Chapter 15: California

As said in the chapter, automobiles play a big role in the urbanization of California. As a result of the abundance of cars, pollution is present. Just like California, Washington's main source of air pollution are motor vehicles.

 "More than 50% of Washington's residents suffer from at least one medical condition that is made worse by air pollution." Greenhouse gases are also produced by motor vehicles. These greenhouse gases cause climate change, which then cause various weather events such as snow pack, low summer stream flows, more winter flooding. These gases also cause increased coastal erosion, reduced water supplies, and further loss of salmon habitat.

The Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA) is one of the seven regional air quality control agencies located throughout the state. It was established in 1967 to enforce federal, state, and local air pollution regulations in certain counties in the state. NWCAA regulates over 425 sources of air pollution ranging from large refineries to gas stations to home fireplaces and wood stoves.

Source:

Northwest Clean Air Agency. Web. 01 May 2011. <http://www.nwcleanair.org/about/who.htm>.

"Washington's Vehicle Emission Check Program - Diesel Information Deisel - Exhaust - Vehicle Emissions - Emmisions - Emissioons - Ecology - Motor Vehicles - Clean Cars." Washington State Department of Ecology | Home Page | ECY WA DOE. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/cars/automotive_pages.htm>.

Chapter 14: The Southwest Border Area: Tricultural Development

The Southwest is made up of a mixture of Spanish American, American Indian, and European American cultures. The architecture, food, crops, names, and activities are all influenced by these cultures. The cultural heritage in Washington State is a mixture of agricultural, maritime, industrial, and high-tech influences. The state is a land rich with loggers and farmers, ranchers and cowboys, fishermen and sailers, high-tech visionaries and ambitious enterpreneurs. "This is where commercial aviation took flight. It's where computer technology was transformed from a science fiction abstraction in the minds of most Americans into an everyday tool. It's also the place where some of the planet's coolest rock stars and greatest songwriters picked up their first guitars and found an audience."

The state is a mixture of Native people, people of Latino, European, Asian, and African decent. Its maritime, agricultural, and industrial influences formed its cultural and historical character. American Indian tribes have influenced the state's culture the most because of its arrival to the area thousands of years ago. Indian tribes still live on 26 reservations. Their traditions are shown at tribal centers, galleries, and museums around the state.

The Nisqually Tribe resides in the western are of the state. They live on a reservation in the Nisqually River valley near the river delta. They speak the Lushootseed language, which is the traditional tongue of the Nisqually and neighboring tribes. The tribe's ancestors are believed to have trekked north from the Great Basin and traversed the Cascade Mountains.

The tribe's culture is based in the natural environment, in particular species of salmon and the red cedar. They harvested shellfish, hunted, and raised horses. They are also known to be very peaceful. They dismiss notions of war between other tribes in Western Washington. They known as a fishing tribe. Salmon is the mainstay of their diet and the foundation of their culture.

Sources:

"::: American Indians of the Pacific Northwest :." ::: UW Libraries Digital Collections :::. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/thrush.html>.

"Appreciate Washington Arts, Culture & Heritage." Washington The State. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://www.experiencewa.com/experience-washington/arts-culture-and-heritage/appreciate-washington-arts-culture-and-heritage.aspx>.

"Nisqually Indian Tribe." United States History. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1561.html>.

Chapter 13: The Empty Interior

Irrigation in the Empty Interior is necessary, which causes limited water supply in te area. Irrigation in Washington state is necessary for the production of most of the crops in the east of the Cascade Mountains. The term "The Evergreen State" is used to describe the state, but should only really refer to the western side of the state. "The Cascade Mountain Range effectively drains most of the moisture from the atmosphere onto the west side of the mountains leaving the east side with plenty of sunshine, but very little rainfall."

Supplemental irrigation is necessary during the warm summer months of June, July, and August in the western side of the state. The primary water sources for Eastern Washington are the Columbia, Yakima, and Snake River watersheds.



Snake River Watershed



The Columbia Basin Project provides irrigation water to farmers in Eastern WA State. The construction started in 1936, but it the other half of the project has not been done. The transformation of Eastern WA from a desert to a productive agricultural community went on from 1945 to 2008.

Sources:

"Grand Coulee Dam Columbia Basin Irrigation Project Ice Age Floods." Ice Age Floods-Discover Glacial Lake Missoula and Lake Bonneville. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. <http://hugefloods.com/GrandCoulee.html>.

Maasakkers, Tijs V. "The Role of Science in Water Management in." 13 May 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. <http://web.mit.edu/dusp/epp/music/pdf/tijsfirstyearpaper.pdf>.

Snake River Watershed Task Force. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. <http://snakerivertaskforce.org/>.

"Washington Irrigation." Irrigation in the Pacific Northwest. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. <http://irrigation.wsu.edu/Content/Washington-Irrigation.php>.

Chapter 12: The Great Plains And Prairies

The Great Plains have experienced severe weather that have altered vegetation and agriculture in the area. Washington State has been famous for being very abundant with rain and snow. I have found that top 10 weather events in the state in the 20th century.

10. November 1990 - Statewide Flooding

* Widespread, major flooding on western Washington rivers, especially the rivers of northwest Washington, and several eastern Washington rivers

* Two deaths

* Damage estimated $250 million

* Interstate 90 Lake Washington floating bridge sank during this flooding event

* Stands as the highest flood of record for many northwest Washington rivers including the Elwha, Cedar, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Snohomish, and Stillaguamish
 

9. January/February 1916 - Seattle's Greatest Snowstorm

* Seattle recorded its maximum snowfall ever in a 24 hour period, 21.5" on Feb 1^st

* Other parts of western Washington received between 2 to 4 feet of snow

* Winds created snow drifts as high as 5 feet

* Region was crippled, transportation essentially halted

* Seattle Jan snowfall was 23", Feb snowfall 35", total 58 "
 

8. February 1996 - Widespread Flooding in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho

* Major major flooding on rivers of western and southeast Washington

* Widespread flooding on rivers across much of Oregon

* Major flooding in northern Idaho

* Damage region wide estimated $800 million

* Three deaths in Washington state alone

* Highest flood of record on many southwest Washington rivers, most notably the Chehalis, Skookumchuck, and Nisqually
 

7. April 5, 1972 - Washington's Deadliest Tornado Outbreak

* An F3 tornado touched down in Vancouver

* 6 deaths and 300 injured, Washington led nation in tornado deaths that year

* Tornado swept through a grocery store, bowling alley, and grade school near where Vancouver Mall is today

* 50 million dollars in damage

* Later that day, another F3 tornado touched down west of Spokane

* And an F2 tornado struck rural Stevens county

* Numerous severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds were reported over other areas of eastern Washington
 

6. March 1, 1910 - Stevens Pass Avalanche

* The deadliest avalanche in U.S. history occurred near Stevens Pass

* Two trains were swept off the tracks into a ravine, claiming 96 lives.
 

5. May 18, 1980 - Eruption of Mount St. Helens

* Over 60 lives lost from the eruption and ensuing mud flow on the Toutle river

* Sent an ash plume into parts of Eastern Washington and beyond

* The ash fell like snow, drifting as deep as two feet, crushing crops, halting transportation, and causing schools and businesses to close

* A national monument was formed in the wake of the event
 

4. August 20 - September 9, 1910 - Massive Forest Fires in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho

* Three million acres of timber were scorched

* Conflagration created its own weather. Ships in the Pacific Ocean were lost in the smoke, which also reached the Atlantic seaboard

* The flames claimed 85 lives -- 72 of them firefighters
 

3. January 13, 1950 - The January 1950 Blizzard

* 21.4" of snow fell in Seattle on the 13^th together with winds of 25-40 MPH, the 2^nd greatest 24 hour snowfall recorded

* Claimed 13 lives in the Puget Sound area

* During Jan, 18 days with high temps 32 degrees or lower

* The winter of 1949-50 the coldest winter on record in Seattle - average temp 34.4 degrees

* Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and parts of Oregon were paralyzed - lower elevation snow depths ranged up to 50 inches and temperatures plunged into minus teens and twenties. Several dozen fatalities.
 

2. May/June 1948 - Greatest Spring Snowmelt Flooding

*Widespread flooding in northern Idaho, eastern Washington and along the Columbia river to the Pacific Ocean

* Columbia River below Priest Rapids WA, Flood of Record 458.65 FT (FS 432.0 FT)

* Lake Pend Oreille near Hope ID, Flood of Record 2071.2 FT (FS 2063.5 FT)

* Pend Oreille River below Albeni Falls, ID Flow of Record 160000 CFS (FF 100 kCFS)

* Methow River at Pateros WA, Flood of Record stage > 12.30 FT (FS 10.0 FT)

* St. Joe River at Calder, ID Flood of Record 18.10 FT (FS 13.0 FT)

May 30, 1948 - Vanport Flood

* America's largest war-time housing project wiped out in less than one hour as dikes along the Columbia river near Portland gave way

* Vanport never came back and is now Delta Park area of north Portland

* Vancouver, Camas, Kalama, Kelso/Longview also suffered flooding

* Flood lasted 45 days
 

And the top weather event for Washington state from 1900 - 1999 was:
 

1. October 12, 1962 - The Columbus Day Wind Storm

* The mother of all wind storms this century, the wind storm all others are compared to

* Strongest widespread non-hurricane wind storm to strike the continental U.S. this century

* Struck from northern California to British Columbia

* Claimed 46 lives, blew down 15 billion, yes, 15 billion board feet of timber ($750 million worth - 1962)

* Total property damage in the region $235 million

* Recorded wind speeds (before power went out)

Naselle - Gust to 150 MPH Bellingham and Vancouver - Gust 92 MPH

Renton - Gust 100 MPH Morrison St Bridge - Gust 116 MPH

Tacoma - Gust 88 MPH Troutdale - Gust to 106 MPH

Mt Hebo - Gust to 131 MPH

Honorable Mentions:
 

May 31, 1997 - Severe Weather/Tornado Outbreak

* A record six tornados touched down in Washington in one day

* Former record was 4 tornados in 1989 for the entire year

* Four F1 tornados hit Stevens and Spokane counties in northeast Washington

* Two F0 tornados touched down in western Washington - Vancouver and Tacoma

* An F1 tornado also struck Athol and an F0 was observed near Lewiston in Idaho

* In addition, severe thunderstorms produced large hail up to 2 to 3 inches in diameter, heavy rain and flash flooding, and wind gust to near 80 mph

* No deaths or injuries reported

* Washington had a record 14 tornados reported in the state for the year
 

January 20, 1993 - The Inauguration Day Wind Storm

* Claimed 5 lives, 3/4 million homes and businesses without power

* Total damage in western Washington, $130 million

* Winds in Puget Sound area - gusts 60-70 MPH

Cape Disappointment - gust to 98 MPH
 

November 19,1996 - Spokane Area Ice Storm

* Up to a half inch of ice deposited or accreted on trees, vehicles, buildings, etc., across much of the populated areas of Spokane and Kootenai counties

* Over 100,00 homes and businesses lost power, some people without power for up to 14 days

* Damage estimated at over 22 million dollars and 4 fatalities
 

1976-77 - Worst Drought in Pacific Northwest history

* Crop yields well way below normal

* Region wide water rationing and power consumption restrictions

* Area ski resorts were closed for much of the 76-77 ski season

* Significant economic impacts throughout from this event
 

October 16, 1991 - Spokane Area Urban Interface Wildfire

* Strong winds combined with very dry conditions

* Multiple fires started by downed power lines and other sources

* 2 lives were lost, 100 homes were damaged or destroyed
 

August 1967 - Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho Heat Wave

* Spokane had 11 consecutive days with 90 degrees and warmer

* Lewiston Idaho observed 11 consecutive days with 100 degree plus heat

Source:

"National Weather Service - NWS Portland." National Weather Service - Western Region Headquarters. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. <http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/paststorms/washington10.php>.



Chapter 11: The Agricultural Core

The agricultural contribution of Washington state is significant in the nation as they ranked 16th overall in 2007 with $6.8 billion total value of products sold. 12 percent of the gross state product is attributed to agricultural production, processing, and marketing. Apples have recently overtaken wheat and dairy products as the state's leading commodity. As I have mentioned in an earlier blog post, more than half of the nation's apple crop is produced in the state.

Crops grown are very diverse depending on where in the state it is harvested. The climate and soils in the eastern and western parts of the state allow farmers to grow different crops. The eastern side has larger farms, which produce wheat and barley, potatoes, fruit, and vegetables. The western side has smaller farms and produce dairy products, poultry, and berries.

This success in farming is in danger due to the loss of farmland. The state had about 14.8 million acres of farms in 2009 compared to about 16.5 million acres in 1982 and 18 million in 1950. "The pressure to convert farmland to urban and suburban uses is substantial because farmland is usually easy to develop, and it is difficult to make a living from a small farm."

"Farmers in Washington State face the following:

• Loss of traditional advantages like adequate water, low electricity rates, efficient transportation system.
• Increasing competition for water, related to the protection of endangered salmon, demand related to new development for limited water rights, and increasing costs associated with environmental regulations such as the Shoreline Management Act, Endangered Species Act, and others.
• Substantial transportation costs due to distance from U.S. markets and increased congestion.
• Lack of available low-cost labor.
• Consolidation of agricultural production into larger farms.
• Increasing competition, particularly from Asian producers. China has supplanted Washington State as the world's largest apple producer."

Sources:
"Agricultural Lands - Introduction." Municipal Research and Service Center for Washington. 22 Apr 2011. <http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/planning/aglands.aspx>.

Chapter 10: The Southern Coastlands: On the Subtropical Margin

Climate in the southern coastlands has a major impact on the crops and produce from the region. The state experienced two drought emergencies between years 2000 - 2005. There was less water for irrigation due to earlier high river flows and decreasing soil moisture.

There has also been an increase in average forest fires from 6 per year in the 1970's to 21 per year in the early 21st century. "Federal and state costs of fighting wildfires may exceed $75 million per year by the 2020’s (with a 2 degree warming), and that’s 50% higher than current expenditures."

Landslides have also been inevitable in the state. Hwy 12 and Hwy 101 have been closed down due to landslides and those closures cost millions to clear. "The City of Seattle sttributes cost of $20 million to landslides causedby major storms during the winter of 1996-97."

Warmer winters are conducive to more forest and crop pests. This means that pest populations can boom and destroy crops and produce. This is already happening the Northeast Washington where pine bark beetles are rapidly devastating large tracts of forests.

Sources:

"Climate Change Effects - Extreme Weather in Depth." Washington State Department of Ecology | Home Page | ECY WA DOE. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/extremeweather_more.htm>.

Mulick, Stacey. "Lights & Sirens - » Crews to Inspect Landslide That Blocks Westbound SR 18 in Auburn The News Tribune Blogs, Tacoma, WA." The News Tribune Blogs - The News Tribune Blogs, Tacoma, WA. 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2010/01/15/crews-to-inspect-landslide-that-blocks-westbound-sr-18-in-auburn/>.