“Record heat wave in Chile: On 15th December it was the Chilean Hottest day ever recorded in December with:
“41.6C [106.9F] at San Felipe, 41.2C at Llay Llay and 40.9C at Santa Maria, all in Valparaiso Region and all above the previous national record of 40.8C.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1603498926077779992
“New sources of forest fires continue to affect the central zone of Chile amid the intense heat wave that is registered in the country.
“On Wednesday, a fire was reported in Curacaví, an area that is 46 kilometers from Santiago. The flames were registered in the Carén farm and 1,500 hectares of vegetation have been affected.”
“Santiago may run out of water as crisis intensifies.
“Santiago’s water crisis shows no signs of diminishing and is currently coinciding with a heat wave, which is prompting local authorities to begin drawing up their own plans. “Santiago has no future without water and we are running out of water,” said Claudio Orrego, governor of the metropolitan region.”
“Ice covers white fields in southern Brazil ten days from Christmas.
“The news earlier in the week was a powerful heat wave with several days in a row with highs of up to 46ºC in Argentina and highs above 40ºC in Rio Grande do Sul. Today, ten days before Christmas, the fact is the cold that brought frost that covered the fields of São Joaquim in white, in the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina.”
https://metsul.com/gelo-cobre-de-branco-campos-no-sul-do-brasil-a-dez-dias-do-natal/
“In Brazil’s agricultural heartland, rivers run dry as monoculture advances.
“The Paraná River Basin has suffered an unprecedented drought since 2021, affecting hydropower generation, river-borne food shipments, and freshwater supplies for 40 million people across Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. In Brazil, the prolonged drought has hit some of the region’s most important reserves…”
“Record low water levels on the Mississippi River in 2022 show how climate change is altering large rivers…
“In 2022, water levels in some of the world’s largest rivers, including the Rhine in Europe and the Yangtze in China, fell to historically low levels. The Mississippi River fell so low in Memphis, Tennessee, in mid-October that barges were unable to float, requiring dredging and special water releases from upstream reservoirs to keep channels navigable.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-12-mississippi-river-climate-large-rivers.html
“Drought emergency declared for all Southern California.
“As California faces the prospect of a fourth consecutive dry year, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.”
“A massive winter storm spawned several tornadoes, leaving buildings wrecked and several people injured, and caused widespread disruption across large parts of the US.
“Emergency services including sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, volunteers and dog teams were searching the debris after a tornado touched down about 10 miles from Shreveport, Louisiana, on Tuesday.”
“A blast of Arctic air straight from Siberia is poised to spread across the continental U.S. around Christmas, shattering records and potentially spinning up major storms.
“Meteorologists tell Axios this may be the most extreme cold air mass to affect the U.S. during December in many years, with computer model data showing temperatures running 30 degrees below average by Dec. 23.”
https://www.axios.com/2022/12/15/christmas-weather-snow-cold-siberia-arctic-air
“Alaska Native community relocates as climate crisis ravages homes…
“Perched near the Pacific Ocean, on the edge of the Ninglick River, Newtok is part of the ancestral lands of the Yup’ik people, an Indigenous group from subarctic Alaska. But the community is quickly destabilising as climate change thaws the ground, putting residents like George in danger.”
“Alaska’s Arctic waterways are turning orange, threatening drinking water.
“Dozens of once crystal-clear streams and rivers in Arctic Alaska are now running bright orange and cloudy, and, in some cases, they may be becoming more acidic. This otherwise undeveloped landscape now looks as if an industrial mine has been in operation for decades, and scientists want to know why.”
“Record-setting snowfall gives Anchorage wettest year ever.
“According to weather data collected, in 2022, we have seen 27.65 inches of precipitation — this also includes the water ratio equivalent of snow… and December isn’t over yet. The latest round of snow — currently up to more than 18 inches for the month in the city — has put Anchorage in the top spot.”
“Warmer and stormier conditions are destabilizing the Arctic, report says…
“Since the first report card was issued in 2006, researchers have documented a decline in the polar environment, with loss from sea ice to wildlife. As time goes on, many of the effects of a warmer, wetter and stormier Arctic are coming into a clearer focus.”
“The power cuts in Shetland have been declared a major incident…
“Keith Brown, lead minister for resilience, said it was clear that many properties would face days without power… The power cuts have been caused by “line icing”, where snow and ice sticks to overhead power lines, weighing them down and causing them to break.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-63959182
“As record-breaking rains on Tuesday left widespread damage in several parts of Portugal, most of the country remains on alert on Wednesday for continued heavy rains.
“Portuguese meteorology institute IPMA confirmed that four weather stations in Lisbon, Barreiro, Almada, and Mora have seen the most intense 24 hours of rain since record-keeping began in 1931.”
“Storm Efrain sweeps away cars and roads as torrential rain batters Spain.
“Incredible scenes are emerging all across the country as Storm Efraín brings record rainfall, with torrential downpours completely flooding homes and roads, sweeping away cars and leaving countless people stranded. The deluge continues on Wednesday…”
“Signs of life draining away from Spanish wetland ruined by drought and farmers.
“The rain in Spain has recently drawn flocks of flamingos back to the country’s most famed national park, but ecologists have warned that it may not be enough to save the prized wetland. Years of agricultural overexploitation combined with drought led the largest permanent lake in Donana national park, one of Europe’s biggest and most important wetlands, to dry up completely this summer.”
“Record warmth in Spain with temperatures which had nothing to do with winter.
“New Monthly Records of Highest Tmins: Cadiz 18.5 [65.3F]; Almeria 17.1; Murcia 18.2; Granada 15; Moron 17.7; Jerez 18.4; Cuenca 11.7; Albacete 13.9; Menorca 16.4. Tmaxes: Palma Port 23.6; Tenerife Norte 26.6 [79.9F].”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1603003839795404803
“Historic warm spell in the Mediterranean.
“Today Tunisia had temperatures as high as 31.1C [88F] at Medenine (0.3C from national monthly record). New December records set in many stations, including: Gabes 30.8C, Monastir 30.1C and Djerba 30.0C. In Libya 31.5C at Zuara (record tied).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1603462149589897217
“More than 120 people have been killed following the worst floods in years in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, the authorities say.
“Major roads in the city centre were submerged as heavy rains continued for hours and several homes collapsed… the government has announced a three-day period of national mourning.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-63967016
“Namibia – Floods in Windhoek After 3 Months’ Worth of Rain in 24 Hours.
“Local media later reported that the bodies of 2 street children who were swept away by floods were found near Goreangab dam by joint Nampol and City of Windhoek emergency services. Eleven street kids were missing yesterday after heavy rains, but 8 were found safe.”
https://floodlist.com/africa/namibia-floods-windhoek-december-2022
“UN May Run Out of Food for Pakistan Flood Victims on Low Funding…
“The UN World Food Organization will run out of funds to feed 2.7 million people by Jan. 15, Chris Kaye, the agency’s representative in Pakistan, told reporters in Islamabad. UN and Pakistan’s joint garnered only 30% of the $816 million funds requested…”
“Central Asia’s ’Water Wars” Are Heating Up.
“Access to water has been a point of conflict in Central Asia for years. Environmental changes have raised temperatures in Central Asia faster than the global average. While the upstream Kyrgyzstanis and Tajikistanis have plenty of water, Uzbekistan wholly relies on a steady supply of water for its food security.”
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Central-Asias-Water-Wars-Are-Heating-Up.html
“Malaysia campsite landslide kills 18, including children, as they sleep.
“A landslide killed at least 18 people, including children, as they slept in their tents at an unlicensed campsite in Malaysia on Friday, officials said, as search teams scoured thick mud and downed trees for survivors.”
“November 2022 in Taiwan was the hottest on records in almost all stations of the country:
“Average temperature was 22.09C [71.8F] which is +1.54C above the 91-20 normal. (see percentiles in the left map). Average rainfall was 86% of normal: dry in the South, wetter in the North (right map).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1603363548473827328
“Record-smashing heavy snow has been pounding N. Japan’s Yamagata prefecture.
In 48 hours, Hijiori had 134cm, surpassing the previous December record of 107cm. Shinjo had 89cm, making it the all-time record and 390% of normal. Shinkansen bullet trains are still running.”
https://twitter.com/sayakasofiamori/status/1603700803818074112
“Melbourne recorded its coldest summer day in 16 years and a temperature record was broken in Victoria as the southern states shiver through another freezing morning.
“The maximum temperature of 15.8C in Melbourne was the lowest on record for summer since 2006 [and lowest ever for December], while the mercury dipped to -5.4C on Mt Hotham for the state’s coldest ever summer day.”
“Another record coming today: This time from the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands (US Military Base in the British Indian Ocean Territories) rose to 98F/36.7C which is the highest temperature ever recorded in December.
“The previous record was set last year!”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1603102935621287936
“The Grim Origins of an Ominous Methane Surge.
“During the coronavirus lockdowns, emissions of the potent greenhouse gas somehow soared. The culprit wasn’t humans—but the Earth itself… humanity’s methane emissions did indeed fall in 2020, but nature’s didn’t: Wetlands belched up significantly more of the gas compared to 2019…
“The story of the other half is more ironic… as we polluted less—heavy industry spun down, flights got cancelled, people stopped commuting—we also produced less of the pollutant [Nitrogen Oxide] that normally breaks down methane.”
https://www.wired.com/story/the-grim-origins-of-an-ominous-methane-surge/
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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Waterways turning orange and acidic in Arctic Alaska is a worry.
Oxidation of mineral salts from rocks is natural, but not in larger waterways. Where I grew up there were natural springs bubbled up in all sorts of colours, from various metallic salt layers in underground systems, or near gold veins or other metals like arsenic. Reminds me of high school inorganic chemistry lab. Pretty colours in all the test tubes. Oranges and reds are usually iron. Blues and greens are copper IIRC.
But those natural springs rarely make it to major creeks, rivers etc as being heavier the dissolved metals sediment out pretty quickly.
Just like in volcanic hot steamy springs leaving a colourful crusty sludge layer nearer to the source, long before the flow gets to any free flowing waterways.
Not just methane in that arctic tundra, but heavy metals? No wonder they’ve always wanted to drill the Poles.
They have! Arctic drilling is tough though: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/28/shell-ceases-alaska-arctic-drilling-exploratory-well-oil-gas-disappoints
You wonder how good the EROEI really is up there.
Even developing the Kashagan field, which is in the sometimes icy and inhospitable Caspian Sea, has proven way more time-consuming and expensive than anticipated:
https://www.energyintel.com/0000017b-a7d9-de4c-a17b-e7dbfd3d0000