I'm sorry, @dannyboy, there is no "right amount of winter", unless you mean none. ;-)
@tgraf66 I understand - though the last three winters we've had just the right amount - it's come in December, and melted in March. Usually in December I like it because of the Christmas lights, and am ready for it to be gone by February, but it doesn't normally overstay its welcome too badly.
That said, my friends an hour south of me have this wrong idea in their head that we're second only to Alaska for endless winter and snow from June to June each year. ? I'm like - dudes, you live 60 miles south of me. I'm not 20 latitude lines above you!
An interesting article about microplastics in the water,
In a recent article in Sustainability, scientists from Reykjavik University (RU), the University of Gothenburg and the Icelandic Meteorological Office describe finding microplastic in a remote and pristine area of Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland, Europe's largest ice cap. Microplastics may affect the melting and rheological behaviour of glaciers, thus influencing the future meltwater contribution to the oceans and rising sea levels.
The findings confirm that microplastic particles are distributed through the atmosphere.
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-microplastics-europe-largest-ice-cap.html
@lovendures Wow. That is stunningly awful, but I'm glad to learn about it. So thanks for posting. :-)
I have been doing a lot of reading about desalination plants. As with anything, there are problems that come along with the process, but great advancements are being made. Apparently Israel leads the pack with a surplus of freshwater. It is fascinating and interesting.
I wonder if this will be the answer to the world's freshwater problem.
@polarberry IMO reclaimed wastewater is a big part of the potential answer. It is possible (and indeed in practice in many places) to treat wastewater to the point where it is legally safe--- meaning if you took this stuff down to a testing facility and told them it was from your well, it would pass.
The problem is the "ick" factor. "EEEW!", people say. "I don't want to drink someone else's pee!", not understanding that every molecule of H2O you get from reservoirs or aquifers likely was at some time somebody's pee-- human, bear, dinosaur.... or all of the above plus more. Reclaimed water is often used for irrigation purposes but getting people to drink it is another matter. We've got to get over this illogical squeamishness.
Well, I'd be lying if I said I was 100% ok with the *ick* factor of that myself. ? But, you are correct, most of the freshwater we drink is ancient. There is a beer called Moose Drool so Bear Pee would probably be just as hot a seller. As long as that water was in alcohol form, tons of people would get over their squeamishness right quick.
Researchers in Australia have developed a low-cost and highly-efficient solar technique. Science Daily has an article about it-"Sunlight to solve the world's clean water crisis." It's very exciting.
Jeanne, you've made a lot of predictions about drought. What do you see happening with technological advances to solve the world's water crisis?
I was just reading on another thread, Jeanne, where you wrote you're not comfortable with the arrogant attitude of years back that technology will solve the climate crisis. I didn't see that before I asked you about technological advances with desalination.
Climate change is going to be more terrifying than anyone can imagine. I hope we can figure out some solutions, whatever they are. ?
@polarberry desalination is great. It works. I was referring to reliance On technology that doesn’t exist yet or hasn’t been shown to be safe or effective. For example spraying aerosols into the atmosphere to block the sun is a technology that is risky and could cause havoc because they have no idea how it could affect weather.
Clearly if our earth heats up to the point where it is necessary to take those kinds of risks, then they will have to do that to avoid worse. That is what I meant.
I am all for doing whatever we can that is safe like desalination, planting trees, getting to net zero carbon as quickly as possible, developing drought resistant plants, planting everywhere and anywhere. But only if people continue to take seriously that we must stop burning fossil fuels and we must change how we treat the planet. And not rely upon harebrained technological magical thinking as an excuse to keep burning fossil fuels and polluting the planet. Sorry that I wasn’t clear.