Measuring precipitation in Sicily

In Sicily, precipitation measurements started in 1795, at the Ossevatorio Astronomico di Palermo (Astronomic Observatory of Palermo). In 1876 the Ufficio Centrale di Metereologia (Central Office of Meteorology) was founded. Nevertheless only in 1921 the Servizio Idrografico (Ideographic Service) became operational installing a network of of audiometric stations. The measurements were collected and regularly published in the Annali Idrologici. More recently, in 2002, a network of stations operated in remote was started, this allows real time monitoring. Since 2006 the Servizio Idrografico has changed name and is now called Osservatorio delle Acque (Waters Observatory), this is a department of the Agenzia Regionale per I Rifiuti e le Acque ARRA (Regional Agency for Water and Garbage Management).

1795 - Ossevatorio Astronomico di Palermo (Astronomic Observatory of Palermo);

1876 - Ufficio Centrale di Metereologia (Central Office of Meteorology); Regio Ufficio Centrale di Metereologia e Geodinamica, Ministero dell'Agricoltura, Industria e Commercio;

Filippo Eredia collected and published measueremnts 1918 and 1925 (Ministero dei Lavori Publlici);

1921 - Servizio Idrografico (Ideographic Service); Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici;

2006 - Osservatorio delle Acque (Waters Observatory);

Other networks belongs to:

Ufficio Centrale di Ecologia Agraria (UCEA);

Ufficio Metereologico dell'Areonautica Militare (SMAM);

Ufficio Informantivo Agrometereologico della Sicilia (SIAS);

Enti e Privati;

home sweet home

Water scarcity

Siccità (Metereologica, Agricola, Idrologica)

Aridità

Desertificazione

...Carenza Idrica (siccità operativa)

water scarcity

is there anything such as

Water management Paradigms??

Abundance vs Scarsity

Scarcity is an outdated theory, which is still taught in Harvard university. A theory is a good idea - it is not a fact.

Thanks to technology, leverage and synergy, since the industrial revolution we now have abundance on the planet. For example, there is enough food to feed everyone at least twice over. It's only distribution issues that makes people lacking in food.

The main reason why we don't see abundance is partly because we still believe in scarcity, and because of problems in distribution - which arise because of the belief in scarcity.

commitment

I will tell you the following words from W.N. Murray, from the Scottish Himalayan Expedition in 1951.

COMMITMENT

"Until one is committed
there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation)
there is one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas
and splendid plans:

that the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
that would otherwise never have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner
of unforeseen incidents and meetings
and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamt
would have come his way.

in the water.s

"Follow your inner moonlight, don't hide the madness" Allen Ginsberg

Prof. Emeritus Arie Issar

20 July 2009,

Prof. Emeritus Arie Issar received me and we had a very nice conversation at the Israeli Geological Survey in Jerusalem.

The main output can be summarized as follows:

1) Climate change is a constant. It has been observed and measured with a certain accuracy for the entire Holocene.

2) In the middle east warm weather corresponds to dry seasons. In Europe cold weather correspond to dry seasons.

3) People migration have been largely affected by climate changes. It append and it happens today as well, environmental induced migration.

4) We have to adapt, obviously migration is not an option. Adaptation is the solution.

New habits, new technologies, new production and consumption patterns.

Key words: Paleoclimatology.

He addressed me to the work of: Avram Zangvil, Bruins, Hendrik and Israel Gev.

Thanks to Arie.

Talk with Alex, Kibbutz Lotan

The subject of our conversation was the water management system in the kibbutz. The internal use of water and the external relations with relevant stakeholders (Mekorot, regional authorities and so on) . We discussed also the situation of other kibbutzim and the regional water institution system. Good time with Alex.

http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/

And surprise, Yaarit is on the front page of the kibbutz web site.

Adaptation and Adaptive trait

1. Adaptation is the evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes better able to live in its habitat or habitats.^[1]

3. An adaptive trait is an aspect of the developmental pattern of the organism which enables or enhances the probability of that organism surviving and reproducing.^[2]

1. ^ Dobzhansky T. 1968. On some fundamental concepts of evolutionary biology. Evolutionary biology 2, 1–34.
2. ^ Dobzhansky T. 1956. Genetics of natural populations XXV. Genetic changes in populations of Drosophila pseudoobscura and Drosphila persimilis in some locations in California. Evolution 10, 82–92.

Adaptation

Adaptation is one of the basic phenomena of biology.^[1] It is the process whereby an organism becomes better suited to its habitat.^[2] Also, the term adaptation may refer to a characteristic which is especially important for an organism's survival.

1. ^ Williams, George C. 1966. Adaptation and natural selection: a critique of some current evolutionary thought. Princeton. "Evolutionary adaptation is a phenomenon of pervasive importance in biology." p5
2. ^ The Oxford Dictionary of Sciencedefines adaptation as "Any change in the structure or functioning of an organism that makes it better suited to its environment"

Water management and adaptation strategies in response to different climate scenarios for a small community in the arid and semiarid domain

Research proposal super draft By Salvatore Campisi

Several hypothesis have been already advanced to interpret and explain the current climate patterns (ICPCC, 2007). Several attempts are currently in place to predict and model future scenarios (Issar, 2008). While just few years ago it was disputed whether climate change was taking place or not, nowadays it a larger consensus has been reached on the occurrence of extreme weather events (EWE) and other extraordinary phenomena such as global warming.

Moreover, political debates and scientific discussions have been coupled to assess to which extent anthropogenic factors are creating and/or accelerating climate change. Regardless to the contrasting, hypothesis, opinions and agenda, one fact is obvious: human beings must adapt to new scenarios now.

Adaptation measures should be studied in response to diversified environmental and social scenarios at local and micro level. On the other hand, mitigation strategies can be effective only as a result of a joint international efforts. The political and technical decisions that will be implemented in the next few years, both in terms of adaptation and mitigation efforts, will very much reshape the life style of the future generations.

This research regards adaptation strategies in the field of water management for small communities in response to different institutional and environmental scenarios.

Given a number of possible scenarios (coupled with their likelihood to happen) regarding a number of factors such as: water quotas and prices, water quality demand, energy cost, population growth, waste water quality standards, the study will focus on a model to optimize (minimum cost, maximum benefit) a dynamic water resource management scenario. This require a systemic approach to water management, the so called integrated management, with special attention to the interconnection between water use and production as well as energy use and production.

Results would include: (1) estimates on the cost of adaptation, which is a largely debated topic where micro scale empirical studies are relatively uncommon; (2) the strategies of adaptation, meaning for instance, the best combination of energy saving measure VS water saving measures; (3) optimal governance and water policy, meaning, those institutional policies (price leverage, incentives, disincentives as well as command and control regulations) that would favor the development of those conditions supportive of an efficient water management eco-industrial-system at local level.

Notes: January 2010,

this subject is not attractive anymore. Modelling generic adaptation strategy for a specific case study is a consultancy exercise. There is little or no science that I can enhance in this field. Moreover, results are often idealistic and nobody will ever use them, especially because adaptation is a slow and progressive process, and the actor of adaptation rarely relay on external scientists. They do feel to understand their own environment better than any other and they rarely take into consideration external “consultancy” (again it is a consultancy work) that actually they never call and or ask for.

The focus of interest has changed