… sea levels are rising at an increasing pace, through greater warming of the oceans, on the surface and in the depths, and through the enhanced melting of Greenland’s ice and of glaciers,… The results of this report demonstrate that climate change is already very visible in various ways. More ambitious climate mitigation efforts are needed to keep the warming below 2 °C by the end of the century.
A Guterres, UN Secretary-General stated (pg. 4):
Time is fast running out for us to avert the worst impacts of climate disruption…. The consequences are already apparent. More severe and frequent floods, droughts and tropical storms, dangerous heatwaves and rising sea levels are already severely threatening lives and livelihoods across the planet…. we need political will and urgent action to set a different path. This report outlines the latest science and illustrates the urgency for far-reaching climate action.… I call on everyone … to heed these facts and take urgent action to halt the worst effects of climate change. We need more ambition on mitigation,… That is the only way to ensure a safer, more prosperous and sustainable future for all people on a healthy planet.
WMO Provisional Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2019 by World Meteorological Organization
I view this as the trailer for their report.
Urgent Action Encouraged
Both of these gentlemen call for more ambitious climate mitigation efforts and urgent action, yet nowhere is this report is any consideration for the one solution which is proactive, clean and simple, inexpensive, and will have immediate and continuing results, the Active Climate Rescue Initiative: Move the Water!
Move the Water! is Proactive
One of the concerns of the rising ocean levels is the inundation of dry land with ocean water. The Move the Water! initiative is to do just that, in select places. There exist several places around our world which are dry and below sea-level. Theoretically these places could become flooded with the natural ocean rise, but only after the ocean level has caused trouble for multiple cities and islands. By direct human intervention these dry holes can be filled with ocean water; immediately decreasing the ocean levels.
Places on land with elevations below sea level by Science Gyan
Many of these can be filled with Ocean Water.
Move the Water! is Clean and Simple
In every instance the task of moving the water is as simple as providing and open gravity flow water path from the ocean to the depression. Once the path is provided, no more energy is used to move the water.
Trench digging machine to dig large canals by Best Innovation Technology
This is just one example. Machines abound for creating the water path.
Move the Water! will Have Immediate Results
Immediately on completion of the first project, the ocean level will be reduced; just a little bit, but every little bit helps. Further reductions come with the completion of each successive project.
Move the Water! will Have Continuing Benefits
Continuing Benefits – Drawdown of Ocean Levels
The water is being moved into dry depressions in deserts. These places are windy, dry and hot. The water deposited in the depressions will evaporate. As the water evaporates the ocean will have further and continuous drawdown as long as an open flow water path is maintained. This simple science. In the below video this is communicated by children in less than 3 minutes.
As the water evaporates, the local environment is cooled by a small amount. These micro-cooling occurrences have global effect. Cooling by evaporation is simple science which we experience in our daily lives and is demonstrated in the below video.
Evaporation causes cooling by KClassScienceChannel
Think how this will benefit the desert air.
Continuing Benefits – Evaporated Moisture Returns as Rain
As the old saying goes: What goes up must come down. That is the case with evaporation. The water which escapes into the atmosphere returns as rain, mist and in some cases snow. Again, this is simple science that even children can understand as demonstrated in the below video.
How to Make Rain by Ryan Cragun
Continuing Benefits – Rain Cleans the Air
In desert areas there is much dust in the air. The rain will eliminate some of this dust, bringing it back to soil.
Rain’s Dirty Little Secret by MinuteEarth
Continuing Benefits – Returning Rain Cools
The rain cools the air and ground in the area. Again the local environment is micro-cooled by a small amount with global benefit. Think how nice rain feels on a hot day.
Continuing Benefits – Rain Brings Plant Growth
Plants in many places lie dormant waiting for local rains. With the newly formed inland sea, rain will fall more consistently, and the plants will thrive. The below video displays some remarkable plant growth in arid places.
Plant growth of tropical flowers in the desert by David Attenborough, BBC Studios
Continuing Benefits – Plants Evaporate Moisture Too
Part of the plant photosynthesis process returns water into the air, which is then joined with the other evaporated moisture to bring life to the desert.
Which Came First – The Rain or the Rainforest? By MinuteEarth
Continuing Benefits – Plants Are Natural Air Conditioners
On a hot day, where do you stand? In the direct sun or under a tree? The environment is much cooler under the tree. Initially because you are not in direct sunlight. But the second reason is because the plant is causing cooling. The plant releases moisture during photosynthesis which causes the air to cool. The cool air sinks (hot air rises) to the space under the tree creating a nice bubble of cool. The below video expands the plant cooling to a level where it helps reverse global Warming.
Water Evaporated from Trees Cools Global Climate by Carnegie Science
Continuing Benefits – Plants Eat CO2 for Lunch
Plants are natural carbon syncs. They pull the carbon out of the air and convert it into the building blocks for their plant bodies. Once trapped in the plant, it stays there until the plant is burned (mostly), even if the plant dies and decomposes into soil, the carbon remains then in the soil. The first 40 seconds of the below video explain how plants absorb carbon from the air.
How Much Air Can A Tree Hold? By MinuteEarth
Continuing Benefits – Plants Cool Soil
The shade of the plants cools the ground. This cooler ground will allow water to be absorbed into it and to fill underground held aquifers. The water held in the ground is good for drinking and many other uses. The water in the aquifers is water which is not immediately returned to the ocean. It may stay in the underground aquifer for many years before it is extracted. The below video touches on the ground water phenomena.
Water Cycle by It’s Aumsum Time
Continuing Benefits – The Cycle Repeats Itself Downwind
There is discussion of Domino Droughts. Active Climate Rescue Initiative posits that implementing the Move the Water!, a reverse action can be initiated: Domino Rehydration. This process can rehydrate the Great Basin and the whole of the SW USA desert, or Africa’s Sahara. Imagine the global benefit if the Sahara were green.
Move the Water! is Inexpensive
When considering the cost of many proposed options. When considering the huge taxation systems desired by many for exchanging carbon credits. When considering the great canals built by California and others to relocate fresh water for human consumption. The cost of Move the Water! is a literal drop in the bucket.
Call to Action
The WMO has a call for more ambitious climate mitigation efforts and urgent action. Here is the action which they seek. It is the one solution which is proactive, clean and simple, inexpensive, and will have immediate and continuing results. What does it take to implement the Active Climate Rescue Initiative: Move the Water! This one must be implemented, and the sooner the better for all our sakes. WMO: How can this be implemented? We could begin reversing Global Warming in months.
Postscript
The actions encouraged by Active Climate Rescue Initiative: Move the Water! can be consider as National Determined Contributions under Paris Accord agreements. And again, these actions will be less expensive than other options.
Disclaimer
Of course, this does not remove the need for other actions. The Move the Water! initiative is not an if/or option. It is an if/and option.
Help Reverse Climate Change
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone.
Rehydrating the Great Basin will help reverse Climate Change and provide social Justice to many indigenous peoples located in the Soutwest USA.
Terraforming.
Some people are contemplating terraforming Mars. Before we attempt such a grand plan on Mars, maybe we should test-run terraforming on Earth first? The Great Basin, USA is a perfect place for this test-run. Hydrating the Great Basin will help moderate the Climate Change in North America. Bringing water to this desert is bringing life. Water is foundational to all life, and where there is life, there are possibilities.
Great Basin.
It is called the Great Basin because it is the largest area of connected watersheds with no outlet to the ocean in North America. It contains nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and touches portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja MX. The topography of the basin includes the North American lowest point: Badwater Basin in Death Valley; to the highest point in the contiguous United States: the summit of Mount Whitney. Within the Great Basin are many small basins such as: Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake, Salton Sink and Humboldt Sink. The great Basin is a very diverse place, but one thing is uniform within it; it is all a desert.
Aridification.
The Great Basin appears to have had large amounts of water but today it is very dry; aridified. The signs of water are evident by the endemic salt deposits within the basin. But the basin is now fully desert. How did it have lots of water in the past? Since its history is not within the scope of this article, I will leave that to others to explain. What we do know is the current condition of the basin: Desert.
Evaporated moisture from the ocean is carried by the onshore breezes. The moist air is driven upslope towards the peak, where it expands, cools, and its moisture drops to the ground. Most of the humidity will be lost to rain or snow before the wind passes over the mountain range. This casts a broad “shadow” of dry climate region behind the mountain ridges. This moisture deficit encourages deserts to form.
Rain Shadow
It is all about the rain shadow. Basically, the Great Basin is a 209,162-square-mile (541,730 km2) desert created by the rain shadow effect. The Cascade Range to the north, the California Coastal Ranges to the west, and the Sierra Nevada Range to the south provide a significant rain-shadow which has created this moisture deficit condition. Currently the problems in the region include the mega-drought and the associated shrinking Great Salt Lake. Also problematic is the diminished flow of the Colorado, Green, Rio Grande, and Snake Rivers. If the Great Basin could be converted to a moisture positive area, the benefit would be huge. Benefits would be delivered first to the basin itself, but then they would have side benefits to all adjacent areas.
Move the Mountains?
If we could flatten out the mountains the rain shadow would go away and the whole of the Great Basin would become moist and fertile. But it is obvious that the mountains cannot be flattened. Since we cannot move the mountains, an alternate plan must be implemented.
Move the Water!
Water is much easier to move than mountains. We can do an end run around the Rain-Shadow-Effect by mechanically moving water into the Great Basin. Lots of water is moved around within the USA every day. Huge infrastructure projects have been installed for this effort. So, adding a mechanical water path into the Great Basin is well within human capability.
But Why?
Easily there are ten reasons for doing this, but I am sure more will be discovered as the project is implemented.
1. Prove Terraforming Possible.
If we cannot accomplish terraforming on earth, it is silly to discuss terraforming on Mars, or the moon. The project can provide scientific feedback on the effort to see if it has all the promises that are proposed. Because this process will require mechanical movement of water, it can be turned off if it proves disastrous.
2. Provide Climate Justice.
The indigenous peoples living within the Great Basin, those relegated to the lands no one else wanted, are being heavily affected by Climate Change. The primary harm is being caused by the mega-drought, the aridification, of the SW-USA. They are starving for water. Mechanically moving water into the Great Basin will trigger natural processes which will deliver freshwater for them to access.
3. Refill Great Salt Lake.
The hot and dry atmosphere within the Great Basin will soak up moisture and natural processes will circulate that moisture around the basin. The moisture circulation will refill the Great Salt Lake, and it will refill the other currently dry depressions as well.
4. Encourage Plant Growth.
Plant growth comes with many associated benefits. Plant growth will help slow the flow of the water within the basin and allow it to percolate into the ground for longer term storage. As plants grow, they sequester carbon from the atmosphere for long-term storage. Plants are natural air conditioners for deserts and just by their presence they cool the local area. As the basin gains and holds water, farming will be possible, forests can growth, and wildlife can return.
It can be this way; we just need to add water!
5. Replenished freshwater aquifers.
Much of the underground water within the Great Basin is brackish (salty and unfit for drinking). The increased moisture will allow freshwater to seep into the aquifers. Freshwater and brackish water do not readily mix. Fresh water is lighter and usually sits atop the brackish water. It is a process we do not control, and which will occur naturally over decades, as long as the moisture is added to the basin.
6. Mitigate local Climate Change.
According to the information contained in the UN document FB025*: Adding moisture, allowing plants to thrive, and encouraging forests will all lower the local temperature (https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/36619). It is estimated that the temperature can be lowered by 18°-36°F (10°-20°C) depending on the geographical location of the area. Since the Great Basin contains the hottest place in the USA, Death Valley, cooling the basin will greatly impact the global aggregate average temperature, which means that Global Warming will be reduced which is part of mitigating Climate Change.
7. Break the mega-drought.
The mega-drought, constant since 2000, is just a lack of water. Adding enough water into the Great Basin will end the drought within the Great Basin. It just cannot exist.
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or the hydrological cycle, is a cycle that describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. The water moves from one reservoir to another, such as from river to ocean, or from the ocean to the atmosphere, by the physical processes of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, and subsurface flow. In doing so, the water goes through different forms: liquid, solid and vapor. The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle as it is the source of 86% of global evaporation.
8. Replicate a Hydrologic Cycle.
Overly simplified, this water cycle is: 1. Gulf or California, MX > 2. Colorado River Delta, Baja, MX > 3. Laguna Salada, Baja, MX > 4. Salton Sea, CA, USA > 5. Great Basin, USA > 6. Great Salt Lake, UT, USA > 7. Colorado Mountains, CO, USA > 8. Colorado River, USA & MX > 9. Colorado River Delta, Baja, MX.
The overdrawing of freshwater from the Colorado River has damaged this hydrologic cycle, reducing the amount of moisture it carries. All the water has been removed from the river since about 1940; it no longer reaches the ocean. This full extraction has left the 3,000 square mile Colorado River Delta without a replenishing flow. In 1999 the Colorado River Delta finally became completely dry. It’s aridification was completed and it has turned into a 3,000 square mile desert. The delta used to contribute greatly to this water cycle which flowed north through the Great Basin and into the Colorado Mountains. By mechanically carrying the water into the Great Basin, the lost hydrologic cycle moisture will be replaced.
9. Colorado Mountains Snowpack Increase.
The Colorado Mountains supply moisture which feeds 158 named rivers. It is apparent that the flow of all these rivers has been diminishing since at least 1986. The Colorado mountains collect snow (time-release-water) each winter which feeds these 158 rivers. The decline in snowpack, the reduction of source water for the rivers, accounts for the reduced water inflows for the Colorado River. Over the past 40 years, because of the damaged water cycle, the normal snowpack in the Colorado Mountains has diminished by about 20%. With the hydrologic cycle replicated, moisture will flow into the Colorado Mountains and the snowpack will return to normal.
10. Return Full Flow to Colorado River.
Historically the Colorado River is accredited with 16-million-acrefeet of flow, but this seems to have been overly optimistic. In recent years the river is providing more like 14 or 15-million-acrefeet of freshwater, and some of the projections show it could go down to 9-million-acrefeet. Approximately, 1/3 of the river flow goes to California, 1/3 of the flow goes to Mexico, and the last 1/3 goes to other cities and farming, leaving the river dry 60 miles north of its historic outlet. A normal snowpack means a normal stream input for the river, which means the Colorado River can return to full flow.
Natural Processes
Once we add moisture to the Great Basin, it will recirculate via the hydrologic cycle throughout the whole of the Great Basin. With the water comes localized cooling and plant growth. Some of that water will exit the Great Basin toward the headwaters of the Colorado, Green, Rio Grande, and Snake Rivers, which all originate in the mountains of Colorado. These rivers will regain their full flow which will provide much needed water drinking, farming and industry, as well as for the fauna and flora of the regions. The cooler environment which will accompany this moisture will combat Climate Change by reducing local Global Warming reduction benefits. On the grand scale, there is no downside. Imagine the below video to be the Great Basin. It can be this way; we just need to add water.
Reasons to not Rehydrate the Great Basin.
This plan has drawbacks as well as the aforementioned benefits. Easily there are seven reasons for not doing this, but I am sure more will be discovered as the project is implemented.
1. Avoid Aforementioned Benefits avoided.
If for some reason anyone can see the benefits as negative, blocking the project will avoid those ten benefits.
2. Expensive Project.
This project is expensive to install, but similar installations have been installed already, so it can be considered affordable. The ongoing costs of maintenance and operation are also expensive, but again, similar installations are operating daily, so it can be considered affordable. The good thing is that there is a logical and available income stream for this project.
3. Change Brings Change.
Change always brings disruption of status quo and unintended consequences, but for the greater local and global good, these must be endured. Some places which are currently dray will become inundated standing water, which will change the use of that land to lake. But standing water is the goal of this initiative and it is essential to provide a large water surface area to aid evaporation.
4. People Live There.
A few people may live in the areas which will be submerged. The areas are hot dry deserts. The people who must be relocated can be moved to water’s edge properties, which are usually considered to be more valuable than raw desert land.
5. Farmland Will Be Flooded.
The farmland in a desert is only valuable if irrigation water is available. The good news is that new areas of agriculture will be established. Once water is brought into the desert, and fills the depression, the hydrologic cycle will take over and fresh water will be created via rain, mist and snow, reducing the requirement for irrigation. This is the benefit which will make the change valuable to the farmers. The desert can become fertile and green with the addition of water and some wise land management.
6. Flash Floods.
Rain in the desert is associated with flash floods. These will occur and must be endured for a short time. The flash floods will naturally diminish as plants cover the ground, loosen the soil, and slow the unimpeded water runoff. Flash floods can also be avoided by installing ‘beaver-dam’ type features in the landscape. Some human intervention is needed here, but the end result will be beautiful.
7. Terminal Water Will Get Salty.
Yes, it will get salty in the terminal lake basin, in Death Valley. That is expected and not as much trouble as one thinks. The land which will be initially flooded is already salted from the body of water which previously occupied that location and evaporated. Salt Lake City sits aside the Great Salt Lake, and it is using that lake for its resources. The same can be done in Death Valley once the local temperature cools down some.
8. Great Basin Drain Needed.
Done on a minor scale, moving water into the Great Basin will be returned to its previous balance before the mega-drought began. The Great Salt Lake can be the gauge of how much water is needed to import. Based on the surface level of the Great Salt Lake, pumps will be on or off. If the full benefits are to be realized an overflow must be installed.
How to Rehydrate the Great Basin?
This is a multi-stepped process with the end goal of creating a salt sea in Death Valley where the bulk of the evaporation will initially occur.
Rehydrate Great Basin … Step One.
Bring sea water from Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) into Laguna Salada, Mexico via the Coyote Canal. The below video demonstrates the waterway as envisioned by Agess Inc as one option in moving water to Laguna Salada. The option proposed by Agess Inc seems to be one of the less expensive options and it seems to return many benefits.
Binational Restoration of Laguna Salada & Salton Sea by Agess, Inc
This is extremely simple to do.
Rehydrate Great Basin … Step Two.
Bring the sea water from Laguna Salada into the Salton Sea via an extension of the Coyote Canal. This is easily accomplished (easily is a relative term, but it is much easier than the construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct, which is a 242 mi (389 km) water conveyance which crosses the Rocky Mountains delivering water from the Colorado River to Los Angeles CA. The extension of the Coyote Canal needs to be a metered flow to preclude overfill of the Salton Sea. The above video also includes visualization of the extended Coyote Canal. The below video is a video discussion of an alternative idea for filling the Salton Sea with water.
The Salton Sea Solution by stocktondan.
Rehydrate Great Basin … (optional) Step Three.
Install a drain in the Salton Sea. One of the problems identified by StocktonDan is the increasing salinity of the Salton Sea caused by continued evaporation. There are quite a few options presented to mitigate the salt saturation of the Salton Sea being proposed by many people. The solution that I present here is to drain the Salton Sea, but only after steps one and two above have been completed. The below video shows how a drain/valve can be installed in the base of a lake so the water can be drained out like that of a bathtub.
Lake Mead Intake Hydraulic Tunnel, Las Vegas by Salini Impregilo, but a surface level drain is much less expensive.
Rehydrate Great Basin … Step Four.
Step #4 is the construction of pipes with pumps to transport Salton Sea water into Death Valley. This is an expensive project, but the costs can be funded by fees on water diverted from the Colorado River. Those who have been diverting water from the Colorado River have been doing so at no charge for decades. They have been misappropriating the natural resource and have caused damage to the climate as a result. Now is the time to begin charging a fee for Colorado River water. That fee can be used to fund the repair of the hydrologic cycle which they broke.
By pumping water into the Great Basin, the water cycle will be repaired. The Great Basin is an arid desert as a result of the Rain Shadow effect. Adding moisture into the Great Basin will cancel out the effect of the natural rain shadow and encourage the Great Basin to bloom. The additional moisture pumped into the Great Basin will circulate within the Great Basin and eventually make its way to the north and east sides of the Great Basin where some of it will migrate out and stock the snowpacks which create the water for the Colorado, Green, and Snake rivers. With the snowpacks once again full, the flow of the Colorado River will return to its former glory. The hydrologic cycle will have been repaired and the billions of people who rely on that water will be saved and secure for decades to come.
Rehydrate Great Basin … Step Five.
Let the water flow. I expect that it will take much more than the full flow of one 15’ diameter pipe to fill Death Valley with water. If no other input is developed, I doubt that a large lake will form. There will be a balance point where daily evaporation will equal the pipe’s input. Filling Death Valley with water is the subject a paper by Chuan C. Chang: Creating Death Valley Lake His paper suggests multiple intakes with outtakes to keep the salinity to a balanced level. He expects that the land along the new inland sea and along the canals could be sold to individuals and the profit form the land sales would fund the project. Filling Death Valley with water is also the subject of the two videos below.
The Little-Pacific Project by Tribute Flight
Fill Death Valley with Ocean Water by thebillo313
Humorous presentation, but good idea.
We Have Water in Death Valley, Now What?
Now The Fun Begins. No further direct human action is required. What has been accomplished by moving the water there is the most important part. The hydrologic processes do the rest. Let’s review what will occur through natural hydrologic processes.
Water Evaporated and Returns
Water will evaporate from the surface of the newly formed Death Valley Sea. The water will be taken into the air for redistribution in mostly within the Great Basin with smaller amounts passing over the rim and entering the surrounding states. What water is removed will be replaced via the open water path. The evaporated water returned to the Great Basin in the form of dew on the ground in mornings, in the form of rain, and in the form of snow on the tops of the mountains. This returned water is cleaned water, suitable for drinking, for watering plants and irrigating crops.
Plants Grow.
Plants will grow when they have an ongoing supply of moisture. The plants retain water in their structure, they are made up of approximately 90% water, water which is not immediately returned to the ocean but retained as long as the plant lives. The plants clean the air of CO2. They return breathable O2 into the air and use the Carbon as building block for the plant structures, Carbon that will be held in the plant (sequestered) while it lives and be integrated into the soil as the plant eventually decomposes. Plants are natural air conditioners. As water evaporates from plant leaves; the air is cooled. Below is a video about how one desert plant, a moss, collects water from airborne humidity.
PLANT WATER RELATIONS by 7activestudio
Ground Water Collects
As plants shade the ground, the ground temperature is lowered, which allows the water to percolate into the ground, and be held there waiting for use. The soul will become moist and some underground aquifers will be refilled; again, slowing the water’s return to the ocean.
Water Movement in Soil by NRCS NSSC
Step-3:
Given enough time the hydrologic action should re-hydrate the entire Great Basin region. This could generate the natural refilling of several dry depressions within the Great Basin, including the Great Salt Lake. Just by keeping the waterways open allowing the Death Valley inland sea to remain full, these areas could be returned to a healthy fertile area, growing food for many people. The plants and the ground retain water, so the ocean levels are lower. The environment in these very hot places is cooled, which will cool the entire globe.
Videos About Greening Deserts
Get some water into the Great Basin, and then the entire landscape can be terraformed by natural processes, and/or with some human intervention, the Great Basin can become a really nice lush place.
Regreening the desert with John D. Liu
How Peter Andrews rejuvenates drought-struck land by ABC News
Rainwater Catchment for Reforestation & Increased Production by Vida Verde Finca, Vilcabamba
Help Reverse Climate Change
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
Here is yet another location in our world which would benefit from the Move the Water! initiative. In this video StocktonDan lays out a good plan to flooding Lake Eyre, Australia with ocean water and extrapolates some of the benefits for the region.
Move the Water!
The root of the Move the Water! initiative is to move ocean water to below-sea-level depressions via gravity flow canal. After the canal is established the only maintenance required is to assure that the canal remains free flowing.
The Benefits
Lowered the ocean level
There will be an immediate lowering of the ocean level. Granted the ocean level will be only lowered by a small amount, but every little bit helps. Over time the ocean will continue to be drained into Lake Eyre as water evaporates out of Lake Eyre. The evaporated water will find many places to stay and will not immediately be returned to the ocean.
Localized climatic cooling
Cooling around Lake Eyre will occur because of several mechanisms. The first mechanism is evaporation, which causes micro-cooling to occur. Second is micro-cooling from rain which is generated from the evaporation from Lake Eyre. Third, the rain will encourage plants to grow, and plants are natural air conditioners, each causing micro-cooling; as they shade the ground, and during the process of photosynthesis.
Evaporation
As mentioned above, causes micro-cooling, but there are other benefits to evaporation. The evaporated moisture returns in form of rain, mist, and snow. This returning water is pure to drink for people, plants and animals. Bringing the water into a region brings life. When the evaporated water is returned to earth; some if it is used for plant growth, but some of it is percolated into the ground for storage and later use. Some of the water which is returned reevaporates and is returned in a different location downwind from its point of evaporation. This is a continuing cycle, continuously bring life to the earth.
Plant Growth
The water supplied via evaporation will cause plants to grow. That brings many secondary benefits in addition to the micro-cooling mentioned earlier. Their little plant bodies are 90%+ water, so they hold water preventing it from immediate return to the ocean. Plants are natural carbon sinks; they use atmospheric carbon to build their tiny bodies. Once incorporated into the plant it does not return to the atmosphere until the plant is burned. The plants provide food for local animals.
Opportunities for life
Bringing water into a desert is bringing opportunities for life. Look around. Major cities are located around water: Rivers; Oceans; Lakes. Much is said about climate refugees. Think of this new living place as someplace where they may settle and conduct their lives. Where there is water, there are a plethora of opportunities for people to thrive.
Help Reverse Climate Change
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
This blog page contains a collection of videos related to our goal of reversing Global Warming by the effort of: Move the Water! These videos demonstrate that this process has been considered. each has their own perspective. Videos added over time. Check again to see if a new one is added.
THE SALTON SEA SOLUTION, CA, USA
This is another excellent video from StocktonDan: The Salton Sea Soultion. The video addresses the Salton Sea, and also Laguna Salada. Laguna Salada is the root to any good solution for the Salton Sea, so one cannot discuss one without the other.
LAGUNA SALADA in BAJA, MEXICO
Laguna Salada in Baja, Mexico is a place which will have great effect in reversion Global Warming. The good news is that Mexico can do this. It is not expensive compared to some other places.
LAKE EYRE in AUSTRALIA
Lake Eyre in Australia is one of the places which will help reverse Global Warming. This video is a serious consideration of this location.
QATTARA DEPRESSION in EGYPT
The Qattara Depression in Egypt is one of the places which will help reverse Global Warming. This video is a serious consideration of this location.
DEATH VALLEY in USA
This video is presented sarcastically; but it makes some very good points. Death Valley in USA is a more difficult place to fill with ocean water, but it has a substantial area to fill so the benefit would be greater.
DEATH VALLEY in USA
Here is a different take on filling Death Valley with ocean water. This proposal includes a single tunnel from Pacific to Death Valley, and then a second tunnel toward Lake Mead with the installation of a desalination plant.
DEATH VALLEY in USA
In the above video, the installation of a drain in the bottom of Lake Mead is documented. This same system could be used in the bottom of the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea water could be drained into Death Valley. The first benefit would be better water quality in Salton Sea. The second benefit would be some rehydration for the Great Basin.
Help Reverse Climate Change
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
The Domino Drought of 2012 [1] could have been avoided and will reoccur if nothing is done to fix the root cause.
What is a Domino Drought?
A Droughts occur when a lack of precipitation causes a water shortage. A Domino Drought is a series of droughts which occur in succession across a landscape. The lack of precipitation in the genesis drought reduces precipitation from transport downwind from the genesis drought. This can reduce precipitation in the successive regions by over 50% triggering the domino drought effect.
So how can they be stopped?
By locating the genesis drought location and making suitable corrections to that local environment. The Stanford Study focused on the 2012 Domino Drought [2], so let’s use that as our example.
What was the originating location of the 2012 Domino Drought?
California. The California drought was distributed across the state but is really made up of two pieces.
The first piece…
This most obvious piece was the part caused by changing ocean currents with reduced rainfall along the Pacific coastline. I agree that this may have had some effect on the Domino Drought, but I think its effect was minimal because almost all the eastbound moisture from the Pacific Ocean is pulled from the air as it travels over the Rocky Mountains.
The second piece…
The less obvious piece is found in southwest California, and northwest Mexico. The root cause of this local drought is the over extraction of water from the Colorado River [3]. I do not expect that the excessive diversion of water from the Colorado River will cease, but something can be done to fix the unintended result of those extractions.
The Colorado River is totally used up.
There is so much water being redirected from the flow of the Colorado River that it runs dry before it reaches the ocean [4]. This maybe viewed as a good thing because humans are getting maximum usage of the naturally fresh water before it commingles with saltwater. However, so much water is being extracted that the flow could dry before the Colorado River even reaches the Mexican border; which is bad for the residents of Mexicali, MX whom depend on that water for their life. Still, Mexico uses the balance of the Colorado River water and there is no water left for downstream flow, leaving a dry riverbed south of Mexicali.
Colorado River Watershed Water Cycle.
What is the unintended result?
The unintended result is that the Water Cycle has been broken. Most simply stated; the Colorado River Basin Water Cycle is: Laguna Salada > Salton Sea > Death Valley > The Great Salt Lake > Colorado River > > Laguna Salada. With the water being all used, Laguna Salada receives no refilling water [5] from the Colorado River. A dry Laguna Salada has no water to evaporate for rain/snow/mist for the surrounding area and Southwest California, and also none to send north to the Salton Sea. Just like that the Water Cycle is broken and a drought commences in southwest California and northwest Mexico. This drought dominos up through Salton Sea; Death Valley, The Great Salt Lake, and places less water in the Colorado River; which creates a water shortage in the Colorado River Watershed.
Can we fix this?
It is unlikely that we can stop using water from the Colorado River, but we can refill Laguna Salada with water. Laguna Salada translation to English is Salt Lagoon. Laguna Salada covers a large land area and at its deepest it is 30 meters below sea-level in its lowest place. The calculated evaporation rate from Laguna Salada is considered to be very large, which points to its vital contribution to the Hydrologic Cycle. Laguna Salada has a dry stream bed leading from it to the Sea of Cortex (Gulf of California). By reversing the flow of the dry stream bed to allow ocean water to flood Laguna Salada, the water cycle can be repaired.
Is that a lot of digging/dredging?
The dry riverbed from Laguna salads to the sea of Cortez is about 81km (60mi) long. Half a century ago it was widened and straightened. The length, while it sounds like a lot, is considerably less than the California Canals: All-American Canal = 130km (80mi) long; Colorado River Aqueduct = 329km (242mi). One other thing to consider is that the amount of effort to reverse the flow of an existing stream is much less than that which was needed to transport the water from the Colorado River over/around/through the Rocky Mountains to California.
Conclusion:
By filing Laguna Salada with ocean water we can repair the Colorado River Water Cycle, avoid future Domino Droughts, and help reduce the problems of Climate Change.
Climate Change?
How did I get to reducing the problems related to Climate Change? One of those concerns is the increased level of oceans. By removing water from the ocean and placing it in Laguna Salada the ocean level will be reduced. It is just that simple.
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
“California’s Imperial Irrigation District is suing over being excluded from the Colorado River drought contingency plan. The legal challenge came the same day as President Trump signed legislation to implement the plan, which took years of negotiation between the seven river basin states. The agreement intends to protect major reservoirs on the Colorado River from falling so low that they cannot provide water or power. Imperial Irrigation District, the largest water user in the basin, refused to join the plan unless the federal government included $200 million to address health and environmental dangers at the Salton Sea, a saline lake southeast of Los Angeles. Other parties working on the Colorado River plan thought the Salton Sea demand would stall the process and worked out a way to exclude Imperial Irrigation District.”
Law Suit?
You are suing because you were not included into the Colorado River drought contingency plan after you decided not to participate????
A better Idea…
Refill the Salton Sea with ocean water; which will work to cure the drought.
Cure the Drought?
I know; this sounds impossible, but the main reason there is a drought is your fault.
Why the Fault of California’s Imperial Irrigation District?
As always there is no one cause/fault, but there can be a primary cause. In this case the many causes can include Climate Change, but I do not think this is the primary cause. I believe the primary cause of the drought is the extraction of water from the Colorado River watershed [2]. For people inside the watershed; this is common knowledge, but for the others… The Colorado River is the source of drinking and irrigation water for many places far removed from the Colorado River watershed. The water has been being removed since 1870 [3] with increasing quantiles in more recent years. Now large quantities are being channeled or piped great distances to be used for drinking water, crop irrigation and various industrial purposes. Many of the users of the Colorado River water are within the watershed. What they use is returned to the river. This is not a problem. You are the largest water user in the basin, and what you use is not returned to the river, it is eventually expelled into the Pacific Ocean. This has broken the local water cycle.
What is the water cycle?
The water cycle is somewhat simple, but complex in that it has many moving parts. Let me explain the simple. Water evaporates from its place on the ground and is taken up as water vapor to be turned into rain and snow. The rain and snow are redeposited on land and makes its way into the river. The river flows and returns the water to the point where it started so that it can be evaporated again. I know that this is oversimplified, but good for a brief description of the process.
Is there evidence that the water cycle is broken?
Yes. There is clear evidence. It is obvious because the Colorado River runs dry [4] before it reaches its outlet in the ocean. This is not normal for a river to have a smaller flow at its end than in its middle.
How can this be fixed?
This can be fixed with some relatively simple engineering tasks. These tasks will require much less effort that was expended to divert the water. With the completion of these tasks it is almost assured that the water cycle can be healed and the drought will subside.
Task One:
Talk to your friends in Mexico and get them to fill Laguna Salada, Mexico with ocean water from an open-flow channel dug between the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) and Laguna Salada. Laguna Salada was fed by the Colorado River, but Laguna Salada has been essentially dry since 2000 [5]. There is a water path from Laguna Salada to the Sea of Cortez intended to channel excess water to the ocean. The task which needs completion is to deepen this water path so that the water flow is reversed, and Laguna Salada is filled with ocean water. Once Laguna Salada is refilled with water; that water can begin its work to replenish the Colorado River watershed with rain and snow.
Task Two:
Create the Borrego Valley Reservoir; a new ocean water reservoir between Salton Sea and Laguna Salada. This reservoir is to be fed by Laguna Salada. I am not sure that anyone has ever proposed this before; regardless, this is a logical next phase in repairing the water cycle. The work would require a gravity flow cannel to be dug from Laguna Salada into southern California, where a Borrego Valley Reservoir can be built using the excavated soil from the construction of the canal. This area is also below sea level and is desert with little habitation. The Borrego Valley Reservoir will provide additional water surface area from which water can evaporate to replenish the water cycle rain and snow.
Task Three:
Refill the Salton Sea with ocean water by a restricted flow channel from the Borrego Valley Reservoir. The optimum fix for the water cycle would be to refill Lake Cahuilla [6], but this would dislocate many area residents so it likely will not occur. The best alternative is to refill the Salton Sea to its historic optimum level. This can be done by a gravity flow restricted water release from the Borrego Valley Reservoir. The water could be used for power generation as it travels to the Salton Sea, but this enhancement can be added later. What is most important is to increase the Salton Sea water level so that there is more surface area for evaporation.
Task Four:
This one is a reach, and a bit more expensive. Hire The Boring Company to install a water tunnel drain in the Salton Sea; draining the water into Death Valley. This will be a good test project for The Boring Company on long distance tunnel making. The Salton Sea drain will allow flow-through of water, which will decrease the salinity of Salton Sea (and move the salt to Death Valley). It is expected that any water moved to Death Valley will quickly evaporate and help replenish the water cycle.
These tasks sound like lots of effort.
These tasks sound like lots of effort, but the effort is worth the cost. We humans need to be good stewards of our home planet and when we break something, we should repair it. The effort to conduct these tasks is much less than the effort which has been expended to remove water from the Colorado River. In comparison these are simple tasks.
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
Congratulations on passing the 2019 Seven-State Colorado River Drought Relief Plan.
One other thing ..
It may be smarter to fix the problem instead of trying to mitigate the problem. The root problem here is that the water cycle has been broken. I agree that it may not be able to be totally fixed, but the problem can be greatly reduced.
What is the water cycle?
The water cycle is somewhat simple, but complex in that it has many moving parts. Let me explain the simple. Water evaporates from its place on the ground and is taken up as water vapor to be turned into rain and snow. The rain and snow are redeposited on land and makes its way into the river. The river flows and returns the water to the point where it started so that it can be evaporated again. I know that this is oversimplified, but good for a brief description of the process.
What broke the water cycle?
As always there is no one cause, but there can be a primary cause. In this case the many causes can include Climate Change, but I do not think this is the primary cause. I believe the primary cause is the redirection of water from Colorado River outside of its watershed [1].
How can this happen?
For people inside the watershed; this is common knowledge, but for the others… The Colorado River is the source of drinking and irrigation water for many places far removed from the Colorado River watershed. The water has been being removed since 1870 [2] with increasing quantiles in more recent years. Now large quantities are being channeled or piped great distances to be used for drinking water, crop irrigation and various industrial purposes. Once the water leaves the local watershed it does not easily reenter the local water cycle.
Is there evidence that the water cycle is broken?
Yes. There is clear evidence. It is obvious because the Colorado River runs dry [3] before it reaches its outlet in the ocean. This is not normal for a river to have a smaller flow at its end than in its middle.
How can this be fixed?
This can be fixed with some relatively simple engineering tasks. These tasks will require much less effort that was expended to divert the water. With the completion of these tasks it is almost assured that the water cycle can be healed.
Task One:
Fill Laguna Salada, Mexico with ocean water from an open-flow channel dug between the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) and Laguna Salada. Laguna Salada was fed by the Colorado River, but Laguna Salada has been essentially dry since 2000 [4]. There is a water path from Laguna Salada to the Sea of Cortez intended to channel excess water to the ocean. The task which needs completion is to deepen this water path so that the water flow is reversed, and Laguna Salada is filled with ocean water. Once Laguna Salada is refilled with water; that water can begin its work to replenish the Colorado River watershed with rain and snow.
Task Two:
Create the Borrego Valley Reservoir; a new ocean water reservoir between Salton Sea and Laguan Salada. This reservoir is to be fed by Laguna Salada. I am not sure that anyone has ever proposed this before; regardless, this is a logical next phase in repairing the water cycle. The work would require a gravity flow cannel to be dug from Laguna Salada into southern California, where the Borrego Valley Reservoir can be built using the excavated soil from the construction of the canal. This area is also below sea level and is desert with little habitation. The Borrego Valley Reservoir will provide additional water surface area from which water can evaporate to replenish the water cycle rain and snow.
Task Three:
Refill the Salton Sea with ocean water by a restricted flow channel from the Borrego Valley Reservoir. The optimum fix for the water cycle would be to refill Lake Cahuilla [5], but this would dislocate many area residents so it likely will not occur. The best alternative is to refill the Salton Sea to its historic optimum level. This can be done by a gravity flow restricted water release from the Borrego Valley Reservoir. The water could be used for power generation as it travels to the Salton Sea, but this enhancement can be added later. What is most important is to increase the Salton Sea water level so that there is more surface area for evaporation.
Task Four:
Increase the surface level of The Great Salt Lake, Utah. This may occur naturally with the completion of the above three tasks, but there is a more direct method of assuring the water level in The Great Salt Lake. The task here is to create a gravity flow channel from the Snake River, Idaho to The Great Salt Lake. Idaho is experiencing drought related problems, but they have water flowing from their state into the Pacific Ocean via the Snake River. Some of that water could be diverted into The Great Salt Lake, which would then evaporate and return to Idaho in form of Rain and Snow to replenish the Snake and Colorado Rivers.
These tasks sound like lots of effort.
These tasks sound like lots of effort, but the effort is worth the cost. We humans need to be good stewards of our home planet and when we break something, we should repair it. The effort to conduct these tasks is much less than the effort which has been expended to remove water from the Colorado River. In comparison these are simple tasks.
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
Despite Mexico’s commitment to the Paris Accord to combat climate change, it has ignored a crucial solution of refilling the Laguna Salada with water from the Sea of Cortez.
Unfortunately…
Mexico has not used that key and the solution remains securely locked. Mexico has expressed a commitment to helping solve Climate Change by their signing the Paris Accord but seems oblivious to this easy opportunity which only they can accomplish.
Ecologic disaster in Mexico
In the mid 1900’s, Mexico experienced an ecologic disaster created by the draining of the Colorado River at the USA/MX border. This left over 60 miles of riverbed devoid of moisture. The Colorado River had been depositing a huge volume of water into the delta and Sea of Cortez. The loss of this flowing water destroyed 3,000 sq-mi of wet, verdant, green land and created a 3,000 sq-mi parched, dry, brown desert. This change from green to brown is a local climate change. The humidity level is greatly decreased so the area can no longer contribute to its hydrologic cycle. The 3,000 sq-mi desert is now in a constant state of drought. This was the first domino to fall in the domino-droughts.
Paris Accord
Implementation of the Paris Agreement requires nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Each NDC is meant to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, taking into account different national circumstances. In the NDC, countries take action to build resilience to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
What is Laguna Salada, Baja, MX.
Time lapse photography, 1984 to 2023, showing dehydration of Laguna Salada, Baja, MX.
Laguna Salada is a below-sea-level depression just north-northwest of the Colorado River delta has been filled with salt water. Laguna Salada was being kept full by the now drained Colorado River and moisture evaporated from the previously green delta. In 1999, with the Colorado river being dry south of Mexicali, Baja, MX., and the delta a desert; Laguna Salada went completely dry. The domino-droughts began in 2000 and morphed into the current mega-drought.
What Is The Easy Opportunity?
Fill Laguna Salada with ocean water from the Sea of Cortez. Reversing the Coyote Canal and refilling Laguna Salada will meet the Paris Accord NDC goal.
Why Is This Easy?
Visualize the Coyote Canal as a nice wide water path from the Sea of Cortez into Laguna Salada.
The Coyote Canal is an existing water path between Laguna Salada and the Sea of Cortez. This dry creek bed was straightened and shortened in recent years. The work that needs to be accomplished today is to make that canal deeper and wider so that the non-existing out-flow from Laguna Salada is reversed to an in-flow from the Sea of Cortez. The effort required to is minimal because the canal already exists, its path is defined, and its length is about 60 miles (120 kilometers). There is minimal excavation required.
How does this help reverse Climate Change?
The first thing…
The first thing it accomplishes is a reduction of the ocean level. The oceans are rising because of the melting of the glaciers. The water that melts off them can flow into Laguna Salada. Any water which flows out of the ocean into Laguna Salada is water, which is not in the ocean anymore, so the ocean level is lower.
The second thing…
The second thing is that Laguna Salada is located in a very hot, very dry, very windy place. This means that the water in Laguna Salada will evaporate quickly and be carried away from Laguna Salada. As the water evaporates, the ocean level will be further reduced to refill Laguna Salada.
The third thing…
The third thing is that the water which evaporates into the atmosphere will be carried away from Laguna Salada. Water vapor carried east or west will return to Laguna Salada as rainwater flowing down from the flanking mountains. Water vapor carried south it will return to the Sea of Cortez. Water vapor carried north it will indirectly replenish the Colorado River watershed, which will begin to reverse the mega-drought and help the whole Colorado River watershed and it’s the varied water users.
The fourth thing…
The evaporation of water from Laguna Salada should lower local ambient temperatures. According to the USGS; heat is removed from the environment during evaporation, leading to a net cooling. In climates where the humidity is low and the temperatures are hot, evaporation can lower the air temperature by 20 degrees F.
The fifth thing…
Wherever the evaporated moisture falls it will encourage plant growth. Plant growth will help heal the atmosphere by absorbing carbon and by cooling the local environment.
The sixth thing…
This will add moisture to the Colorado River delta because of the flow from the ocean through the delta to Laguna Salada. this moisture will aid in rehydrating the Colorado River delta.
Mexico holds part of another key…
After Laguna Salada is filled with sea water, a canal should be built north to the USA border so the USA can join with it and refill the Salton Sea. Refilling the Salton Sea continues all the above benefits to a second location.
Help Reverse Climate Change
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
This discussion is greatly simplified, but… The Great Salt Lake was created by water left behind from some global event. Theories include the Ice Age and/or the Biblical Flood. It was massive in size, covering about a quarter of Utah. It is much smaller today and regardless of how it was formed, it is there, and it has unique circumstances.
Unique Circumstances.
The Great Salt Lake is the central/lowest point in the Great Salt Lake watershed. All the water in this watershed eventually drains down into The Great Salt Lake. Water enters and leaves this watershed by airborne moisture. On balance a little more water leaves than is received. This negative flow in the airborne watershed means that sooner or later The Great Salt Lake will become an empty hole in the ground. An example of this is Death Valley.
So? Isn’t That Natural?
It is the natural course that it has been following for centuries. That does not mean that man should not try to find a way to change its future.
What Happens If It Goes Dry?
If The Great Salt Lake is allowed to go dry, there will be serious consequences for the residents of Utah, and the other six surrounding states.
For Utah
The people of Utah are using nearly all their fresh water, so it is not returning to The Great Salt Lake. But The Great Salt Lake provides most of their airborne moisture; which is used to replenish their fresh water by providing rain and snow. Granted that some of the airborne moisture comes from other parts of USA, but the larger volume is created from evaporation off The Great Salt Lake water. If The Great Salt Lake is dry; then no moisture; which means no rain or snow; which means no fresh water. Just that simple.
For Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming
The Great Salt Lake is a large contributor to the airborne watershed which encompasses these states. The people of these states gain all their fresh water from rain and snow. Much of this moisture is obtained from evaporation off The Great Salt Lake. If the Great Salt Lake becomes a dry hole; much of the needed rain and snow will not be available. There will be local Climate Change.
Can this Be Stopped?
Active Climate Rescue Initiative believes that this can be stopped. The solution is simple. Allow some of the water in Idaho’s Snake River to flow into The Great Salt Lake. As projects go; this one would be kind of simple: dig a canal.
Help Reverse Climate Change
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
We broke the Hydrologic cycle! We did it by greedily taking what nature offered for free, without giving back. It is time to give back and help nature restore itself.
Cause of USA Mega-Drought
There is no one cause for the Southwest USA Mega-Drought, just as there is no one cause for to Global Warming and Climate Change, but just go with me for a minute on this one. The draining of the Colorado River water for human use is the major factor causing this 23-year mega-drought in the southwest USA. This is greatly simplified but follow my logic on this…
Water Moves in a Cycle
Water moves in a cycle greater than local watersheds. Again, greatly simplified, some of the water for the southwest USA begins in Mexico, in the Colorado River delta. The water in the river’s delta evaporates into the atmosphere and creates precipitation (fog, mist, rain, and snow). This moisture is moved by wind patterns into the southwest USA. It comes to earth in the Colorado River watershed where it creates the Colorado River and flows into Mexico. On arrival in Mexico, it spreads out across the Colorado River delta. The water in the Colorado River delta evaporates into the atmosphere and creates precipitation. The cycle is perpetual until something breaks the circle…
A water cycle: Colorado River delta > Laguna Salada > Salton Sea > Death Valley > Great Basin > Great Salt Lake > Colorado River headwaters > Colorado River > Colorado River delta.
Water Being Diverted
In a closed terrarium water just keeps being recycled. There is no reason to add more. In real life, there is no closed loop. The Colorado River delta has gone dry. The water used to refill it is syphoned off to other places outside of the watershed. The escaping water must be replaced for the system to continue to function. In this case, that replacement water can most easily be replaced by repairing the water cycle. How can this be done? Can humans control the weather?
Here Is What Happened.
Let’s begin at the Colorado River Delta, which in the early 1900’s was once a lush, verdant, 3,000-sq-mi green oasis in the Sonoran Desert. Beginning in the 1930’s the “wise” humans saw the pure freshwater of the Colorado River and decided not to let it escape into the sea and become ruined. They put the water to human use by removing the water from the river about 90 miles before its delta. On the surface this was a smart plan, but they got greedy and drained the river dry. The water no longer flowed into the delta and the delta is now a dead, dusty, 3,000-sq-mi brown desert wasteland. Gone is the lush green space and most of the life associated with it. All that is left is brown sand and the limited, hardy life suited for dry conditions. Humans created this is manmade ecological disaster, a critical link in this water cycle has been broken. This is Climate Change on a micro level, which has had the domino effect of exacerbating Climate Change in the southwest USA.
Laguna Salada is dry beginning in 1999 through present. The Water Cycle broken for 23+years.
Laguna Salada, Baja, MX
Just northwest of the Colorado River delta is Laguna Salada. This salt marsh, only 33 feet below sea-level at its deepest point, was kept full in three ways:
1) Tidal Flow.
Occasionally there is inflow from tidal flow from the Sea of Cortez. This is still occurring today, but it is so infrequent and such a small amount of water that it cannot keep Laguna Salada filled, or even constantly wet.
2) Local Precipitation.
The Laguna Salada watershed received just a little rain and receives less now than it did in years past. The decrease in precipitation is a result of the change in the Colorado River delta from green to brown.
3) Coyote Canal.
Overflow from Colorado River ran through the Coyote Canal which was the prime water infusion path for Laguna Salada. It entered Laguna Salada via the Coyote Canal when river flow allowed. The effectiveness of this water path has dwindled to nothing in the last half of the 1900s. The water diversions from the Colorado River have caused the Colorado River to be dry before it reaches the Coyote Canal. Because the water of the Colorado River stopped flowing in the Coyote Canal, in 1999 Laguna Salada became fully dry. The Colorado River no longer feeds Laguna Salada or the Gulf of California.
Salton Sea, CA, USA.
Just north of Laguna Salada, in the Imperial Valley, is the Salton Sea. The Imperial Valley once was part of the Colorado River’s path in time long gone when Lake Cahuilla existed. If Lake Cahuilla, with its surface level just above sea level, were there now, 19 communities would be flooded and gone. Lake Cahuilla has been gone for centuries because of a change in the Colorado River’s path. In the late 1800’s and early 1900s the area in the Imperial Valley was known as the Salton Flats. The Salton Flats were the bottom of Lake Cahuilla and full of its salty residue. In the 1910s the residents of Imperial Valley began to farm with water obtained from the Colorado River via canals. The Salton Sea, often referred to as an accidental lake, originated when an irrigation canal escaped its boundaries and carried Colorado River water into the Salton flats. The Salton Sea has been present in the Imperial Valley since the 1920s and hit a popularity heyday in the 1950s as a vacation spot. The Salton Sea level varies and is approximately 236-feet-below-sea-level and has a depth in the deepest point of 51-feet. The Salton Sea is evaporating rapidly and may soon be fully dry. Moisture is added in two ways:
1) Local Precipitation.
The precipitation for the Salton Sea is brought up from the south from and over Laguna Salada. With the Colorado River delta a desert since 1940, and Laguna Salada dry since 1999, the rainfall in the Salton Sea watershed has diminished.
2) Agricultural Runoff.
Agricultural runoff was the primary water supply for Laguna Salada. Unfortunately, that water was highly polluted with fertilizer and salt, causing the lake to have an unpleasant aroma. The drought beginning in 2000, necessitating conservation of irrigation water, has decreased the inflow from the farms. Beginning in 2020 the farm runoff is being diverted westward to meet California coastal water needs. The Salton see is rapidly returning to the Salton Falts.
Broken Hydrologic Cycle.
We now have a broken water cycle. The Colorado river delta no longer sends moisture north to Laguna Salada. The dry Laguna Salada has no moisture to send to the Salton Sea. The lack of moisture in the Imperial Valley leaves little to blow north into the Great Basin. The Great Salt Lake, which obtains its moisture within the Great Basin, is at its lowest level in recorded history. The Great Salt Lake and the Great Basin have no water to send to the headwaters of the Colorado River. While the Colorado River is fed by multiple water cycles, all of them functioning at normal levels are needed to have the full flow in the river. With the measured flow of the Colorado River below optimum, the reservoirs are not staying full. This is not a short-term problem, but a result of permeant ecological damage to the environment resulting in a new-normal flow for the Colorado River. Here is where human activity has damaged the environment and caused local climate change.
Humans Must Fix This.
Humans broke the Hydrologic cycle! In our wisdom we did it by greedily taking what nature offered for free, without giving back. It is time to give back and help nature restore itself. There are three ways which we can remedy this problem:
1) Stop Draining the River Dry.
The simplest option is to stop raping nature and let the Colorado River’s flow return to its natural state, but this cannot happen. This freshwater is being used for life and livelihood by millions of people who would complain loudly if it were no longer available to them.
2) Let Some Water Through.
Don’t take all the water. Let some of it flow to the delta. This sounds like a good idea, but it will not be enough. The Colorado River has a diminished flow which has created a strain on the existing water demand. Calls for conservation have been going on for years, and yet there is still not enough water to fill the current need. How can some be allowed to escape into the delta? Yes, this should be done, but any that is allowed to flow into the delta will be a minuscule amount compared to its original state. Yet some is better than none, but it would not be enough to break the mega-drought and refill the river.
3) Restore the Water Cycle.
The ultimate solution would be to discover a new source of water which is unencumbered and easily available to insert into the water cycle. That source is the ocean. The Sea of California is close at hand.
Move The Water!
The “Move the Water!” initiative proposes to refill Laguna Salada with seawater. The flow of the Coyote Canal can be reversed, and the saltwater can be allowed to flow through the delta and into Laguna Salada. In Spanish Laguna Salada translates into Salt Marsh, so it is already salted and adding saltwater will do no harm. By doing this some moisture will be returned into the delta, and Laguna Salada can be filled up to sea-level. The restored Lagna Salada will once again pump huge amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere, which will blow north toward the Salton Sea. Social justice will occur as the local indigenous peoples will again be able to fish in their ancestral lake. This will begin to fix the now broken water cycle and move toward eventually ending the mega-drought.
Mexico’s Commitment to End Climate Change.
Mexico made it clear in Paris that they wanted to do their part in reversing Climate Change. The loss of water within the Colorado River delta and watershed is one of the causes of Climate Change. The removal of that water allows the area to become warmer. This is their opportunity, and it is a low-cost project to undertake. The work in Mexico could be done in a surprisingly short time frame, easily less than a year. Once completed the drought can begin to end and climate Change can be mitigated.
Move the Water! Again.
The “Move the Water!” initiative proposes to refill the Salton Sea to its 1950s level by allowing seawater to flow through Laguna Salada. Here the Coyote Canal must be extended so that it terminates in the Salton Sea. This is a little more difficult project because there is a 150-foot hill in the way. This is not unsurmountable. Look at the rock cuts along our major highways. Brining the ocean water into the Salton Sea has multiple benefits, the largest being the work it will do against the mega-drought. The moisture evaporated from the Salton Sea will enter the Great Basin and work to refill the Great Salt Lake and also replenish the headwaters of the Colorado River.
Help Reverse Climate Change
Your small donation to Active Climate Rescue Initiative will help reverse Global Warming. Reversing Global Warming and stopping Climate Change is our only goal, and we know how to do it. Your support will allow us to broadcast our message and save the world. Someone must do it. Be part of the someone. Donate today.
