Bay Area Weather

[OettingerCroat]

theres more rain and more snow in the mountains planned for tomorrow, march 28th. it will drizzle on wednesday and rain heavily again thursday or friday i believe. so were not out of the woods yet. i hope that it doesnt rain after this week so that i can go golfing...

regarding ur post 612bv3, when i took these pictures there was snow at like 150 ft above sea level, . mt. sutro saw a surprising dusting of snow, whereas i got over an inch hahaha.

but yes, when its mt. diablo that gets a little bit of snow, pretty much no places, save for mt. tamalpais or mt. hamilton have any snow. when i took these pictures, some meteorologists predicted snow for sea level, and all for 500 ft. i as at 650 ft

[IRepTucson]

San Ramon sure looks like a great neighborhood!

[OettingerCroat]

meh, san ramon is alright. its boring for young folks. and, not to offend anyone because im not trying to, but it is a very white area (and im white). nothing cosmopolitan here. but it is a nice place to own a house and have a nice front yard. but i hate suburbia.

[Robert Stark]

Global warming enlarging San Francisco Bay, scientists say
By Julie Sevrens Lyons
Mercury News
Article Launched: 05/24/2007 02:22:47 AM PDT



In one of the most detailed looks at global warming's impact on the Bay Area, scientists Wednesday painted a grim portrait of increasing heat waves, droughts, water shortages and wildfires accompanied by more severe thunderstorms, flooding and coastal erosion.

Low-lying areas such as Alviso and the Oakland and San Francisco airports could be under water by 2100 if seawalls aren't erected to protect them from the already rising sea, scientists warn. And some bird and fish species could become extinct as ecological changes affect their local habitat.

"This is not fantasy," said David Reynolds, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "These sorts of things are already occurring."

Scientists gathered in San Francisco for the workshop on California climate change, which was sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

While many Americans have long equated global warming with changes to glaciers and ice caps in the Antarctic, the scientists stressed that climate change is coming to our own backyards.

In fact, said Will Travis, executive director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, "it's already here."

The severity of global warming has not been consistent around the globe, according to researchers. In this country, for example, the westernmost states have been - and will continue to feel - the effects the most.

"The problem of climate change is local. It will have
a tremendous impact on San Francisco Bay," Travis said. And the need for major solutions to slow the warming trend is even more urgent here than in other parts of the country because there's so much development close to the bay, Travis said.

Sea level rising

One of the most striking examples of climate change can already be seen in the bay, where, because of global warming, the sea level is already seven inches higher than it was little more than a century ago. Scientists expect that, if greenhouse gases are not kept in check and global temperatures continue to rise, the bay could rise an additional 1 to 3 feet by 2100.

"The bay is going to get bigger," Travis said. And for large swatches of real estate - primarily areas built on landfill - the end result could be devastating. "It will absolutely flood lots of homes and businesses."

Before the Gold Rush, the bay used to be much larger, measuring about 787 square miles, Travis said. The addition of landfill along the bay's edges has reduced its size to about 548 square miles. But rising sea levels could bring the bay back to its original size, wiping out myriad housing developments and business parks in the process.

Scientists are also seeing climate change influence the region in many other ways. Global warming isn't just making the area warmer - with a 1 degree average air temperature rise in the past century - it is subjecting us to more extreme weather.

Evidence points to an increase in heavy rainstorms in California, Reynolds said. Coastal flooding and erosion are also more prevalent because of the stronger storms and rise in sea levels. And while daytime temperatures are largely the same, there has been a significant increase in overnight temperatures.

The "San Jose heat storm of 2006," as Reynolds called it, may have baked the Bay Area in 100-degree-plus temperatures, but it alarmed scientists because "the hills did not fall below 90 degrees at night."

Said Reynolds: "It's sobering. These are real numbers from climate stations in the Bay Area that have shown these temperature rises."

Oceanographers are also lamenting climate-induced ecological changes which, they say, could reduce or displace fisheries, affect the reproduction and migration of sea life, and reduce coastal water quality.

Warm-water animals

Global warming is occurring to the detriment of salmon, squid and anchovies, although there are some winners, like exotic fish.

"The environment is becoming more favorable to animals that like warmer water," said Frank Schwing, an oceanographer with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service.

While many species are resilient and can bounce back from changes in their environment, the acceleration of global warming "is not giving wildlife the opportunity to adapt in the way it normally would," said Maria Brown, superintendent of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary in San Francisco.

Warmer, less nutritious water is rising up in the bay, which is affecting the health and reproduction of some local sea life, Brown said.

Cassin's auklets, birds which nest on the Farallon Islands and along Año Nuevo, have failed to breed in the region for two years - something that's unprecedented in the history of that species on the islands, Brown said.

In addition, he said, blue whales have also temporarily abandoned their feeding grounds in the area because of a lack of prey - primarily the absence of tiny crustaceans called krill that are at the heart of the aquatic food chain.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_5974320


__________________




I remember seeing a book wriiten in the 70's about how the bay is going to be filled in and now their concerned about the oposite hapening.

[bay_area]

good thing "the big one" is gonna kill us first. LOL

[Eagle Empire]

I remember seeing a book wriiten in the 70's about how the bay is going to be filled in and now their concerned about the oposite hapening.

Yeah, I think cooling periods and warming periods alternate every 30 years or something close to that. If the bay is getting bigger during the next cooling period, then it's time to panic.

[krudmonk]

Maybe it's a good thing this city was too lazy to develop the Alviso waterfront.

[edsg25]

Is it still considered a homerun if McCovey Cove begins right behind first base?

[Robert Stark]

there was a map of the bay area in that Gore film. will it destroy the beuaty of the bay or make it morespectacular. I wonder if it will go as far inland as Stockton and Sacramento? it would be awsome and an environmental dissaster at teh same time.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by Robert Stark

there was a map of the bay area in that Gore film. will it destroy the beuaty of the bay or make it morespectacular. I wonder if it will go as far inland as Stockton and Sacramento? it would be awsome and an environmental dissaster at teh same time.

Much of the area is fortunately on higher ground. This is very unlike Miami. Places like Foster City and 80 through Berkeley would be screwed, but most of the region would not*.

*knock on wood

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

Much of the area is fortunately on higher ground. This is very unlike Miami. Places like Foster City and 80 through Berkeley would be screwed, but most of the region would not*.

*knock on wood

would the Marina, North Beach, areas immediately west of the Embarcadero near Market, the vicinity around China Basin be able to survive? HOw about Treasure Island or the lagoon between Tiburon and Belvedere? SFO? So much of SF's north and east waterfront have had extensive fill, land already unstable in case of an earthquake. Seems these areas would be highly vulnerable to rising sea levels?

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by edsg25

would the Marina, North Beach, areas immediately west of the Embarcadero near Market, the vicinity around China Basin be able to survive? HOw about Treasure Island or the lagoon between Tiburon and Belvedere? SFO? So much of SF's north and east waterfront have had extensive fill, land already unstable in case of an earthquake. Seems these areas would be highly vulnerable to rising sea levels?

It's hard to say about the Marina, but the eastern waterfront seems fairly built up. I don't think it would be any more compromised by rising water than it is now. I think the ground is well sealed, though I'm no geologist or architect. As for how high it is, this picture of McCovey Cove paints a promising picture. It looks to be about 7+ feet above the current level, though with no regard to high or low tide.

[Robert Stark]

what about Sausalito?

[Robert Stark]

hopefully it will flood the Pelli Terminal.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by Robert Stark

hopefully it will flood the Pelli Terminal.

Man, you're really angry about that.

[lkm370]

what a load of bs

[Robert Stark]

alot of people share my sentiments:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...136300&page=55


really a tragic time for SF.

[ZVQ]

Being from Chicago I can appreciate the Bay Area's mild winter weather. I have lived in Richmond almost 5 years now and for the 5th time now I am looking forward to the winter. A Frisco winter here is like Fall weather back home and yes I don't miss shoveling snow from my front door to the sidewalk back in Chicago.

[GTR22]

Don't call it Frisco!

[lawmann]

Originally Posted by ZVQ

Being from Chicago I can appreciate the Bay Area's mild winter weather. I have lived in Richmond almost 5 years now and for the 5th time now I am looking forward to the winter. A Frisco winter here is like Fall weather back home and yes I don't miss shoveling snow from my front door to the sidewalk back in Chicago.

When I lived out in Burlingame I remembered a night of wild and whacky weather. I was sleeping when I woke up to the sound of small rocks hitting the roof. I went out into the backyard and found pea sized hail on the ground. In my eight years living out in the Bay Area that was the only time the weather got foul.