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Scars left by wildfires worsen flooding in Colorado
Sep. 12, 2013 at 12:12 PM ET
NASA
Boulder, Colo., is getting absolutely drenched — since Wednesday night, an incredible 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain have fallen in the city and its surrounding areas, and the deluge continues.
The downpour has caused flash floods throughout the Boulder area and killed two people, according to news reports. Many roads throughout the area are impassible, and most businesses and schools throughout the region have closed.
But one factor has made the flooding considerably worse: the wildfires that have stricken the forests in the region in the past few years, said Kari Bowen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Boulder.
"When you have a dense forest with undergrowth, you have plants and things to trap moisture and rain," Bowen told LiveScience. "But when it's gone, you have nothing to catch it." The fire also makes the ground almost hydrophobic, or water-repelling, and these effects can last 10 to 15 years, she added. [Photos: Devastating Colorado Wildfires]
This means that when large quantities of rain fall, the water runs off the ground as it would off a sheet of metal. Even a half inch (1.3 cm) of rain can cause flooding when it falls in a short amount of time, not to mention the current onslaught of precipitation, Bowen said. The mountainous topography of the area worsens the flooding, channeling it into valleys and sending it screaming down the slopes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the flooding is worse in some areas that have seen forest fires in recent years, including the High Park area and Waldo Canyon, the scene of fires of the same name in June 2012. The Waldo Canyon fire was the worst in the state's history to that date, burning more than 18,000 acres (7,300 hectares) near Colorado Springs and destroying more than 300 homes.
The burn scars from these fires are also at increased risk of debris flows and mudslides for the same reason: Water quickly runs off, and there are fewer plants to hold rocks and soil in place. "The water carries soil and rocks and dead trees, and causes a lot of destruction," Bowen said.
Published on Jun 22, 2013
SOURCE: http://www.nbcnews.com
News Articles:
Massive wildfire threatening to destroy Colorado mountain town
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/06/21/...
Entire Town Could Be Totally Wiped Out By Colorado Wildfire
http://www.businessinsider.com/south-...
South Fork: Colorado Fire May Destroy Entire Town
http://www.inquisitr.com/808629/south...
FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the U.S. Copyright Law.
News Articles:
Massive wildfire threatening to destroy Colorado mountain town
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/06/21/...
Entire Town Could Be Totally Wiped Out By Colorado Wildfire
http://www.businessinsider.com/south-...
South Fork: Colorado Fire May Destroy Entire Town
http://www.inquisitr.com/808629/south...
FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the U.S. Copyright Law.
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NASA knows some things. 2012 Survival Guide
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ReplyDeleteOnce again I find myself in the position of playing Devil's advocate. Like it or not, believe it or not, blame it on Al Qaeda if you want but the simple reason for these rampant wildfires is that the National Forest Service and the Bureau Of Lands Management have for nearly fifty years now been systematically prevented and in some cases illegally blocked from the practice of clearing brush and natural thatch accumulations from our forest lands in the name of " environmental and habitat protection ". The issue of potential wildfires and associated dangers ( like loss of soil anchorage and eventual flooding ) was pointed up by forestry officials back when radical environmentalists first began protesting against " disturbing " the natural cycles of our forests.
When the wildfires began in earnest during the late 80's and 90's ( following a 20 year accumulation of debris on our forest's floors ) environmentalists found it all too convenient to lay the blame on " global warming " and even to extend the campaign into issues far removed from basic forestry science ( like blaming the " Carbon footprint " of nearby cities for some of the fires ).
Today, the carnage of the ill conceived campaign has firefighters risking their lives daily in massive efforts to save entire forests and in some cases whole communities - even some major cities have been in danger. Thousands of miles of land once lushly forested now sits burned and barren, awaiting the first regrowth of saplings or even some welcome grasses, ANYTHING to slow the massive erosion of topsoil caused now by the mildest of Summer rains or Spring snow melt which " Domino " to set new flood records for our rivers and cause even more devastation to towns and cities situated near them.
And WHERE pray - tell are Al Gore and his band of tree hugging WACKOs now that " global warming " has basically been demonstrated to have been at best a product of " fuzzy science " and at worst a monumental fraud perpetrated on America for the profitability of a few select special interest groups ? Well, ONE thing is FOR SURE. Al and his buds are certainly NOT front and center, owning up to the errors of their ways now ARE THEY ?
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