SC11

Just back this Saturday from a wonderful 8 day trip to Hilton Head Island and vicinity, on Southern Carolina's south coast. Lots of Salt Marshes, various sized islands, Lagoons, Sounds, etc, and shore birds a plenty, Seagulls, Pelicans, Herons, Cranes, Loons, Eagles, Osprey's, and much more! A place full of inspiring and wonderful landscapes! I'll put some photo's at Wizard's pictures soon :-) Anyway, Just wondering if any of you caught the CNN report " We Were Warned " I mentioned about in the thread SC10? I viewed it and thought they did a fair job of getting the message across that the potential is now great for trouble with our Oil and Natural Gas supplies worldwide. However the program seemed to imply by its content that alternative energy forms would somehow save the day, hydrogen, ethenol, tar sands etc. The information I'm seeing on the internet about these various alternative energy schemes is showing that they all have serious problems in regards to thier ability to carry the looming, and increasing shortfalls, in the various hydrocarbon energy sources and reserves. A relatively small piece of the current energy pie, is all they will replace. The word is more and more, too little, and way to late. This evening came across this article regarding this weeks cover story for Time Magazine, discussing the big Climate Change trouble thats becoming more clear, and dire by the day. Here are some excerpts:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/26/coverstory/index.html

Be worried, be very worried

The climate is crashing, and global warming is to blame

No one can say exactly what it looks like when a planet takes ill, but it probably looks a lot like Earth.

Never mind what you've heard about global warming as a slow-motion emergency that would take decades to play out. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the crisis is upon us.

From heat waves to storms to floods to fires to massive glacial melts, the global climate seems to be crashing around us.

The problem -- as scientists suspected but few others appreciated -- is that global climate systems are booby-trapped with tipping points and feedback loops, thresholds past which the slow creep of environmental decay gives way to sudden and self-perpetuating collapse. That's just what's happening now.

It's at the north and south poles -- where ice cover is crumbling to slush -- that the crisis is being felt the most acutely.........

As fast as global warming is changing the oceans and ice caps, it's having an even more immediate effect on land. Droughts are increasingly common as higher temperatures also bake moisture out of soil faster, causing dry regions that live at the margins to tip into full-blown crisis.

Wildfires in such sensitive regions as Indonesia, the western U.S. and even inland Alaska have been occurring with increased frequency as timberlands grow more parched. Those forests that don't succumb to fire can simply die from thirst.

With habitats crashing, the animals that call them home are succumbing too. In Alaska, salmon populations are faltering as melting permafrost pours mud into rivers, burying the gravel the fish need for spawning. Small animals such as bushy tailed rats, chipmunks and pinion mice are being chased upslope by rising temperatures, until they at last have no place to run........


Speaking of wildland fires, as we were flying back from South Carolina, over Oklahoma, and northern Texas, just after sunset, I was amazed at all the wildfires I saw across that area from our perch, a 777 at 40,000 feet, 490MPH, and a minus 86 degrees outside the jet, cold thats a Naturist Nightmare :-) That area has been locked in severe drought, and has been burning historic amounts of land all winter, off the scale of normal averages for fires there. On the coast of Hunting Island ( also in South Carolina ), just north of Hilton Head Island. The shoreline is falling into the surf, as the warmer rising oceans advance on such " low country " as its called there. Mature trees, Oaks, Palms and others are being undercut, and are tipping over on to the sandy beach. Stumps stand in the surf, where the island used to be. Its become a battle on the eastern coastal beachs, to constantly try and " replenish " what the ocean now takes of the shore and sand each year now. They are fighting a losing battle, about to get much worse. My wifes uncle lives on Hilton Head Island, which is about 15 miles long, maybe 8 or so wide, in the shape of a foot. The highest point on the island is 17 feet above sea level. Storm Surge for Huricane Katrina reached above 30 feet in some places. All of the recently devolped homes are required to be built on a sub foundation that is about 10 feet high, above ground level. The whole Eastern shoreline ( towards the Atlantic ) of the island is almost completly full of resorts, and expensive homes. My wifes uncle told us the water temps are running a good deal above normal this spring, and the residents of the island are very worried about the dire predictions for this upcoming hurricane seasons storm forcast. A cat 3 or greater hits this highly developed island head on, they're toast!