African Mapping Highlights Risk Of Drought and Flood

African Mapping Highlights Drought and Flood

African mapping highlights risk of drought and flood
The map will help predict droughts Nell Barrie
27 July 2007
Source: SciDev.Net

The European Space Agency (ESA) has produced maps of soil moisture levels in southern Africa, and says they will help predict floods and droughts.

The maps of countries in the Southern African Development Community were published online last week (16 July) and will be available to governmental and independent organisations free of charge.

Conventional methods of measuring soil moisture are expensive and inaccurate as each measurement has to be done on-site. ESA's ENVISAT satellite measures soil moisture levels by emitting radar waves and measuring the energy bounced back by the soil.

High levels of soil moisture can lead to flooding and erosion, and low levels cause crops to wilt and die.

Annett Bartsch, project coordinator at Vienna University of Technology, Austria, explained how the maps are used. "Areas of saturated upper soil can be identified with ENVISAT," she said. These areas are those at risk of flooding.

The maps can also help predict droughts by looking at past trends in soil moisture. "Provided that a long enough reference database is available, anomalies can be identified and thus… drought risk areas identified," she told SciDev.Net.

In a changing climate, predicting when and where floods are likely to happen is becoming more and more important, according to Geoff Pegram, co-researcher on the project at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. "Although we cannot prevent floods, we can anticipate them and hopefully get people out of the way."

"I think it is really a breakthrough," said Wolfgang Wagner, professor of remote sensing at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria. He said that the satellite is the first to provide enough measurements over the right timescale to give detailed maps of soil moisture.

The maps have been produced as part of the SHARE project (Soil Moisture for Hydrometeorological Applications in the Southern African Development Community).

The SHARE project is part of ESA's TIGER initiative, which aims to assist African countries in managing water-related problems by using satellite data. The next stage of the initiative involves transferring leadership of the projects to African authorities.


Earthimages/ESA











Africa, July 30, 2007

Climate Change Center Foresees Longer Dryer Droughts

Excerpt:

So what can we expect to see in the next 100 years? Unfortunately, we can expect to see many of the above trends continue or accelerate unless technological and social initiatives are carried out to curb emissions, provide more sustainable land and resource use, and increase economic security throughout the regions of the world. The IPCC used a variety of scenarios to project future impacts and trends. The scenarios differ in the assumed rate of population growth and expansion, rate of implementation of cleaner and more efficient energy, and levels of economic development. The scenarios also factor whether the loci of control for the implementation of the social, economic and environmental policies are global, regional, or local.

For example, a scenario with a peak in global population at mid-century and then an ensuing decline, with a global introduction of “clean and resource efficient technologies,” reduced material consumption and a focus on global solutions, resulted in a “best estimate” projected surface temperature change of 1.8 degrees by the last decade of this century. An alternative scenario that maintained the intensity of use of fossil fuels, with mid-century achievement of maximum global population and ensuing decline, rapid economic growth and increased social and cultural interaction and capacity building could result in a “best estimate” increase of 4.0 degrees by 2090.

Regardless of the specific scenario, IPCC projects that many of the observed trends are likely to continue. Specific projections related to drought include:

Decreased precipitation in tropical and subtropical land regions.

Increased hot nights, hot days and heat waves.

Increased evapotranspiration as a result of increased temperature and decreased precipitation.

Significant decrease in precipitation in the Sahel, Mediterranean, Southern Africa and Southern Asia.

Decline in mountain glaciers, snowpack and snow cover, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.

Continued decrease in the total area of seasonally frozen ground.

A pole-ward movement of extratropical storm tracks resulting in continued changes in wind, temperature and precipitation patterns.

The IPCC’s projections demonstrate the need for actions to be taken on all levels to offset and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The panel projected more widespread and intense droughts in regions where the world is currently seeing high levels of population growth, economic development and social conflict, which will jeopardize food security, access to safe drinking water and economic stability for a high percentage of the world’s population.

End of excerpt.

Climate change is occurring in Africa as droughts are more sustained and severe than previously. This then means sustained famine and wars (as is ocurring in Darfur) as well as water shortages will continue to be part of life in this land particularly in Southern Africa, if people are not given the tools and education necessary to understand what is taking place and how to deal with it.

And not only will drought continue to change the landscape and way of life of millions of people, but changes in precipitation patterns brought about by erratic changes in sea surface temperature and melting glaciers will bring rains to those areas not accustomed to it, and a lack of precipitation in the very areas that need it most...the areas that depend on precipitation to grow food.

Water scarcity is not just the problem of lack of potable water. It is also a crisis that affects all we do from bathing, drinking, medical care, spiritual sustinence, and most importantly growing the food that sustains our bodies and minds.

Therefore, the satellite and radar technology now being enployed that can predict such disasters as floods and droughts while not being able to stop climate change and other factors leading to scarcity, drought, and its effects is an invaluable tool in working to save lives and perhaps in time be able to predict such occurrences further in advance in order to effect changes in agricultural areas that will best suit the needs of its people based on changing environmental conditions.

Nothing however, can replace the true good that can come from people having the knowledge mecessary to make informed and moral decisions regarding their use of water, and even though Africa is a continent being affected the most by this crisis, I still hold out hope in the humanity and goodwill of others that we can work together to solve this crisis in time. This radar technology is just one example.

Here is something else I support wholeheartedly:

Solar for Africa Waterpumps

Africa was made for solar power, and it is clean, safe, easy to install, and does not put out the amount of GHGS that other methods including nuclear do.

There are ways to solve this crisis. Together we can do it.

Main site:

Solar For Africa

Pepsi To Admit Aquafina Made From Tap Water

Pepsi Admits Aquafina Made From Tap Water

Aquafina labels to spell out source - tap water
By Martinne Geller
Thu Jul 26, 2007

NEW YORK (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc. will spell out that its Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water, a concession to the growing environmental and political opposition to the bottled water industry.

According to Corporate Accountability International, a U.S. watchdog group, the world's No. 2 beverage company will include the words "Public Water Source" on Aquafina labels.

"If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do," said Michelle Naughton, a Pepsi-Cola North America spokeswoman.

Pepsi Chief Executive Indra Nooyi told Reuters earlier this week the company was considering such a move.

Pepsi's Aquafina and Coca-Cola Co's Dasani are both made from purified water sourced from public reservoirs, as opposed to Danone's Evian or Nestle's Poland Spring, so-called "spring waters," shipped from specific locations the companies say have notably clean water.

Coca-Cola Co. told Reuters it will start posting online information about the quality control testing it performs on Dasani by the end of summer or early fall.

"Concerns about the bottled-water industry, and increasing corporate control of water, are growing across the country," said Gigi Kellett, director of the "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign, which aims to encourage people to drink tap water.

San Francisco's mayor banned city employees from using city funds to buy bottled water when tap water is available. Ann Arbor, Michigan passed a resolution banning commercially bottled water at city events and Salt Lake City, Utah asked department heads to eliminate bottled water.

Critics charge the bottled water industry adds plastic to landfills, uses too much energy by producing and shipping bottles across the world and undermines confidence in the safety and cleanliness of public water supplies, all while much of the world's population is without access to clean water.

But industry observers said such opposition is unlikely to drain U.S. sales of bottled water, which reached 2.6 billion cases in 2006, according to Beverage Digest. The industry newsletter estimated that U.S. consumers spent about $15 billion on bottled water last year.

"Consumers have an affection for bottled water. It's not an issue of taste or health, it's about convenience," the newsletter's publisher, John Sicher, said. "Try walking up (New York City's) Third Avenue on a hot day and getting a glass of tap water."

Dave Kolpak, a portfolio manager at Victory Capital Management, said the environmental objections will have little impact on the bottom line for either Pepsi or Coke, though he admitted it could slow the market's growth rate.

"Pepsi and Coke do not make a lot of profit" on bottled water, said Kolpak, adding that people may talk about the issue, but will likely continue buying some bottled water. Victory Capital owns about 3 million shares of PepsiCo among its $62 billion under management.
~~~~~~~~~~
It'a about time these liars fessed up, but notice that nowhere did they state they would stop making bottled water and contributing to the millions of pounds of plastic waste in this country every year. They think admitting they lied is now "environmentally responsible" enough even though they will continue to do business as usual regarding how they come about this "public source" water and how they package it. I sure hope their profits take a BIG hit.

It's so good to know however, that pressure is building on these corporations to admit their deceptions. I just hope people are savvy enough on the whole to understand that "public source" means tap water. Let's face it, even regarding how they are wording it they get a free ride.

I suppose people like me with blogs and those taking other action will just have to keep telling that truth to awaken people to the grand deception of these companies to use our most precious resource for their own profit at the expense of our environment and the lives of those who in many countries around this world have no potable water because these companies take it from them in order to get their product in the first place. I think they should also be legally bound to note on their bottles WHERE that source is and what that plastic bottle will do to our planet once it is thrown out by the consumer. That should be next on the agenda.

My Tree Nation Petition Passes It's Goal!

I am SO elated because my petition at Tree Nation (you can get to it by clicking on the Tree Nation icon above) has surpassed the 1000 mark and is heading for the next thousand, and MORE TREES. More beautiful Baobab trees whose massive trunks can hold 120,000 liters of beautiful live giving water to provide the people of Niger with food, sustinence, and life. Trees to provide Co2 absorption, healthy landscapes, shade, spiritual growth, and physical sustinence. Trees to be the lungs of a planet in desperate need of the care that trees provide to her.

Trees are the balm on the wounds of our planet. It's life force, its love. To me trees promote well being, spiritual wholeness, and an inner peace we get from no other resource on our planet save water. They are a part of the web of life we simply cannot live without.

I am so filled up to be a part of such a wonderful effort to save our planet and to be doing something to mitigate the effects of deforestation, drought, and the poverty that slowly take away hope. Planting these trees gives us all a renewed hope in the life of our planet, and a future where our children and their children will be able to look upon the beauty that once was and say to us, "good job."

And we need to now take it further. We need another 1000 signatures to get more trees planted for Mother Earth and for us. We need to pledge that we are willing to change our lives in ways that will benefit our world and ourselves. We need to be the change we wish to see in the world, and with the spectre of climate change ever present in more lives everyday this petition is all the more crucial for the future sustainabiity of our beautiful planet.

So let's do it! And thank you from the bottom of my heart.

World Water Crisis

This is the real crisis of the 21st Century. This is how Darfurs begin.

Drought Forces Desert Nomads to Settle Down

Desert Nomads

by Richard Harris

Morning Edition, July 2, 2007 · Climate change threatens ice sheets and ecosystems, but it also threatens human cultures.

For centuries, the Tuareg people have lived as nomads, herding their animals from field to field just south of the Sahara Desert in Mali, near Timbuktu.

"Our life is basically the animals we have, so we protect them and we feed them," says Mohamed Ag Mustafa, a herder living the traditional nomadic lifestyle. "Whenever we need tea or grain or clothes, we take an animal to the market and sell it and buy something."

But this way of life has become impossible due to a change in the climate.

Over the past 40 years, persistent drought has forced the Tuareg to give up their wandering way of life. To survive they have had to start settling in villages and cultivating land to secure a food supply which is less susceptible to drought.

Preserving Culture

CARE is an international humanitarian organization working to alleviate poverty. Uwe Korus, director of programs for CARE in Mali, visits the town of Er-Intedjeft near Timbuktu, where he is greeted warmly. He is here to learn what the Tuareg need in order to make the rapid and jarring transition to a new way of life. One of the big questions on Korus' mind is whether the Tuareg can retain their ancient culture.

The Tuareg welcome Korus with a mishwee, a traditional feast like they used to have in the desert. They build a fire in a sand pit, and when the sand gets scorching hot, they bury a sheep carcass in it. After the sheep has roasted, they blow off sand still clinging it and bring it over to straw mats laid out under rust-colored tents they erected for their guests.

As the women look on, the men of the village sit around the main dish along with Korus and the others from CARE. After the men are through eating, the bones are cleared away for the children and women to pick over, and the Tuareg sit down and talk for hours. They tell the people from CARE about their struggle to settle down. The nomads say they need to learn to farm, they need clean water, health care and veterinary care for their animals.

Welcoming Change

Mohammad Ag Mata, the chief of Er-Intedjeft , is in his mid-60s and appears frail. He is resolute about his decision to give up his nomadic ways.

Mohammad Ag Mata says droughts are responsible for the shift in the Tuareg lifestyle. He used to have 200 head of cattle, but they all died in droughts in the 1970s and '80s. "If it hadn't been for a little money I stole from my father and saved, we would have starved," he says.

Jacob Aromar also lives in Er-Intedjeft. Aromar is not a herder like his forefathers, but a school teacher. He points out the changes taking place all around him, such as the Tuareg homes which used to be tents, but are now built with mud bricks they make by the river.

The Tuareg diet has changed from one of meat and cheese to one with more grains and vegetables, and they still have a lot to learn about growing crops. A pump was donated so the town can draw water from the nearby Niger River and irrigate tomatoes, rice and potatoes. However the pump is not working because no one has been trained to use it.

end of excerpt

Africa: Water Is A Right, Not a Business

I am including this link because I believe the essential step to bringing potable water equally to all people in this world is to declare it a human right globally. This will ensure that corporations will not have as easy an access to indigenous water systems in third world countries to take advantage of them for profit. It will also give hope to millions around the world who see their resources dwindling due to privitization and as in Mali, changing rainfall patterns that are resulting in the droughts forcing them to find a different way of life because they depend on rain for irrigation.

Also, on the topic of this article, I am appalled by the attitude of the men in these tribes towards the women and children. It is only through education that the next generation in all countries will be better equipped to deal with the crises this world will face. Women and children should not be spending their days fetching water that is many times a dangerous task to perform in these countries, especially with it so scarce.

Declaring water a human right and truly working to give people the EDUCATION and resources they need and the ability to use those resources without relying upon The World Bank and other "new world order" type organizations that only seek to take advantage of their resources for profit is the way to a better world.

And for the people of Mali and countries throughout Africa, education is really the key to their survival along with water.

Message In A Bottle

Message In A Bottle
By: Charles Fishman

The largest bottled-water factory in North America is located on the outskirts of Hollis, Maine. In the back of the plant stretches the staging area for finished product: 24 million bottles of Poland Spring water. As far as the eye can see, there are double-stacked pallets packed with half-pint bottles, half-liters, liters, "Aquapods" for school lunches, and 2.5-gallon jugs for the refrigerator.

Really, it is a lake of Poland Spring water, conveniently celled off in plastic, extending across 6 acres, 8 feet high. A week ago, the lake was still underground; within five days, it will all be gone, to supermarkets and convenience stores across the Northeast, replaced by another lake's worth of bottles.

Looking at the piles of water, you can have only one thought: Americans sure are thirsty.

Bottled water has become the indispensable prop in our lives and our culture. It starts the day in lunch boxes; it goes to every meeting, lecture hall, and soccer match; it's in our cubicles at work; in the cup holder of the treadmill at the gym; and it's rattling around half-finished on the floor of every minivan in America. Fiji Water shows up on the ABC show Brothers & Sisters; Poland Spring cameos routinely on NBC's The Office. Every hotel room offers bottled water for sale, alongside the increasingly ignored ice bucket and drinking glasses. At Whole Foods (NASDAQ:WFMI), the upscale emporium of the organic and exotic, bottled water is the number-one item by units sold.

Thirty years ago, bottled water barely existed as a business in the United States. Last year, we spent more on Poland Spring, Fiji Water, Evian, Aquafina, and Dasani than we spent on iPods or movie tickets--$15 billion. It will be $16 billion this year.

Bottled water is the food phenomenon of our times. We--a generation raised on tap water and water fountains--drink a billion bottles of water a week, and we're raising a generation that views tap water with disdain and water fountains with suspicion. We've come to pay good money--two or three or four times the cost of gasoline--for a product we have always gotten, and can still get, for free, from taps in our homes.

When we buy a bottle of water, what we're often buying is the bottle itself, as much as the water. We're buying the convenience--a bottle at the 7-Eleven isn't the same product as tap water, any more than a cup of coffee at Starbucks is the same as a cup of coffee from the Krups machine on your kitchen counter. And we're buying the artful story the water companies tell us about the water: where it comes from, how healthy it is, what it says about us. Surely among the choices we can make, bottled water isn't just good, it's positively virtuous.

Except for this: Bottled water is often simply an indulgence, and despite the stories we tell ourselves, it is not a benign indulgence. We're moving 1 billion bottles of water around a week in ships, trains, and trucks in the United States alone. That's a weekly convoy equivalent to 37,800 18-wheelers delivering water. (Water weighs 81/3 pounds a gallon. It's so heavy you can't fill an 18-wheeler with bottled water--you have to leave empty space.)

Meanwhile, one out of six people in the world has no dependable, safe drinking water. The global economy has contrived to deny the most fundamental element of life to 1 billion people, while delivering to us an array of water "varieties" from around the globe, not one of which we actually need. That tension is only complicated by the fact that if we suddenly decided not to purchase the lake of Poland Spring water in Hollis, Maine, none of that water would find its way to people who really are thirsty.

A chilled plastic bottle of water in the convenience-store cooler is the perfect symbol of this moment in American commerce and culture. It acknowledges our demand for instant gratification, our vanity, our token concern for health. Its packaging and transport depend entirely on cheap fossil fuel. Yes, it's just a bottle of water--modest compared with the indulgence of driving a Hummer. But when a whole industry grows up around supplying us with something we don't need--when a whole industry is built on the packaging and the presentation--it's worth asking how that happened, and what the impact is. And if you do ask, if you trace both the water and the business back to where they came from, you find a story more complicated, more bemusing, and ultimately more sobering than the bottles we tote everywhere suggest.

end of excerpt.

Great article. Worth the read.