This post is really just an excuse to share a pretty cool animation. But first some background.
I’m currently reading “Water Resources” by Shimon C. Anisfield. It’s been a fascinating and enlightening read so far. In the chapter titled “Water Availability and Water Use” he makes the point that some regions get a fairly constant amount of rainfall over the course of a year (e.g. northeastern US), while other regions have very distinct wet and dry seasons (e.g. India). The reference used to illustrate this point is very cool: global-scale animation of monthly rainfall from 1979 to 1999.
This seasonal variability means that water has to be stored somehow and this is a very big challenge for modern-day water managers and has always been a huge challenge for civilizations over the millennia. In upcoming weeks we’ll discuss how some of the methods used to manage this problem have created even bigger ones.
Stay engaged.
Now that is so fascinating. Does all the red yellows that blue eventually became in the animation means the reduction of water supply?
If it is – how awful – how frightening!
The only saving grace – is the mercy of God and we have that.
The changes colors show seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations rather than overall reduction. I think the main takeaway is that we have to continue to figure out ways to store water effectively when there is a lot of rain so that we can cope during the drier seasons and years. It’s basically a global depiction of the problems we experienced first hand in St. Lucia: rainy season-no water because the infrastructure was overwhelmed; dry season – no water because there was no rain.
Now that’s a relief. And it’s something that always bothered me – this no water whatever – I keep thinking – there must be some way to hold on the the dregs that pour down endlessly during the rainy season – instead of singing to the tunes they bring to mind…
But I’ll leave that to the more qualified …
Wonderful explanation of facts available here.