The only thing as certain as drought in Australia is the stupid call to build new dams

In Australia, the only thing as certain as drought is the subsequent calls by politicians to build new dams.

‘If new dams can solve Australia’s water problems,
why didn’t the government build more dams last
time? Or the time before that?’

Right on cue, the prime minister announced a $1bn commitment for new dams on Sunday.

But if new dams can solve Australia’s water problems, why didn’t the government build more dams last time? Or the time before that?

It may seem obvious, but building new dams doesn’t make it rain. Even if it does rain, we already have plenty of empty dams where the water can go.

But with even more empty dams, Australia could hold even more water to last through the next drought, right?

Not necessarily. More important than how many dams Australia has is how we allocate water. Even if a new dam had been built for public use and it had water in it last year, most likely it would have been used for irrigation. Towns like Dubbo and Tamworth would be in exactly the same situation that they are in now.

Read the story from The Guardian by Maryanne Slattery - “The only thing as certain as drought in Australia is the stupid call to build new dams.”

Melting Arctic Permafrost Releases Acid that Dissolves Rocks

As temperatures rise in the Arctic, permafrost — permanently frozen ground — is defrosting at an alarming rate. But the permafrost isn't the only thing in the Arctic that's melting.

Runoff from melting permafrost in Alaska flows toward the sea.

Exposed rock that was once covered in ice is dissolving, eaten away by acid. And the effects of this acid bath could have far-reaching impacts on global climate, according to a new study.

Icy permafrost is rich in minerals, which are released when the ice melts. The minerals then become vulnerable to chemical weathering, or the breakdown of rock through chemical reactions, scientists recently reported. They investigated areas once covered by permafrost in the western Canadian Arctic, finding evidence of weathering caused by sulfuric acid, produced by sulfide minerals that were released when the permafrost melted.

Read the LiveScience story by Mindy Weisberger - “Melting Arctic Permafrost Releases Acid that Dissolves Rocks.”