A few hours ago, the sky was perfect summer blue. Now, it has become pale gray, somewhat white color. I would almost say smoky. The sun still shines through the trees, but the sky at 1:00 is not what it had been all morning. I’m seeing some striking sunrise images this morning, all influenced by wildfire smoke. I appreciate these past two days of hazy sunshine don’t equal the yellow air of two summers ago. The world smelled of hickory smoke. The fires that drive the haze are from mid-Canada this year, but in 2023, the fires were closer to the East Coast. Those fires canceled outdoor activities, both local and national. I had to have the windows closed and the air conditioning running for days.
a seasonal thing
The experts say this kind of poor air quality is going to become a seasonal thing. Threats of wildfires and heavy smoke are likely to become as commonplace on the East Coast as on the West Coast. Territories throughout the world that didn’t experience wildfires in the past are more familiar with them these days. What is a way of life in Australia and the North American West will be typical worldwide.
changing weather
Weather patterns are changing; there is no denying that fact anymore. The wettest May on record in certain parts of the US ended a few days ago. Meanwhile, the first plume of Sahara dust has blown across the Atlantic to settle in the Southeast US. The map shows Missouri getting pummeled with dust from Africa and smoke from Canada. And a few weeks ago, that region got throttled by storms. People are suffering, and there is no help from FEMA anymore. A nagging worry is the scarcity of food because the weather is shifting to the extreme. It is too wet, too dry, too cloudy, too stormy, too cold, or too hot.
There have always been places that have had to contend with fires and smoke. This is something new here on the East Coast of the US. Likewise, people in Wyoming have never dealt with a hurricane (have they?). Unusual weather is becoming all too frequent. Two years ago, a storm smashed the woods I live in. It gives me hope to see the woods filled in thicker than I’ve ever seen them.
new normal
It seems that society is being bombarded with a new normal faster than we can adapt to it. I guess we will see how well evolution and adaptation can operate over the next few years. Rather, we may see how natural selection is too slow to adjust to the new normal.
coming up:
Science is dangling by a fraying thread here in the US. I’ve been in a sad place since January. Stunned and scared, but clawing my way back. Next week I will address the problem with science in my country, and how I am going to fight back.
