Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops

‘If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance …’ —Vilsack

U.S. drought intensifies as deadly heat plagues regions from Dakotas to Ohio Valley

‘Dangerous and deadly heat has entrenched itself in the central Plains and Midwest with no prospects of relief in the near future,’ said NOAA forecasters.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map, July 19, 2012. Source: NWS

• Excessive Heat Warnings are in effect for parts of 10 states and into the weekend for parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

• Heat Advisories have been issued for parts of 19 states:  South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island, NWS reported.

U.S. Daily Highest Max Temperature Records (July 17, 2012)

Highest Max Temp Reported

BURLINGTON 2S,  DES MOINES, IA.  New record: 107.0°F set on 2012-07-17; old record at 98.0°F dated 2006-07-17

Drought 2012

“If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it.”

USDA has now declared as primary disaster areas a total of about 1,300 counties [many other counties are designated as contiguous disaster areas ] across 29 states, as grain prices shoot through the roof due to deadly heat and unrelenting drought.

“I get on my knees everyday and I’m saying an extra prayer right now,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters after briefing with the Disaster President  Obama. “If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it.”

Among nature’s extreme dislikes is the fact that more than 40 percent of the U.S. corn is used to produce ethanol.

Weekly drought statistics to be released by U.S. Drought Monitor later today could show more than two-thirds of Continental U.S. in drought condition.

By early July 2012, more than 60% of the contiguous United States was experiencing drought conditions, nearly double the area from early January. This NOAA animation shows monthly composites of D1 to D4 categories of drought in the contiguous U.S. over the time frame January 2012 to July 2012 using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor summary map identifies general drought areas, labeling droughts by intensity, with D1 (lightest color) being the least intense and D4 (darkest color) being the most intense.

State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin

Governor Walker has declared a state of emergency in all 72 Wisconsin counties due to drought and abnormally dry conditions extending across most of the state.

“Wisconsin families, businesses and farmers are hurting as a result of this drought,” said Gov. Walker. “The increase in wildfires due to the combined lack of rain and high temperatures is adding to the risk of major economic losses, especially in agriculture. This is a time of crisis for many people, and we will utilize whatever resources are necessary to help.”

On July 10, Walker declared a state of emergency in 42 southern and central counties.

Latest Disaster Declarations by USDA

USDA has issued Disaster Declarations due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat that began in April 1, 2012, and continues in

• Missouri: A total of 105 counties declared as agricultural disaster areas.
• Arkansas:  5 counties
• Illinois: 9 counties
  
• Iowa: 10 counties
• Kansas: 10 counties
• Nebraska: 3 counties
• Oklahoma: 2 counties

USDA designated ten  Counties in Wyoming as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

• All other Wyoming counties that would be eligible under 7 CFR 759.5 (a), already have been designated as primary natural disaster counties.

USDA designated 16 Counties in Utah as agricultural disaster areas  due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

• Arizona.  The designation also extends to 2 contiguous counties in Arizona.

USDA Designates 5  Counties in Tennessee agricultural disaster areas  due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

• Arkansas.  The designation also extends to 2 contiguous counties in Arkansas.
  
• Mississippi.  Extends also to 2 counties in Mississippi.

USDA has designated 32  counties in Arkansas as agricultural natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

• Mississippi. No. of counties are contiguous disaster areas: 4
• Tennessee.  Counties declared contiguous disaster areas: 2

USDA has designated 5 counties  in Georgia as  agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

USDA has designated 30 counties in Indiana as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

USDA has designated 10 counties in Mississippi as agricultural natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

• All other Mississippi counties that would be eligible under 7 CFR 759.5 (a), already have been designated as primary natural disaster areas.
• Arkansas. Counties declared contiguous disaster areas: 3
  

USDA has designated 7 counties in New Mexico as  agricultural natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought.

• Arizona. Counties declared as contiguous disaster areas: 1

Latest Available Maps of Agricultural Disaster Areas in the U.S.

Map of U.S. counties declared as agricultural disaster areas under ‘Streamlined Disaster Designation Process,’ as of July 12, 2012

PRIMARY & CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES designated for 2012 crop disaster losses – As of 07/10/2012 – through Designation No. S3260 (Approved 07/03/2012)

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain). A massive wildfire has consumed/affected about 2,000 hectares on the  volcanic island of Tenerife forcing the authorities to evacuate 1,800 inhabitants of the small town of Vilaflor, as well as the residents of another village nearby, reports said.
  • Another large fire burned more than 500 hectares on the neighboring island of La Palma before it was  brought under control on Tuesday, officials said.

Global Carbon Dioxide  Emissions

Global CO2 emissions rose 3 percent to 34 billion tons, said  a new EU report today.

• China emits 29 percent of global total (9.7 billion tons), while the U.S. is responsible for 16 percent (5.42 billion tons), the EU11 percent, India 6 percent, Russia 5 percent and Japan 4 percent, according to the report.
• Australia has the world’s largest per capita emissions at 19 tons, followed by the U.S. at 17.3 tons and Saudi Arabia at 16.5 tons per year.
• The report was released by EC’s Joint Research Center (JRC) and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.

Links to Recent Related Entries

• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012

• Disaster Declared in More Counties Across 11 States Posted  July 13, 2012
• U.S. Drought Expands, Intensifies Posted July 12, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in 26 States Posted July 12, 2012

• Third of U.S. Corn in Poor or V. Poor Condition Posted on July 11, 2012
• Continental US Experienced Warmest 12 Months in 117 Years Posted  on July 10, 2012
• Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin Posted on July 10, 2012
• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012

• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

Our Dead Zone Largest Ever This Year!

Congratulations! We Are Breaking Another Record: Our Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico

Alas, the cost of Midwest flooding, the multibillion-dollar crop losses, doesn’t include the damage to our coastal waters and the marine “manna.”

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Summertime satellite observations of ocean color from MODIS/Aqua show highly turbid waters which may include large blooms of phytoplankton extending from the mouth of the Mississippi River all the way to the Texas coast. When these blooms die and sink to the bottom, bacterial decomposition strips oxygen from the surrounding water, creating an environment very difficult for marine life to survive in. Reds and oranges represent high concentrations of phytoplankton and river sediment. Image taken by NASA and provided courtesy of the NASA Mississippi Dead Zone web site.

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The annual dead zone, which stretches from Texas to Louisiana coasts, could grow to about 9,000 square miles (23,300 km²), nearly double the annual average since 1990 of about 4,800 square miles.

This year’s record dead zone is caused by inordinate demand for corn and soybeans which are used to make ethanol to boost gasoline supplies, and by the earlier Midwest flooding.

The massive increases in the use of fertilizers in Midwestern corn country results in the fertilizer run-off that flow down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. Nitrogen and phosphorus, the main constituents of fertilizers, promote excessive growth and decay of algae which cause severe reductions in water quality. The decaying aquatic vegetation or phytoplankton (an algal bloom) sinks to the bottom of the waters in the Gulf and is broken down by bacteria which consume the dissolved oxygen in the water and produce carbon dioxide.

The bacterial respiration process kills fish, clams, crabs, shrimp, zooplankton and all other species that swim in the water or dwell on the bottom of the Gulf [and other water bodies] creating dead zones.

Red algae completely covers this municipal reservoir. Credit: CASF. Photo date: July 14, 2008. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

“We’re planting an awful lot of corn and soybeans,” said Eugene Turner, a scientist at Louisiana State University. “It rinses off easily when there is a rain.”

“Excess nutrients from the Mississippi River watershed during the spring are the primary human-influenced factor behind the expansion of the dead zone,” said Rob Magnien, director of the NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research.

One-third of this year’s U.S. corn crop, or 4 billion bushels, will go to make the alternate fuel ethanol, the U.S. government has projected, compared to 3 billion bushels of the 2007 crop. Reuters reported.

Related News Links:

Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” to hit record size: NOAA

Related Links:

• Dead Zones
• Our Oceans [Index Page]
• The Eight Steps that Help Kill More of Our Fish

• Dead Zone – General Collection

• Marsification of Earth

Environmental Disasters: Too Close for Comfort?

submitted by a reader

“You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Beginning to feel that the environmental disasters are getting up close and personal?

One minute you are in your comfortable home near Paradise, north of Sacramento, the next minute you are being consoled by the firefighters as you stand in the front garden watching your home turn into blackened cinder. They apologize for failing to help you, but it wasn’t their fault. They ran out of water!

Wondering why?

Butte Valley fire, Humboldt, Thursday night. Image: Jason Halley / Chico Enterprise-Record. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Into the SUV with what little you could snatch away from the mouth of the fire heading east to Iowa to stay with Aunt Molly. On interstate 29 a twister is about to touch down. Whoosh! You swerve out of the way just in time.

Parkersburg Tornado. Photo AP. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Aunt Molly’s house in Cedar Rapids wasn’t so lucky. It didn’t have wheels to drive away and avoid the floodwater; it is completely deluged.

An aerial photo shows a flooded area of downtown looking North over Cedar Rapids, Iowa June 13, 2008. Interstate I-380 can be seen at top while Mays Island, with Cedar Rapids City Hall, is seen on the left with its bridges under water. Floodwaters have inundated about 100 city blocks of Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest city with 200,000 residents. REUTERS/Ron Mayland. Photo AP. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Five hours and a dozen phonecalls later, you are finally heading to the calm of Wisconsin to stay with Cousin Thelma and her family. Turn the radio on. Homes on Lake Delton in central Wisconsin have been ripped apart by deadly storm and washed away by floodwaters. Chilly gooseflesh grow on your forearms. Something tingles deep inside your gut, that uncomfortable feeling something is wrong. And you are right! Well, It’s Friday the 13th, you hear yourself murmuring.

Lake Delton is a popular tourist spot south of the Wisconsin Dells. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Distant Cousin Joe and his family are in deep mourning in Loveland. Two of their kids with four of their classmates and a teacher didn’t make it back from a fishing trip. And his 5,000 acre cornfield is submerged in floodwater …

Corn crop submerged in floodwaters near Loveland, Iowa, June 12, 2008. REUTERS/Dave Kaup. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Back to Iowa to stay with an old classmate who lives in Marshal Town, Iowa, and who invited you to visit her last summer. A rain check is as good as … a rain check! Finally you arrive in Marshal Town. But the whole town has been evacuated and the power plants have been shut down!

Well, at least you have the good old, reliable SUV, and it’s not as if the world is running out of corn to make ethanol for you!

Related Links:

• Failing Ecosystems
• The Root Cause Matrix
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

feww

But Will It Prevent Food Riots in the US?

‘Clean’ Energy Scam: U.S. senator seeks to freeze ethanol requirement

ASHINGTON (Reuters) – Texas Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is drawing up legislation to cap the U.S. renewable fuels requirement at 2008 levels – 9 billion gallons per year. Texas ranches are home to 2.8 million head of cattle. Cattle and poultry producers rely on grain for feed and have been hit hard by skyrocketing corn prices.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry petitioned the federal government to cut its renewable fuel requirement by 50 percent this year to break the vicious circle of grain price hikes.

Corn Belt lawmakers such as Iowa’s Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, whose state farmers are profiting handsomely from the soaring grains prices, have vowed to combat any legislative attempt to reduce or postpone the renewable fuels mandate.

A tiny sliver of transitional rain forest is surrounded by hectares of soybean fields in the Mato Grosso state, Brazil. (Caption: TIME). Photo:  John Lee / Aurora Select for TIME. (Image may be subject to copyright). See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

President [sic] George W. Bush said on Tuesday he is deeply concerned about high food prices but believes ethanol production is responsible for only a small part [sic] of food inflation.

“And the truth of the matter is, it’s in our national interest that we—our farmers—grow energy, as opposed to us purchasing energy from parts of the world that are unstable or may not like us.”

The new energy law calls for the production of 9 billion gallons of biofuel in 2008 and 10.5 billion gallons next year, and a rise to 36 billion gallons in 2022 – with ethanol supply from corn capped at 15 billion gallons.

About 26 percent of corn production would be diverted to make biofuel in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grain prices hit record highs breaking above $6.50 a bushel. (Source)

Related links:

• As Bush signs energy bill, new issues come to the fore (Background)
  

• Fueling Food Shortages
• Corn for Food, NOT for Fuel
• Former U.N. boss Annan warns of “hunger disasters”
  
• Growing world needs every form of energy: Shell

• UN food aid agency’s gap grows, ration cuts loom
• Brazil Lula defends biofuels from growing criticism
• Corn eyes new peaks, may add to food woes
• Bolivia Morales: biofuels serious problem to poor

• Biofuels won’t solve world energy problem: Shell
• Food price crisis may hit world growth and security: U.N.
• U.N. food aid agency’s gap grows, ration cuts loom
• Oil World expects states to cut back biofuel plans

• Lifstyle Winning Against Life?
• Emerging Food Crisis
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Topsoil

• Index of Human Impact on Nature
• 500 Weather-Related Disasters A Year
• Producing corn ethanol consumes as much fossil fuel as the ethanol itself replaces
• The Clean Energy Scam

• U.S. eyes shift away from corn ethanol
• Scientists: Stop Biofuels to fight world hunger

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