| May 13, 2014 | No. 69 |
April 2014
Here are the totals for April 2014 along with the totals for the entire year in the District of Boquete. We got some rain at the Palmira Station but not as much as normally expected for April (mean=6.69; standard deviation = 6.39038 with 8 years of data). At the end of April it was very dry here in Palmira.
Rainfall for April & Year 2014 |
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Area |
Contributor |
Apr |
Year |
El Santuario |
Terry Zach |
1.15 |
4.73 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Sela Burkholder |
2.78 |
3.34 |
Jaramillo Arriba |
Steve Sarner |
5.92 |
8.06 |
Los Molinos |
Fred Donelson |
4.0* |
4.69* |
Los Naranjos |
Craig Bennett |
1.10 |
2.84 |
Lucero (Cielo Paraiso) |
Michael Mullin |
5.20 |
5.99 |
Palmira Arriba |
Lloyd Cripe |
0.51 |
1.10 |
n/a = not currently available; *=estimated due to equipment problems |
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It is May 13 as I write this and we now have 6.68 inches of rain since May 1. It appears that the rainy season is now upon us. The plants are looking happier but Miguel, our caretaker, looks sadder. He now has to start mowing the grass.
We experienced an earthquake early this morning about 0135 hours. It firmly shook things for about 30 seconds but nothing fell off our shelves or got broken. We did not fall out of bed. According to USGS, it was a 6.8 magnitude quake with the epicenter 81 miles south of David. It woke us up and got us wondering how things like this could happen in Paradise. You would think that we would get used to these things, but we still are shaken by terra firma not being so firma.
Check out the latest ENSO Cycle Report to see that we are still in a neutral condition but moving toward El Niño by summer. It reads "Chance of El Niño increases during the remainder of the year, exceeding 65% by summer." That is a bit above chance and probably means that we will start moving into an El Niño cycle. I have not encountered any articles that specifically discuss the effects of climate change and El Niño upon Panama and Central America. I am still looking. If you know of any, please let me know about them. I did come across an interesting chart but no text or research references to back it up.
Here is a link to a short but informative National Geographic Education article about El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO is the official name of what we usually call El Niño. Reading this article will give you a quick understanding of what El Niño is all about although it doesn't cover how the climates of various regions of the world are affected.
The IRI (International Research Institute for Climate and Society (select South America from the Region menu) is not reporting the following for May-June-July of 2014. Note that there is no prediction being made for Panama or Central America in general.
Several weeks ago the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued their most recent report (number 5) on Climate Change. I suggest you take a close look at it. Become aware of who the IPCC is, their thinking and conclusions. This is the result of the best climate scientists in the world working together to better understand the facts about climate change and what needs to be done about it. I think we should listen carefully to them and encourage our leaders to act in a responsible manner.
Last week the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) issued the latest National Climate Assessment. At minimum download and read their Frequently Asked Questions and answers. We need to think seriously about these things and again support positive governmental actions.
I have been reading and thinking a long time about the issue of climate change. I have not publically expressed my evolving conclusions. However, I am now certain that negative climate change is happening and human activities have probably exacerbated it. I think we each need to become better stewards of the planet and figure out what we can individually and collectively do to have the most positive effect possible upon the present and future of our environment and the welfare of human life. The reports mentioned are the result of a large scale coordinated collective effort by dedicated reputable climate scientists. I think we should thoughtfully listen to them and do all we can to make the world a better place. Have you thought about how we can do that? I keep asking myself, "What can I do on a practical daily level?"
All of this talk and chatter about climate and weather reminds me of a Mark Twain quote, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” I think it is time to do something about it.
I am going to do something about it and to start I am keeping my umbrella handy!
Lloyd Cripe