Seems civilization has already collapsed if you dont leave your house....
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PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
I have a 1.5 hour weather window to take a ride. It rained last night through this morning. That means that there will be a run of giant fish. These fish look and act a lot like salmon but they are genetically trout, trout that go to sea. They are called steelhead trout. Unlike salmon they do not die when they spawn, but return to sea. What is cool is when the run comes so do the river otters. I hope to spot some of these big, sleek otters on my ride. The gulls and crows also go into high gear during the run.
Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I don't follow you. Are you just kidding around, or saying that my reasoning is suspect because I don't spend enough time in the real world?
I played four sets in 28 hours on the other side of the country a few months ago, chasing one hurricane on the flight east, and a second one chased our train up to Vermont, and I got out before it shut down the subways. My buddy tried to take the next train, but it was canceled. Canceled?! I don't remember Amtrak ever being canceled by any weather event except a blizzard before the late '90s (though I'm sure it must have happened occasionally). Now it happens all the time (though a lot of that is decaying infrastructure as well as the weather.)
I don't travel as much as I used to. I'm older, it's harder to get away, but climate change is one of the reasons. I have to coordinate my travel plans with extreme weather, which isn't something I had to worry about (as much) in the 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s.
I look forward to checking out the link, I love phys.org! But yes, my personal experience is the weather back east has been much more extreme and erratic.
I think it was in the mid 2000a when we returned to our old campsite on a friend's property in New York after leaving it abandoned for 5 years or so. The previous year, an F4 Tornado had ripped through the area, and had touched down on the other side of the hill. I remember the news reports: "Yes, tornados do sometimes touch down in the New York Tri state area." No, not really, or if they do, not an F4, not one that I could find online or ever heard of. I lived in New York from 1957 through 1991, and camped everywhere from Westchester County to Lake Placid and the 46'ers. No tornados.
In 2014 or so, I had my first experience of "thunder snow" in NYC. "Thunder snow?!" Yeah, that's not at thing, at least it wasn't in the 20th century. Spent a lot of time in the mountains in the winter, skied Hunter, Bellayre, Killington, Gore, Mt. Snow, many, many others, never heard that, and had never experienced it prior to 2010. In the 21st century, it's happened twice during my visits back east.
Another issue with my crew of older rock musician friends in Connecticut-- setting up these late-summer shows, which are often outdoors, has become really complicated because the weather has become so erratic. In 2019, I got a call from my drummer saying he'd be late to pick me up from my Air BnB because a thunderstorm rolled in and lightning knocked down a tree, blocking his driveway. This was maybe 10 miles away-- the sky was totally clear, no rain at all in town. The storm lasted only a few minutes.
In 2021, we set up for essentially the same show-- it's a series that runs about six weeks in a small town in central CT, and this year we were one of the last acts instead of one of the first. On the way there, a storm rolled in to the town, and it was pouring, so we had a conference by phone in our separate cars, considered canceling. But someone sensibly pointed out: The weather is now so unpredictable, there really was no telling what the rest of the afternoon would be like. We had access to weather apps and satellite feeds, and no one was even trying to predict what would happen, or the predictions were contradictory.
Of course, this can happen anytime-- you go to a concert, it starts raining, it stops, you don't know whether to stay or go. It's just that now it happens all the time in Connecticut. I don't think this random sample of New Englanders have been brainwashed by the media. These are people who sail, work in outdoor jobs, and don't watch TV news, and everyone has been talking about it for the last 10-15 years. It really does seem different. When my parents and grandparents were my age, they never said, "Oh, the weather is so different now," though they might complain about smog.
By the time we got there, the rain had stopped, and the stage was a little damp, but dry enough-- nothing metal would touch it, we all had rubber-soled shoes and properly grounded amps. During the second set, it started pouring again, but about 25 die-hards in the audience were not leaving. Hardy folks, those New Englanders! Like idiots, we finished the show anyway-- which we all agreed later was a really stupid move. I had to wipe down my guitar after every song. Brand new guitar, too-- fortunately, no warping, none of our gear was damaged, and no one got shocked.
It's true that I don't get out as much as I used to. Climate change is one of the reasons.
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
I didn't spot any steelhead. They must be arriving with the next tide. All I saw was a pair of yellow feet. It was raining hard and I got soaked with a river of water running down my jacket and into my jeans as I rode. What an invigorating blast. It has not rained since mid-October. A dose of nature is exactly what I needed. I heard that some otters are waiting in a nearby municipal bass fishing pond for the steelhead run and are selecting only the largest of the bass.
Wondering why you don’t do big box stores..
Life is short no matter what anyone does at a ripe old age it won’t make a difference so go outside and enjoy..
I won’t guess as to why..
Funny how we look through a different prism as we get older...
Mulezen
Well-Known Member
More from the Washington Post on climate change
Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Just prefer to buy local / mom & pop when I can. There were some Big Box stores I liked-- Frye's Electronics was one.
Always good advice. It's going to be overcast tomorrow... perfect time to check our a local trail I've had my eye on for a while if it's not too cold-- it won't be crowded!
Going outside isn't the problem... harder to do those weekend/long weekend getaways. Gotta find a way to do more of them, but I love my work, too.
kmccune
Well-Known Member
The "game biologists" reintroduced the otters around here, which succeeded in wiping out what few native stocks of freshwater fish we had, now the streams are basically barren of fish, it doesn't help to stock either the otters catch the fish and toss them on the riverbanks( on the lower parts of the small river some nuts stocked Muskies, which cleaned most of the fish down there,) back in the day when I used to fish there were schools of small fry and fingerlings everywhere in the fairly pure streams now if you can spot three fish in the water you are lucky. You would have a major problem trying to live off the land around here, between the biologists bunglings and the import landowners.
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
Interesting! That seems to not be an issue with sea otters. Otters are found here in MN as well and we're not seeing the effects you're sharing. Reintroducing predators has been a success. I'm not doubting you but I'm really curious. Where are you? Sea coast or inland?
dodgeman
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Macomb, Illinois
A similar thing around here. They brought the River otters back and they will clean out a stocked pond in a few days, then move on. I am a retired land surveyor and back when the reintroduced the river otters around here the state asked anyone who saw them to report the location. I saw some when I was surveying one day and called it in. The guy didn’t seem to care much because they seemed to be catching on and doing well. I know they were a lot bigger than I expected.
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
The Northern California coast was hit with global warming waters and it killed off the 200 mile kelp forest and urchins that eat kelp thrived. Sea stars died off - they eat urchins. The answer is to expand the territory of sea otters which eat urchins and restore kelp forests. The forests also slow down waves, helping to protect beaches from erosion. They oxygenate the water, pulling out CO2 and reflect infrared. It is interesting to read about zombie urchins who go dormant like ticks, covering the sea floor.
www.sciencenewsforstudents.org
Those bass the river otters ate were introduced into that artificial pond. It is kind of funny.
Urchin takeover underlies California’s vanishing kelp forests
Some 95 percent of kelp forests along its northern coast are gone. Meanwhile, sea otters are helping slow the loss of surviving kelp farther south.
www.sciencenewsforstudents.org
Mulezen
Well-Known Member
Sails and solar for shipping
cleantechnica.com
Cargo Ships Reclaim Wind Power With High Tech Rigid Sails - CleanTechnica
Shipping industry stakeholders look backward -- and forward -- at wind power to reverse the upward spiral of carbon emissions.
cleantechnica.com
BlackHand
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Western WA
WA state just announced the name of its first new hybrid electric ferry that is about ready to start construction: WishkahSails and solar for shipping
Cargo Ships Reclaim Wind Power With High Tech Rigid Sails - CleanTechnica
Shipping industry stakeholders look backward -- and forward -- at wind power to reverse the upward spiral of carbon emissions.
$4 billion over the next 20 years to convert/replace the whole fleet and build fast charging capabilities at the ferry docks. The plan calls for 53% reduction in emissions by 2030 and about 76% by 2040. $35 million from the VW settlement will pay for the engineering and hybrid retrofit of 1 of the fleet's 3 jumbo class ferries next year also.
Imagine the scale of a rapid charger that can charge the batteries on a ferry large enough to carry 144 vehicles....
Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Oh, I know I'm anthropomorphizing, but... that otter sure looks depressed, probably needs some Prozac or Zoloft...The Northern California coast was hit with global warming waters and it killed off the 200 mile kelp forest and urchins that eat kelp thrived. Sea stars died off - they eat urchins. The answer is to expand the territory of sea otters which eat urchins and restore kelp forests. The forests also slow down waves, helping to protect beaches from erosion. They oxygenate the water, pulling out CO2 and reflect infrared. It is interesting to read about zombie urchins who go dormant like ticks, covering the sea floor.
Those bass the river otters ate were introduced into that artificial pond. It is kind of funny.Urchin takeover underlies California’s vanishing kelp forests
Some 95 percent of kelp forests along its northern coast are gone. Meanwhile, sea otters are helping slow the loss of surviving kelp farther south.
View attachment 109197
View attachment 109195
NOT!
"Hey, looking to get rid of some sea urchins?! Why didn't you say so! Definitely won't eat any bass, that can't have been us. Now, we do sometimes inspect or examine the bass to make sure they're healthy, so it might have looked like that, and I seem to recall that the ones in that pond didn't seem too healthy. Go ahead, send down some more, we'll take a good look at them, see if we can figure out what's going on! Hey, how did you guys make it to the top of the food chain again?"
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
@kmccune We are hundreds of miles from Lake Erie here on the lower Susquehanna River. We haven't had snow last more than a week or two on the ground ( just a few days on the roof) in the twenty years I've lived here, untill last year.
I know lake effect snow and ice very well though ... I went to Kent State and drove a lot in Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. BRRRR ...
I know lake effect snow and ice very well though ... I went to Kent State and drove a lot in Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. BRRRR ...
john peck
Well-Known Member
Makes me proud to live here in WA even with the rain. Now if only the ¨vehicles´ on the ferries
become electric, (at least pedaled).
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I'm also familiar with Lake Erie winters. I went to the U of Akron in the mid 1960's. I was there during the Kent State riot. A very sad time in our history.
john peck
Well-Known Member
Last 5 yrs have not exactly been all sweetness & light. I´m hopeful of turning a corner, but there is still much
evil to be eradicated.
mschwett
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
i like the positive attitude! but it seems that evil is making a big comeback :|
john peck
Well-Known Member
It doesn´t seem to be quietly vanishing. The nation, perhaps the world is suffering from PTSD,
(Pandemic traumatic stress disorder). Normal seems to have become an archaic word. Peace
is in danger of becoming the same. Who to blame; how to fix? Easy to point fingers, but change
must begin from within.¨Endeavor to persevere.¨....?
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