system. Along with Lake Powell, which is on the border between Arizona and Utah, Lake Mead supplies roughly 8 million people in the cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego, among others, with critical water supplies.
The system is currently only at half capacity thanks to a recent string of dry years, researchers say. The study's findings indicated that there is a 10 percent chance that Lake Mead could be dry by 2014 and a 50 percent chance that reservoir levels will drop too low to allow hydroelectric power generation by 2017. There is a 50 percent chance the lake will go dry by 2021, the study says.
Researchers say that even if water agencies follow their current drought contingency plans, those measures might not be enough to counter natural forces, especially if the region enters a period of sustained drought or if human-induced climate changes occur as currently predicted.
"We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us," said study coauthor Tim Barnett of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California at San Diego. "Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest."
Several studies in recent years have predicted a prolonged period of drought in the Southwest as a result of global warming.
The team's analysis of Federal Bureau of Reclamation records of past water demand and calculations of scheduled water allocations and climate conditions indicate that the system could run dry even if mitigation measures now being proposed are implemented.
"It's likely to mean real changes to how we live and do business in this region," said coauthor David Pierce, a climate scientist at Scripps.
The new study has been accepted for publication in the journal Water Resources Research.
Oh it has to be global warming, the 8 million people living there have nothing to do with it huhhhu right!!!
C&P YAHOO
Lake Mead, a key source of water for millions of people in the southwestern United States, could go dry by 2021, a new study finds.
The study concludes that natural forces such as evaporation, changes wrought by global warming and the increasing demand from the booming Southwest population are creating a deficit from this part of the Colorado River system. Along with Lake Powell, which is on the border between Arizona and Utah, Lake Mead supplies roughly 8 million people in the cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego, among others, with critical water supplies.
The system is currently only at half capacity thanks to a recent string of dry years, researchers say. The study's findings indicated that there is a 10 percent chance that Lake Mead could be dry by 2014 and a 50 percent chance that reservoir levels will drop too low to allow hydroelectric power generation by 2017. There is a 50 percent chance the lake will go dry by 2021, the study says.
Researchers say that even if water agencies follow their current drought contingency plans, those measures might not be enough to counter natural forces, especially if the region enters a period of sustained drought or if human-induced climate changes occur as currently predicted.
"We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us," said study coauthor Tim Barnett of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California at San Diego. "Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest."
Several studies in recent years have predicted a prolonged period of drought in the Southwest as a result of global warming.
The team's analysis of Federal Bureau of Reclamation records of past water demand and calculations of scheduled water allocations and climate conditions indicate that the system could run dry even if mitigation measures now being proposed are implemented.
"It's likely to mean real changes to how we live and do business in this region," said coauthor David Pierce, a climate scientist at Scripps.
The new study has been accepted for publication in the journal Water Resources Research.
Oh it has to be global warming, the 8 million people living there have nothing to do with it huhhhu right!!!
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I just read an interesting article in Investor Business Daily about some Canadian, German, and Russian scientist's who are predicting that our current 60 year warming is about over and we might be going into a long period of cooling. They said the cycles of the sun have more to do with earth's temps than human activity. I've read this before and tend to believe it more than Algore's theory. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Odawgp
Oh it has to be global warming, the 8 million people living there have nothing to do with it huhhhu right!!!
I guess you missed this part...
quote:Originally posted by Odawgp
The study concludes that natural forces such as evaporation, changes wrought by global warming and the increasing demand from the booming Southwest population are creating a deficit from this part of the Colorado River system.0 -
There's an easy solution to the whole problem: build many massive desalinization plants on the coastlines to supply areas with purified sea water. 0 -
better turn off those fountains in front of the bellagio 0 -
Quit serving water at restaurants unless specifically asked for... 0 -
Seems to me water shortages are going to be prevalent across the nation in the future. I know Atlanta and the southeast are going to have big problems if the drought continues in 2008. 0 -
oh my gawd! what are they going to put in their bongs?! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
oh my gawd! what are they going to put in their bongs?!
Booze. [:D]0 -
The best solution to most of our problems is to quit pumping out so damn many kids!!!!
We are literally screwing ourselves into oblivion. Get a clue!!0 -
Lake Mead may go dry, and it is a major source of water for Las Vegas.
I know a couple years ago Las Vegas was the fastest growing city in America.
WTH?
Las Vegas sets in a GD desert! It should not be growing at all.
If Lake Mead goes dry that will be an end to the growth of Las Vegas, perhaps we will even see a bunch of For Sale signs on thousands of new houses in Las Vegas, as the sand dunes slowly climb up over the houses.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Rack Ops
quote:Originally posted by Odawgp
Oh it has to be global warming, the 8 million people living there have nothing to do with it huhhhu right!!!
I guess you missed this part...
quote:Originally posted by Odawgp
The study concludes that natural forces such as evaporation, changes wrought by global warming and the increasing demand from the booming Southwest population are creating a deficit from this part of the Colorado River system.
No i didn't
How many times do you see the words "global" & "warming" combined in that article?
How many time do they mention the 8 million people ?0 -
With global warming I'm sure there will be a lot of excess water just laying around that can be used to fill the lake. They will just have to skim off all the dead pollar bears floating on the top.[^]
Trinity +++0 -
I have been raising a few arguments in a class I'm taking by advocating population control, I think it may be the only way thing will work out for the furture. Just think, if only a cirten number of children can be born each year and you have to apply for a license to have a child we can drastically reduce the population in under 4 generations. 0 -
we need to ntionalize fresh water 0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
Lake Mead may go dry, and it is a major source of water for Las Vegas.
I know a couple years ago Las Vegas was the fastest growing city in America.
WTH?
Las Vegas sets in a GD desert! It should not be growing at all.
If Lake Mead goes dry that will be an end to the growth of Las Vegas, perhaps we will even see a bunch of For Sale signs on thousands of new houses in Las Vegas, as the sand dunes slowly climb up over the houses.
not just the lake, but in the west and southwest have what's called the "ogalalla aquifer". it's a huge underground deposit of water, in the ground I guess like a deposit of oil: it's soaked into the ground but you can draw it out. it's way bigger than any lake and it's spread out all over the place.
for decades people everywhere from arizona to colorado to nebraska have been using it for drinking water and to irrigate crops. it will also go dry in the not too distant future.
from what I heard, the whole town of phoeniz, AZ couldn't have been built without that water. the farming in colorado and western nebraska couldn't have been done all these years without it either. so, when that dries up, say goodbye to crops in those areas and with lake mead gone dry, maybe the whole town of phoenix won't be sustainable either. they might have to just pack up and leave.0 -
quote:Originally posted by merlinn
The best solution to most of our problems is to quit pumping out so damn many kids!!!!
We are literally screwing ourselves into oblivion. Get a clue!!
There is a negative population growth in the responsible segment of the population. Perhaps for each kid you have if your welfare payment went DOWN, eventually phasing out at 3 kids, 2 if they are from difference fathers, the problem would solve itself.
In fact, I am pretty sure that all of the civilized nations have negative indigeneous population growths while all of the uncivilized nations are having population explosions.0 -
Of course, it couldn't be related to having 20 or 30 MILLION criminal mexicans here.
Could it ??
Doug0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Of course, it couldn't be related to having 20 or 30 MILLION criminal mexicans here.
Could it ??
Doug
Hmm lets see 4 biggest cities affected by "global Warming" aka "over population"
Las Vegas
Phoenix
L.A.
San Diego
Nope those illegals are no where near those places [B)][B)][B)]
LOL [:D][:D][:D][:D]0 -
quote:The study concludes that natural forces such as evaporation, changes wrought by global warming and the increasing demand from the booming Southwest population are creating a deficit from this part of the Colorado River system. Are not both of these "lakes" really reservoirs? If so how is global warming effecting a "lake" that really was never there?
I guess that stuff happens when you try turn what has benn a high plains desert for millions of years into the garden of eden.0 -
this one is easy...import water from mexico 0 -
Import hell! Let's take it from them....[;)]
Trinity +++0 -
I believe Mr. Toad has a point. Read an artical awhile back stating some of the SW states were approaching the states surronding the great lakes with the idea of running pipe lines from great lakes to the southwest area. Obviously raised many questions mainly who really has jurisdiction over the lakes water. The surronding states, the Fed's or anyone who really needed it. Thought provoking. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Odawgp
How many times do you see the words "global" & "warming" combined in that article?
Twice
quote:Originally posted by Odawgp
How many time do they mention the 8 million people ?
Once0 -
quote:Originally posted by asop
I believe Mr. Toad has a point. Read an artical awhile back stating some of the SW states were approaching the states surronding the great lakes with the idea of running pipe lines from great lakes to the southwest area. Obviously raised many questions mainly who really has jurisdiction over the lakes water. The surrounding states, the Fed's or anyone who really needed it. Thought provoking.
Canadia owns a little more than half the water in the Great Lakes.
They might have some objectifications about that.
Doug0 -
I believe Mr. Toad has a point. Read an artical awhile back stating some of the SW states were approaching the states surronding the great lakes with the idea of running pipe lines from great lakes to the southwest area.
That's great. I'm sure Duluth, Minnesota wouldn't mind if they put in a giant 20 foot diameter pipeline to suck water from Lake Superior and pipe it down to the southwest, so that criminal Mafia gangsters could buy their houses in Las Vegas and have lush green lawns and swimming pools in the back yard, so they can screw prostitues and sniff cocaine off the diving board while they calculate their skim from the roulette wheels at the Flamingo, while the water level of Lake Superior drops 15 feet and makes the port of Duluth unusable.0 -
quote:There's an easy solution to the whole problem: build many massive desalinization plants on the coastlines to supply areas with purified sea water.
Not so easy.... Environmentalists don't like it. Intake sucks up and kills ocean life. God forbid we should kill any amoeba. I say go for the Great Lakes pipeline. For the small fee of $5 a gallon.
Astually we have the technology and I believe one city may be using it, to recycle our wastewater. probably a bit pricey though. Sounds gross but as one scientist stated ALL our water is recycled.0
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