It’s raining, it’s pouring…
I (tom) arrived in Townsville today - it’s wet and flooding…
This from Karin in Brisbane, where news of the weather woes had already been heard…
Hi guys…
I hear there are floods around compromising your safety!!!
This is just a friendly reminder that you SHOULD LOOK AFTER YOURSELF!
The official uni policy states for you to go home before the floods get worse - except if you are a PhD student or young professional, in which case you are still expected to continue working!
Oh well…
Keep well!
Swim against the tide!
Stiff up a lip!
Persevere in adverse conditions!
Don’t let them get you down!
Come out a winner!
80% of success is just trying!
Best wishes,
Karin.Don’t forget:
Fit your own flippers first before attending to others!or… just cling onto Lauryne, she is a strong swimmer!
Photo of the road to the airport, nearly flooded over, and two shots of Aplins Weir from Jim Fitzgerald, taken with his fancy mobile phone and MMS’ed to Zoe. thanks Jim!
February 1st, 2007 at 6:20 pm
How good would the Tully be on an inner tube with that flow
February 1st, 2007 at 6:20 pm
“Stiff up a lip!” LOL!
February 1st, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Savita wrote already “Head Home”, as Karin says, if you are not a PhD student!! Take care, Townsville people!
Tom and Zoe, you can be happy that you are on the safe hill!
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:20 am
crazy! look at all that water!
hope you are all well!
Karin.
February 2nd, 2007 at 10:59 am
Now all we need is a bloody great pipe heading south so we can all have green grass and proper showers again…
There was a map printed in the Herald the other day showing that there were only very few parts of Victoria that, over the last 10 years, were having the lowest rainfall on record, the vast majority of the country has had average, or well-above average, rainfall in the decade since 1996. Surely the problem is simply population growth and the resulting increase in water consumption. ‘The Drought’ is mearly a political construct. Tomo?
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Australia’s water shortages are due to the clearing of native vegetation for European agriculture, which has two main effects:
1. When all the trees are removed, the natural buffering capacity of catchments (i.e., the retention and slow release of water) is lost; and
2. Following clearing, water is pumped out of natural systems (rivers, lakes, streams and the aquifers) for crops and stock, where it evaporates.
In urban areas, much of the water is used by industry (http://www.ozh2o.com/h2use2.html).
Calls to pump water around the nation in massive pipes are as ludicrous as the original land clearing. We must return to sustainable water use through sustainable agriculture and wise urban and industrial use - not do this:
http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/landclearing/nsw/lc141004/
Having said that, it’s fucking wet here!
February 2nd, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I learned in physics when I was at school that matter in the Universe is neither created or destroyed.
Given this I was led to believe that the amount of water vapour in the earth’s atmosphere remains pretty well constant.
If this is so then if it rains less in one part of the world it must rain more somewhere else.
From this I would reach the conclusion that global warming has no effect on the amount of water in the earth.
But, if the atmosphere is warmer then there should be more water vapour in the atmosphere and therefore more rain.
I think we should therefore all relax, have a nice long shower, and a couple of ales.
February 2nd, 2007 at 8:35 pm
We had a light shower today!!!!! but we need much more to revive our white cedar which is not looking at all good after experiencing 40 degrees plus!
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:32 pm
As I’m now apparently an expert in anything to do with science, I get some pretty funny questions at the pub/dinner parties etc… Such as, “What are the chances of being reincarnated as a tuna?” and, “What’s the deal with the global rainfall budget anyway?”. Yeah, like I know…
These guys went part way there, saying that it is now drier than during the last ice age:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v253/n5486/abs/253033b0.html
These guys mapped it in 1915:
http://etc.usf.edu/maps/pages/4600/4629/4629.htm
More tomorrow…
February 3rd, 2007 at 12:37 am
It is probably just as well that Rodrigo had given up riding his bike under the Ross Riover bridge
February 4th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Yeah, no more riding under there!
I guess that would have made a funnier story: “after an evening of drinks I was riding my bike under the bridge… then suddenly the current took me away and I woke up on Magnetic Island”
February 5th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I agree, here in Europe, we are facing in the Moment a kind of different catastrophe in terms of climate change. The government wants to make high regulations on cars, using more than 5 L, so that would mean that vans, station wagons and 4WD are gone, at least with the current technology. Maybe a Japanese car with Hydraulic can help!
Our winter is extremely warm and the glaciers are melting- Greenland will become a green island, soon!!
By the way i like the little movies from You (Tom) and Alex, great music!