Global Vs Local Warming

[Maine farmer]

I have noticed that when I go the 2 miles into town, it is almost always warmer in town than at the farm.  This morning, before sunrise, the difference was 5 degrees Fahrenheit.  This makes me wonder if urban sprawl has been taken into account in all those studies about global warming.

 

I know from my own life experiences that winters are generally milder now than they were in my childhood, so I am not a denier.  What I question is actual scope of the issue..  As we are finding ourselves being surrounded by housing development, land use is having a far more immediate effect on my life.

 

I would also like to point out that all the housing being built will likely be increasing the rate of water runoff and flooding.  We have a flat 80 acre field right behind the farm that tends to flood when we have big storms, and the field holds the water for a while and helps slow the flooding downstream.  If a developer gets a hold of that field someday and fills it with houses, it may someday make the news for property damage caused by climate change.

[billvon]

I have noticed that when I go the 2 miles into town, it is almost always warmer in town than at the farm.  This morning, before sunrise, the difference was 5 degrees Fahrenheit.  This makes me wonder if urban sprawl has been taken into account in all those studies about global warming.

 

NASA and NOAA take this effect into account and adjust temperature readings downward in places that do not match nearby rural areas.  Interestingly, in built up areas only about a third of the locations show warming.  40% actually show cooling (those are adjusted upwards) and the rest remain unchanged.  The cooling comes from well-meaning meteorologists who site weather stations in areas they consider "natural" - like man-made parks with mechanical irrigation (sprinklers.)  Overall, irrigated areas are cooler than non-irrigated areas due to the cooling effects of evaporation and transpiration.

 

Some references if you are interested - https://www.skepticalscience.com/urban-heat-island-effect-intermediate.htm

 

I would also like to point out that all the housing being built will likely be increasing the rate of water runoff and flooding.  We have a flat 80 acre field right behind the farm that tends to flood when we have big storms, and the field holds the water for a while and helps slow the flooding downstream.  If a developer gets a hold of that field someday and fills it with houses, it may someday make the news for property damage caused by climate change.

 

That's happening all over.  In Perris Valley (a former flood plain) the river used to flood regularly and inundate hundreds of acres.  New building code requires homes be built at least 4 feet above high water level, with the result that there is less place for the water to go - so downstream gets clobbered.  So they built a dam and created a lake, which is causing problems for the larger lake beneath it (Lake Elsinore.)  Etc etc.

[fahrquad]

I have noticed that when I go the 2 miles into town, it is almost always warmer in town than at the farm.  This morning, before sunrise, the difference was 5 degrees Fahrenheit.  This makes me wonder if urban sprawl has been taken into account in all those studies about global warming.

 

I know from my own life experiences that winters are generally milder now than they were in my childhood, so I am not a denier.  What I question is actual scope of the issue..  As we are finding ourselves being surrounded by housing development, land use is having a far more immediate effect on my life.

 

I would also like to point out that all the housing being built will likely be increasing the rate of water runoff and flooding.  We have a flat 80 acre field right behind the farm that tends to flood when we have big storms, and the field holds the water for a while and helps slow the flooding downstream.  If a developer gets a hold of that field someday and fills it with houses, it may someday make the news for property damage caused by climate change.

 

That is known as an "Urban Heat Island".  The elevated structures result in more surface area to retain heat, resulting in increased temperatures. This is one reason why apartment dwellers without air conditioning are most at risk of death during a heat wave.

 

The International Building Code (IBC) from the International Code Council (ICC) factors wind loading based on exposure in design calculations.  The Code has wind speed maps for all areas in the country.  The exposure and surface area are factored into a multiplier for the particular wind speed zone.  The Architect includes his calculations on the first few pages of the submitted plans, along with seismic zone ground speed acceleration calculations, etc..  I won't bore you with any more details, just trust that someone is making sure that the buildings erected around you are as safe as they can possibly get based on current knowledge.  The complete set of Codes covering all aspects of building construction, fire protection, handicapped accessibility, maximum occupancy, etc.., is revised every 3 years to make sure it keep up with the most recent facts and changes in approved materials.  Quite a number of changes have been made after thorough review of design or material failures.  

 

Around here (Greenville County, South Carolina), development of any kind requires storm water detention designed and certified by the engineer to retain runoff equivalent to a 50 year storm probability.  During my 10 years working for the next town up from my house, I amended (or submitted an amendment to city council to adopt) our requirements so that the detention facilities be designed to retain runoff equivalent to a 100 year storm probability.  The creeks that run through town are designated as 100 year flood plains, and I felt that the detention facilities for new development should not contribute to and worsen the existing flooding problems.  The floodplains are designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  The 50 or 100 year storm event does not mean that a flood will occur every 50 or 100 years.  A 50 year storm means that there is a 0.5% probability that a storm event will meet or exceed the record, and a 100 year storm means that there is a 0.1% probability that a storm event will meet or exceed the record.

 

If your field is flat and has no perceptible slope toward a drainage ditch, stream, creek, or river, then flooding will be determined by soil composition and permeability.  The most productive fields in the Carolina Foothills are those in floodplains, where soil nutrients are replenished by material washed downstream during flood events.  In addition, the water table is relatively shallow, and any water necessary for crop growth does not immediately get sucked down below the root zone.

[fahrquad]

That's happening all over.  In Perris Valley (a former flood plain) the river used to flood regularly and inundate hundreds of acres.  New building code requires homes be built at least 4 feet above high water level, with the result that there is less place for the water to go - so downstream gets clobbered.  So they built a dam and created a lake, which is causing problems for the larger lake beneath it (Lake Elsinore.)  Etc etc.

 

The design requirements in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requires flood vents to be installed in the foundation of elevated structures in a designated flood hazard area to allow flood waters to enter and exit.  This reduces hydrostatic pressure on the foundation walls and does not diminish the storage capacity of the floodplain.  The vents can be no more than 1 foot above grade and 1 square inch of vent area per 100 square feet of area enclosed by the foundation. The increased area of impermeable surface resulting from development is included in the overall stormwater calculations for the subdivision.  "Impermeable surface" includes parking lots, roads, sidewalks, buildings, patios, etc... Although I do not in any way recommend this particular manufacturer of flood vents, of which there are many, here is a brief video that shows just how a flood vent operates (in the link, since I haven't figured out how to post a video here).

 

.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=u7T7EngHX3U#t=75

[Maine farmer]

The design requirements in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requires flood vents to be installed in the foundation of elevated structures in a designated flood hazard area to allow flood waters to enter and exit.  This reduces hydrostatic pressure on the foundation walls and does not diminish the storage capacity of the floodplain.  

I have gone onto my towns website and viewed the flood zone protection areas, and I see that the have only drawn lines along major brooks and streams.  They seem to not take into account the topography of the surrounding areas beyond a 50 or 100 foot setback.  

 

Some years ago, we signed up with the USDA for their price support programs, and we had to go over all the land we use with the NRCS to demonstrate our compliance with all of their rules and regulations.  I could not get any straight answers as to the definition of a "stream".  That made us decide we were better off not getting government help.  Of course, if we had gotten an answer , and the next officer who replaced the last one had a different answer, we would be the ones on the hook for following the bad advice.

 

My chief complaint with environmental laws as written, is that we are required to maintain proof of our innocence.  We kept a nutrient management plan before it was required by law because we don't want to waste fertilizer (it's expensive), but there is just something troubling about having to keep it on hand for inspection by the government, especially when they don't even have firm definitions for things like streams which seem open to different definitions by different agents.

[billvon]

Although I do not in any way recommend this particular manufacturer of flood vents, of which there are many, here is a brief video that shows just how a flood vent operates (in the link, since I haven't figured out how to post a video here).

 

.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=u7T7EngHX3U#t=75

You posted a video of an air vent.

[fahrquad]

You posted a video of an air vent.

 

Actually the "Smart Vent" functions as both an air vent and a flood vent.  The video compared flood vents to air vents used for flood purposes. See product information in attached PDF for details.  As the video pointed out, an air vent used for flood purposes would need to be kept open at all times.  Considering the recent arctic blast, having open vents would contribute to energy loss and frozen pipes.   Once again I am not advocating any particular product.  I just saw the product and talked with a sales rep at the last Code Council continuing education seminar, so it was the first product that came to mind.

 

http://images.smartvent.com/images/uploads/product_documents/1540-510.pdf

Edited January 10, 2017 by fahrquad

[fahrquad]

I have gone onto my towns website and viewed the flood zone protection areas, and I see that the have only drawn lines along major brooks and streams.  They seem to not take into account the topography of the surrounding areas beyond a 50 or 100 foot setback. 

 

The flood maps are drawn based on topography, creek or river profile at specified cross-sections, and volume of water drained during a 100 year event.  The flood maps only cover areas that exceed flooding to a depth of greater than 1 foot( zone A).  Areas that have flooding less than 1 foot deep are designated as being in zone X.  Coastal flood zones subject to storm surge are designated as zone V.  "Stream" is not specifically defined in the program, and any undefined terms would use the common definition (generally from Webster's). 

 

On a personal note, I do not like the National Flood Insurance Program since taxpayers end up subsidizing the risk taken by people who foolishly choose to build in hazardous areas.  Homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage, and those properties in flood hazard areas are required (by their mortgage companies) to purchase flood insurance, but that insurance only covers a percentage of the loss.

Edited January 10, 2017 by fahrquad

[Maine farmer]

The flood maps are drawn based on topography, creek or river profile at specified cross-sections, and volume of water drained during a 100 year event.  The flood maps only cover areas that exceed flooding to a depth of greater than 1 foot( zone A).  Areas that have flooding less than 1 foot deep are designated as being in zone X.  Coastal flood zones subject to storm surge are designated as zone V.  "Stream" is not specifically defined in the program, and any undefined terms would use the common definition (generally from Webster's). 

 

On a personal note, I do not like the National Flood Insurance Program since taxpayers end up subsidizing the risk taken by people who foolishly choose to build in hazardous areas.  Homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage, and those properties in flood hazard areas are required (by their mortgage companies) to purchase flood insurance, but that insurance only covers a percentage of the loss.

Thanks for clarifying a few things.

 

Regarding the word "stream", the rules for our nutrient management plan require a setback from streams for fertilizer or manure applications.  A soon to be retiring NRCS agent did not mark down any ditches as streams, but his replacement did mark a couple of larger ditches as streams on the map and drew the required setback lines.  Had we been applying manure to those fields, we could have been in trouble with the new management at the NRCS.   We knew that land, owned by neighbors, was up for sale for house lots, so we didn't want to through our resources away.

 

Some USDA rules seem pointless.  For example I was told by the last NRCS officer that we could graze wetlands, but no mechanical harvesting was allowed.  Some wetlands as defined by the rules can be quite dry in the summer.