Water Cycle Facts

Representatives misrepresent the facts about fire suppression

Last week’s Opinion Section contained so many factual errors and misrepresentations it was embarrassing. Not surprising, however, since the authors of the pieces were Representative Brenda Barton and Senator Sylvia Allen. To be fair, when you’re deciding important things in the Legislature, like which firearm to designate as the state gun, educating oneself is too time consuming. In 2009, in reference to Arizona’s drought and scarcity of water, Sylvia Allen said, “The trees are stealing our water.” Trees are an essential part of the ecosystem; elementary science teaches the water cycle, a sound bite does cannot begin to explain the complex relationships among drought, fire and forest. Her latest opinion piece serves as a continuing example of an inability and refusal to use her political office to promote fact and allay fear. Misrepresentation of fact: It is true that the forest has been mismanaged and continues to be mismanaged. Federal land managers have learned to manage by “consensus,” which results in everyone agreeing with a bad decision. It is the popular mantra to whine about environmentalists and the Federal Government and how if we just let the forests be grazed and logged, there would be no problem. Common sense is supposed to let users do anything they want in the name of jobs. This is only one side of the story. The Forest Service manages forests according to laws Congress passes. Their marching orders come directly from these laws. I agree that many of the laws are not good, but it’s not the Forest Service that should be blamed. They are merely carrying out the laws that they are supposed to implement. Laws can be changed if the voters insist. For example, both Barton and Allen deplore how the Forest Service hasn’t thinned the forest. The Forest Service has tried, and frivolous lawsuits delayed their efforts, time after time. This is because Congress passed laws allowing these types of lawsuits. Senator Allen stated that when logging was occurring on forest lands, the Forest Service ran in the black. Not true. Forest health is poor. If the USFS were allowed to manage the forest on a scientific basis with less interference from politicians and special interest groups, in a few years, the forest would be healthier. Pressure from these groups encourages the Forest Service to make stupid decisions, and after years of encouragement, the Forest Service has gotten really good at it.

Facts and fictions: Water vapour, CO2, and the Carbon Cycle ...

These effects result from the gas dissolving in the mucous membranes and saliva, forming a weak solution of carbonic acid. This sensation can also occur during an attempt to stifle a burp after drinking a carbonated beverage. Amounts above 5,000 ppm are considered very unhealthy, and those above about 50,000 ppm (equal to 5% by volume) are considered dangerous to animal life. Fact : While there is far more water vapour in the atmosphere than other greenhouse gases, the other greenhouse gases play an important role in influencing our climate. The increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases is largely responsible for the observed warming of 0.74°C over the 20th century. This warming has had a ‘positive feedback’ as a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapour – enhancing human induced warming by about 50%. CO2 on the other hand has a extremely stronger bond. Because of this it takes CO2 quite a long time to break down. It’s temperature curve is interesting when comparing it with water vapour. Notice that H2O goes from critical point to triple point (on the right above) between 4.4 kPa and -0.4 kPa. Where as CO2 (below) only starts to get to critical point at close to 80 kpa and retains stability even in colder temperatures. FACT : The carbon sink cycle takes time. It is a chemical process that is severely impacted by pressure and temperature. To separate carbon from CO2, the bonds that hold the carbon and oxygen together need to be softened. If the oceans warm up, and they are, then that means that chemical process is slowed down. Further at the warmer temperatures, the CO2 is likely to not sink to the colder water and therefore the entire process is slowed.

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