Another flooding mega-disaster: Sri Lanka recovers from extreme flooding
At least 43 are dead and thousands still in refugee camps due to extreme flooding in eastern Sri Lanka caused by record monsoon rains. According to the United Nations, the rains in recent weeks in Sri Lanka have been the heaviest in nearly 100 years of record keeping, and the flood that resulted was a 1-in-100 year event, according to The U.N. Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. Rainfall at Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, during the 42-day period December 1 - January 12 was 1606 mm (63"), which is about how much rain the station usually receives in an entire year (1651 mm, or 65".) Sri Lanka's previous most devastating flooding disaster was the 2004 tsunami, but as The Economist commented, "in terms of the numbers of people displaced and farmland inundated, the floods have been even more devastating than the tsunami of December 2004." Damage estimates start at $500 million, and much of Sri Lanka's agriculture has been severely damaged by the disaster. Also of concern is the large number of land mines from the recent Sri Lanka civil war that may have been unearthed by the floods. Water is also a major concern in the flood-hit area, as fighting between government forces and Tamil Tigers rebels from mid-2007 to May 2009 damaged or destroyed almost all of the water facilities.
Figure 1. A family affected by the 2011 Sri Lanka floods braves the flood waters. Image credit: United Nations.
Sri Lanka is now the fifth nation in the past six month to suffer a flooding disaster unprecedented in its history. As I reported in a previous post, the other four mega-impact floods--the July 2010 Pakistan floods, the December - January Queensland Australia floods, the November 2010 Colombia floods, and the January 2011 Rio de Janeiro floods--were all accompanied by an atmosphere laden with moisture, due, in part, due to sea surface temperatures over nearby ocean areas that were the 2nd or 3rd warmest on record. However, that was not the case for the Sri Lanka floods. Ocean temperatures during December 2010 were 0.2°C below average in the 5x5 degree square of ocean adjoining the island (5N - 10N, 80E - 85E). The floods appear to be due to the normal monsoon rains that typically affect the region this time of year, enhanced by the strong La Niña event occurring in the Eastern Pacific.
Figure 2. Satellite-estimated precipitation over Sri Lanka for January 3 - 9. Up to 18 inches (525 mm) fell over eastern Sri Lanka. Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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Exactly which climate scientists are you listening to? You must be confusing climate scientists with enviro-nuts.
Many scientists back nuclear power as the best solution, especially thorium based reactors which are inherently fail-safe (not to mention there is enough thorium in the Earth's crust to last us 10,000 years).
Your plan isn't new, nor unheard of. France has shown it is completely workable (70%-80% of their power is from nuclear).
The problem isn't the soundness of nuclear energy. We have technology to deal with the wastes(breeder reactors). We have new reactor designs that are many times better than previous designs. We even have the possiblity of using new fuel sources (like thorium).
The problem is who we have opposing nuclear power, namely the entrenched energy corporations. The did a real good job FUDing nuclear energy to death in the 70's and 80's, and even got the enviro-crazies onboard with their fear mongering. With the current ridiculous regulations in place and the ban on breeder reactors, nuclear power plants are not economically viable to build.
Finally, even the way out there greenies are starting to see that switching to nuclear is a lot better than burning fossil fuels. However, you still have Big Energy Co. out there waiting to scare the death out of Joe Sixpack and Jane SoccerMom with TeH eVal n00kleears.
Thought I would say hello!
Speaking from experience? ;)
Tropical Disturbance Summary
TROPICAL DEPRESSION 06F
9:00 AM FST January 21 2011
==================================
At 21:00 PM UTC, Tropical Depression 06F (1003 hPa) located at 13.7S 177.1W is reported as moving slowly. Position POOR based on multispectral visible/infrared/enhanced infrared imagery with animation and peripheral surface observations. Sea surface temperature is around 30C.
Overall organization has slightly improved past 12 hours. Convection has increased in the last 24 hours with new burst of deep convection to the east of the system. System lies under an upper diffluent region in a moderate sheared environment. Cyclonic circulation extends to 500 HPA.
Global models has picked up the system and gradually moves it southeast with some intensification.
The potential for this tropical depression to develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 24-48 hours is HIGH.
Tropical Disturbance Summary
TROPICAL DISTURBANCE 07F
9:00 AM FST January 21 2011
=====================================
At 21:00 PM UTC, Tropical Disturbance 07F (1000 hPa) located at 21.0S 161.1E is reported as moving southeast at 10 knots. Position POOR based on multispectral visible/infrared/enhanced infrared imagery with animation and peripheral surface observations. Sea surface temperature is around 30C.
Organization has not improved much in the last 12 hours. Convection is displaced to the east of the low level circulation center. System lies under an upper diffluent region in a moderately sheared environment. Cyclonic circulation extends up to 500 HPA.
Global models have picked up the system and gradually moves it southeastward with slight intensification.
The potential for this tropical disturbance to form into a tropical cyclone within the next 24-36 is MODERATE.
hahaha I couldn't help it!
Remember when this blog consisted of mature individuals who had fun discussing weather the way friends would discuss it?
Now we have a never ending stream of people with egos the reach into the extremity of our solar system.
You've been a member since December 2010 hmm
Hey, remember when this blog consisted of people who weren't passive aggressive and didn't insult people for correcting misinformation and lies?
It is not egotistical correct someone when they're wrong. Nor is it egotistical to correct FUD, misinformation, distortions, and outright lies.
How many times have you had to correct wishcasters, doomcasters, wobblecasters, etc.? Does that make you egotistical?
Some of the people on here don't even understand the fundamentals of physics, let alone weather or climate. Yet they think they know more than the combined scientific community and can claim dismissively that all the decades worth of research, data, and observations are nothing more than BS.
If that doesn't scream egotistical arrogance I don't know what does.
Once again, look at your previous posts slaying anyone who does not see your point of view. Several of you Lumberjacks have pretty much made this blog a place of arrogance and aggression. I don't know if it is your inability to deal with your deficiencies relating to the basic principles of nature or biology, but you short tempered fellas got some issues for certain.
Perhaps you should take some of your own advice home with you. Gheeze !
The military doesn't have to abide by the rules. However, you must realize most every modern device that you enjoy came from the military/space program. Sat tv, gps, cell phones, even microwaves and plastic. The private sector gets its "innovations" from the research and development of the government. Always has, they are the only ones with the money to invent new things. You can say Bill Gates or Steve Jobs made the computer, but really they just made it better. The first research was done by the government. Can you argue they waste money? Yes! Can you argue they don't know how to stop spending? Yes! However, many corps thrive on things the gov created! Just my 2 cents!
Global Analysis
Annual 2010
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Climatic Data Center
Global Highlights
* For 2010, the combined global land and ocean surface temperature tied with 2005 as the warmest such period on record, at 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20th century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F). 1998 is the third warmest year-to-date on record, at 0.60°C (1.08°F) above the 20th century average.
* The 2010 Northern Hemisphere combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the warmest year on record, at 0.73°C (1.31°F) above the 20th century average. The 2010 Southern Hemisphere combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the sixth warmest year on record, at 0.51°C (0.92°F) above the 20th century average.
* The global land surface temperature for 2010 tied with 2005 as the second warmest on record, at 0.96°C (1.73°F) above the 20th century average. The warmest such period on record occurred in 2007, at 0.99°C (1.78°F) above the 20th century average.
* The global ocean surface temperature for 2010 tied with 2005 as the third warmest on record, at 0.49°C (0.88°F) above the 20th century average.
* In 2010 there was a dramatic shift in the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which influences temperature and precipitation patterns around the world. A moderate-to-strong El Niño at the beginning of the year transitioned to La Niña conditions by July. At the end of November, La Niña was moderate-to-strong.
Please Note: The data presented in this report are preliminary. Ranks and anomalies may change as more complete data are received and processed. Effective with the July 2009 State of the Climate Report, NCDC transitioned to the new version (version 3b) of the extended reconstructed sea surface temperature (ERSST) dataset. ERSST.v3b is an improved extended SST reconstruction over version 2. This report uses the ERSST.v3b dataset to assess the entire year. Therefore, values for individual months of January-June presented in this report may differ slightly from those reported when ERSST.v2 was the operational dataset. For more information about the differences between ERSST.v3b and ERSST.v2 and to access the most current data, please visit NCDC's Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.
Global Temperatures
The year 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest year since records began in 1880. The annual global combined land and ocean surface temperature was 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20th century average. The range associated with this value is plus or minus 0.07°C (0.13°F). The 2010 combined land and ocean surface temperature in the Northern Hemisphere was also the warmest on record, while the combined land and ocean surface temperature in the Southern Hemisphere was the sixth warmest such period on record. The annual globally averaged land temperature was 0.96°C (1.73°F) above average, which tied with 2005 as the second warmest year record. The range associated with this value is plus or minus 0.11°C (0.20°F). The warmest year was 2007, at 0.99°C (1.78°F) above the 20th century average. The decadal global land and ocean average temperature anomaly for 2001–2010 was the warmest decade on record for the globe, with a surface global temperature of 0.56°C (1.01°F) above the 20th century average. This surpassed the previous decadal record (1991–2000) value of 0.36°C (0.65°F).
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a periodic fluctuation in sea surface temperature (El Niño) and the air pressure of the overlying atmosphere (Southern Oscillation) across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, affecting weather patterns in many parts of the world. The year began in a moderate-to-stong warm (El Niño) phase. The globally averaged January ocean surface temperature was the second warmest on record, behind 1998—a year that also began with a strong El Niño. Temperature anomalies across the equatorial Pacific declined through the year, although the ENSO warm phase offically remained through April. The global ocean surface temperatures for the period January–April were the second warmest on record, behind 1998. In May, sea surface temperature anomalies in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean cooled below the El Niño threshold (0.5°C), signifying a return to ENSO-neutral conditions. By July, ENSO officially shifted into a cold (La Niña) phase as the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean continued to cool to below-average temperatures. With La Niña firmly in place, and central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean temperatures continuing to cool, the globally averaged ocean temperature for the period September–November was tenth warmest on record. For the period January–December, the shift from a warm phase to a cold phase ENSO contributed to a globally averaged ocean surface temperature anomaly of 0.49°C (0.88°F) above the 20th century average, tying with 2005 as the third warmest such period on record. The range associated with this value is plus or minus 0.06°C (0.11°F). 2003 and 1998 tied for the warmest years on record, at 0.51°C (0.92°F) above average. According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC), La Niña was expected to peak during the end of 2010 into early 2011 and last at into the Northern Hemisphere spring 2011 with a lesser intensity.
2010 Global Significant Weather and Climate Events
The point is we don't even NEED a place like Yucca Mountain for waste storage. We have the technology to reprocess the wastes into more fuel. The French have been doing this for decades. As a bonus, when the waste can't be reprocessed any further, the remaining wastes have much shorter half-lives than 10,000 years.
Our populace is not all that well educated compared to other developed nations (and even some under developed ones) and has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for allowing fear to get them to act in their own worst interests. Despite all the benefits of nuclear power and all the good it could do, it's either going to take decades or some world class calamity before The People allow a sane energy policy involving nuclear power.
I'm ready for spring. We are supposed to get some cold temps the next couple of days. As much as I hate the heat, I am not a cold weather person!
ow
The Daily Downpour will talk about the next round of Winter weather in the East.
out>>> to catch up on my papers :) >>>
Spring comes earlier every year now so the wait will be less,
Folks, I suggest that you all go out onto the net and read about what France is doing.
It aint near what Master X is saying, not by a long shot.
The potential might be there, yet, even they admit that there are many hurdles to overcome.
Like I said, check it out for yourself and you decide.
It also seems as if we get a major, unseasonable cold front during May and September, though. At least, that's been the case for the last several years.
Nuclear must be made part of a stop gap solution to our survival on this planet. Oil, coal etc all are finite resources that will run out. The only question is when.
Nuclear would be an excellent stop gap energy solution because it is essentially non-polluting. Well except for the vast amount of heat that must be dealt with as the high temperature water used to power the turbines which generate the energy is introduced into the environment and the nuclear based waste products as well.
Going nuclear will allow us time to perfect and distribute the new renewable energy systems world-wide. Once that is accomplished, or at least well on its way to completion it would then be time to dismantle the nuclear plants and thank the celestial powers that be for giving us the time we needed.
The race is on to accomplish that gargantuan task before the population reaches 18 billion by 2070. Then, in addition to our energy problem, we will be faced with feeding, clothing, housing and dealing with the attendant pollution from the bodily function from all those souls.
There is so much to do and so little time in which to do it.
There is too much at stake to let ourselves be distracted by such silliness as AGW. Those days of defrauding the public by stealing from them using taxes and such are over. CO2 - the greenhouse gas - will be the subject discussed around the breakfast table with people chuckling how wrongheaded and selfish it really was.
Extended Outlook For The 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season
nice pic
I know who I'm talking to so I won't get my hopes up, but could you be a bit more specific? A link perhaps?
Because just putting in "France Nuclear Energy" doesn't turn up anything that would indicate I'm off the mark, nor negative. In fact, with the introduction of their underwater nuclear plants, I'd say things in France are moving right along.
In fact, they're so good at what they do we outsource some of OUR nuclear waste to them. They have an energy surplus which they sell to surrounding nations. In fact, almost all the fossil fuels they do use are for transportation.
Their "accidents" for their entire operating history come out to a fraction of what the Gulf Oil Spill cost. And their plants produce less radioactive wastes than what a coal fired plant spews into the air.
The only issues I found were dealing with how they produce too much power so the plants weren't being optimally utilized (they actually have to shut some plants down every now and then so they don't overpower the grid), and how ultra cheap electricity has led people to be more lax about energy conservation.
Other than Wikipedia and French sites about their nuclear energy program, most of the other links that were returned were stories and press releases about new nuclear initiatives and the successes of the French nuclear program.
So if you could kindly post a link or links showing how I am incorrect, I would appreciate it because all the official sites seem to indicate that things are pretty good over there in regards to their nuclear energy.
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