If you were to ask neighbors over 50 years of age what the weather was like in the summer of 1993, most would not remember the great flood of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, which happened from April to October. However, ask about the weather in 2012 and most would tell you it was hot and dry.
We remember the extremes, providing they are recent. Most of us think of changes locally on a year to year basis, instead of globally for a decade, therefore it's difficult to believe global warming has become a serious worldwide problem.
Scientists are now telling us the earth is warming at a faster rate then they had previously forecast. For example, 13 of the warmest years ever recorded on earth happened in the last 15 years. World Meteorological Organization Secretary General Michel Jarroud said in November 2011, "Our science is solid and it proves unequivocally that the world is warming and that this warming is due to human activity."
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In 2012, continental United States endured its warmest year on record, according to NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. James E. Hanson, a scientist and authority on global warming said, "The U. S. temperatures in the summer of 2012 are an example of a new trend of outlying seasonal extremes that are warmer than the hottest seasonal temperatures of the mid-20th century. The climate dice are now loaded. Some seasons still will be cooler than the long-term average, but the perceptive person should notice that the frequency of unusually warm extremes is increasing. It is the extremes that have the most impact on people and other life on the planet."
If you haven't been following the debate on global warming you wonder, what has loaded the climate dice to cause the extremes Hanson talks about? The culprit is the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels. In the preface of his book, “Storms of My Grandchildren,” James Hanson wrote, "The startling conclusion is that continued exploitation of all fossil fuels on Earth threatens not only the other millions of species on the planet but also the survival of humanity itself — and the timetable is shorter than we thought."
James Hanson identified coal as the worst fossil fuel. He wrote, "Coal's effect on air and water pollution is global — nobody escapes its reach. Mercury and other pollutants are deposited on land and in the ocean infiltrating the food chain and building up in the bodies of long-lived animals and fish."
The good news is electric power plants in the United States that have been fueled with coal for decades are now changing to the use of natural gas. With the new technology of fracking shale to remove natural gas the nation now has the world's largest supply of natural gas that is cheaper to use than coal.
With global warming the continental ice caps are melting, glaciers are disappearing, oceans are rising and there is a higher level of evaporation leading to more thunderstorms in this region. We now have thunderstorms that keep coming and dump more than an inch of rain an hour causing flash floods and erosion of cropland. This is the time for land owners to increase conservation practices of grass waterways and strip cropping to slow down the rapid runoff of water.
Water warmed to air temperature washing soil off the field is detrimental to the survival of trout. The soil and water washing off the land starts the long journey to the Gulf of Mexico and is forever lost to the landowner.
If global warming continues at the present rate it's predicted, the air temperature will increase in the United States by 3 degrees in 30 to 40 years or about one degree per decade.
Scientists have been meeting to discuss the impact of increased air temperature on trout. It's believed brook trout, which need colder water than brown or rainbow trout, will gradually disappear from many trout streams in the nation. In this, the driftless region of Wisconsin with limestone bedrock, global warming should have less impact on trout than in the western states, or in the glaciated region of Wisconsin. And the reason for that is 90 percent of our water comes from cold 48-degree spring water and only 10 percent from surface runoff.
Drought, forest fires and lack of snow in the mountains will all impact on the survival of trout in the western U.S. In the glaciated region of Wisconsin 50 percent of the water in trout streams comes from surface seepage of lakes, ponds, swamps and marshes. As the air warms, surface water warms and brook trout have difficulty surviving. In the longer trout streams the survival of all trout, in the lower one-half of those streams, would be threatened.
If there is any good news in this scenario it could mean more trout anglers coming to this region, I call "Trout Central," to fish trout. And that would be good for the economy. But don't count on it, who likes to fish trout when the streams are flooding or the air temperature is above 90 degrees?
What can you do to help our planet? When you purchase your next vehicle select one that will give you better gas mileage than the one you currently drive. Remember the coal and petroleum industries have a tremendous influence on politics. So you will need to support and vote for politicians who understand global warming and have a conservation ethic. Hopefully, our grandchildren will still have trout to fish and a planet where their grandchildren can enjoy being out in nature.
Contact Jay Thurston at www.trouttip.com