CNN reports on the snow and cold weather that have hit the eastern United States. Freezing temperatures are damaging crops in the south and heavy snows snarl traffic in northern states.
“At some sites, the annual chance of a flood of this magnitude was so significantly less than 1 in 500 that, given the relatively short length of streamgaging records (well less than 100 years), the U.S. Geological Survey cannot accurately characterize the probability due to its extreme rarity,” A quote from the USGS release by Robert Holmes, USGS National Flood Program Coordinator.
The New York Times has an article that explores some of the challenges faced by the coal-fired Bowen Power Plant on the Etowah River in northwest Georgia. It burns 9 million tons of coal per year.
USGS has a continuous record of stage and discharge data for streams in Georgia at their National Water Information System website. The website has data in tabular form or you can plot the data as hydrographs.
Several days of heavy rain produced flooding in many parts of Georgia, especially in northern Georgia and the Atlanta region. The USGS Georgia Water Science Center has lots of photos of flooding from Carroll, Cobb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett and Newton Counties.
This image shows estimates of rainfall for the southeastern United States from September 14–21 produced by the near-real-time, multi-satellite precipitation analysis at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The highest rainfall amounts—more than 300 millimeters —appear in blue. The lightest amounts appear in pale green. Especially intense rainfall occurred in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and northern Florida. Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
Heavy rains have caused extensive flooding throughout the Atlanta, Georgia area. Several people have been killed and there has been extensive damage. This article at the WSBTV website includes lots of reader-submitted photos and video.
Stormwater runoff and sewage contaminate many US beaches. A study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council sampled, tested and rated 200 of the most popular beaches in the United States – both ocean and freshwater beaches were included in the study. Some of them had consistently high water quality and some had consistently low. You can view the report and a listing of the beaches on their website.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Stronger hurricanes, drought, heat waves and crop losses are a few of the featured problems.
The-Vug.com has a comprehensive listing of mineral and lapidary clubs from across the United States. It could be the most complete and up-to-date listing on the web. Included are hundreds of clubs and organizations located in all 50 states.
The U.S. Drought Monitor website has a map showing current drought conditions across the United States and a photo gallery documenting drought conditions in several states.
A short but interesting essay on the EPA.gov website about water rates and emergency drought management tactics. It was inspired by drought problems in the Atlanta suburbs.
Science teachers are in short supply nationwide and especially in Georgia. An article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that by 2010, Georgia will need 2060 new science teachers at the middle school level alone. Based upon recent graduation rates there will be a huge shortfall of science teachers.
The National Integrated Drought Information System has a map of drought conditions in the United States. Extreme conditions still exist in the southeast United States. Rains from Tropical Storm Hanna will be helpful but will not remove the defecit.
Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona are part of the water supply management system for the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Lake Allatoona is nearly full while Lake Lanier has been at near record lows. Why the difference for two lakes that are only 60 miles apart?
Teachers often need a source of free printable state maps for use with their students. Here is a website that has a nice collection of county, city and state outline maps that you can download and use for free.
Tropical Storm Fay stalled today over the east coast of Florida, dumping heavy rain on many coastal cities. Fay is expected to make a third landfall with the state and track west over Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
The Sierra Club is not satisfied with the environmental protection measures of coal-fired power plants in seven states. The Club’s most recent effort targets plants in Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri and Wyoming for failing to include adequate pollution controls for mercury and other toxics.
Georgia if facing one of the worst droughts in the state’s history. The Atlanta Journal – Constitution has a section on their website devoted to providing information on this issue. They include: news articles, water conservation information, photos of drought impact, information on water-use bans, how to turn-in cheaters, lake level information and more.
The state of Georgia has been suffering through months of drought and state officials are not pleased with how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing the Lake Lanier water project. The city of Atlanta wants the Corps to hold more water in the reservoir but the Corps says it has agreements to maintain a discharge of 5000 cubic feet per second into the Chattahoochee River.
“Global Warning: The World’s Endangered Destinations” is a photo presentation of sixteen locations where global warming is expected to have a significant impact. These include: The Everglades; Kenai Fjords National Park; Great Barrier Reef; The Netherlands; Mt. Kilimanjaro; Tuvalu; South Georgia Island; Dalian, China; Venice; Tokyo, Japan; Wengen, Switzerland; Manhattan, New York City; Halong Bay, Vietnam; New Orleans; London, England; and Northwest Territories, Canada.
Much of Alabama and Georgia are in a state of “Severe Hydrologic Drought”. Rainfall defecits of 5 to 15 inches are reported for many counties in these and neighboring states and USGS gaging stations are reporting record or near record low flows. State and local authorities have already placed limits on certain outdoor water-use activities and farmers are deciding to hold off on some crops.
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Hobart King
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