Water: A Stream of Consciousness

The state of California is embroiled in drought, however the water still runs from taps and the toilets still flush. The effects of the drought upon everyday life are seemingly minimal, however, the long-term implications are dire.

Recently I visited the Folsom Reservoir in the South Fork of the American River. The water level, usually at the height of trees surrounding the area, was below the legs of the bridge. Even the meter to measure water level only went from the top of the bridge about 1/3 of the way down. No one ever expected a drought of such severity that the normally calm lake of the Folsom Reservoir would become a rushing river yards below its normal depth. 

As the drought grips California, it’s important to think about the implications of global warming as whole. According to the New York Times, global warming has intensified the drought by around 20 percent. The planet’s warming is caused by human actions and thereby can only be alleviated by human actions. Here are a couple of things anyone can to do to make a small difference on their end. 

I leave you with this thought to consider, simply a stream of consciousness from the depths of my brain. I invite you to take a moment and think through it: 

Large masses of frozen water gently float across the surface of the ocean. Audible cracks form and then with a knowing thud a chunk of ice is spliced from the larger body and flows along further away in the deep blue expanse that is the ocean, that is until the rays of the sun pierce through the atmosphere and the ice separates itself once again. The smaller pieces drift away, being broken up, until they are all eventually consumed by the ocean.

These icebergs are home to wildlife, to geological insights, to what make up our world as we know it. Visualizing the implications of global warming makes the sometimes unnoticeable process more real.