Weather events are seen strengthening with climate change impacting California residents. Los Angeles records daily rainfall yields higher than years past, specifically since the 50’s. The Geological Time Scale is vast and humanity is cognizant of our impact relating to global warming influencing planetary functions. “Anthropocene,” this term, acts as a formal recognition of prior climatic periods' influence on current human development.
Oceanic coastal winds with varying continental heating and cooling are brought in by systems of high and low pressures, with planetary wobble and tilt being a major influence for seasonal weather patterns. The atmosphere varies in layers, like the earth's sediment, fluctuating in chemical composition with notable historic atmospheric quality recordable in permafrost locations.
A south–easterly movement of air stretched along the West Coast. The atmospheric river flew through the Coastal, Transverse, and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, occurring early into the new year, eroding California's landscape creating new pools of sedimentation. Within the troposphere, the El Nino occurred as a long narrow band of moisture. As a light breeze rustles leaves, so does the Hadley, Mid-latitude, and Polar cell. Before the oceanic storm front arrived on California shores, a short heat wave occurred on the West Coast leaving vegetation dry. Permeable aerated soil retains rainwater, however, if soil permeability is too high, then over-saturation can occur destabilizing the land causing further erosion. Atmospheric circulation impacts “day to day or hour to hour condition of the air” in populous regions. (Oxford, 2024) The stormfront occurred from February third to the seventh passing through 40*N latitude down to 30*S latitude encompassing a wide plain of air curving at one point to 115* W longitude. The Mid-latitude and Hadley cell fluctuates in temperatures with processes that deflect air in circulative patterns.
When the storm arrived the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration alerted the majority of Southern California with flood warnings in coastal, urban, and rural areas in hopes that people would be prepared. “Atmospheric Rivers (AR) are the dominant cause of flooding and play key roles in drought in US, West Coast Watershed, (flood costs average about $1B/year”. (CW3E, 2024) Though the atmospheric storm alleviated drought-stricken locations, the oceanic-induced precipitation led to increased rainfall intensity that caused a multitude of flooding and landslides throughout the region. After experiencing an ample increase of water in local aquifer reserves, Southern California is set to experience healthy vegetation growth. As local root systems strengthen unstable grounds, generational advancements are accelerating, catching up to previously instilled action.
Location Five Day Rainfall total in inches
Cogswell Dam | 14.88 |
Bel Air | 13.65 |
Long Beach | 8.01 |
Los Angeles | 7.03 |
(National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, 2024)
Los Angeles' internal flood system created by the US Army Corps of Engineers is an Anthropocentric development that will continue to adapt as weather shapes our cities. Though protective barriers are in place, climatic events strain human development, inspiring a strong consideration of Anthropogenic advancements situated in nature. Globally, we have seen world leaders from many countries around the world come together to address planetary change. “Mankind has now inhabited or visited almost all places on Earth; he has even set foot on the moon.” (Crutzen, 2022) Our footprint is large! Though nestled in the Holocene epoch, we teeter, as “significant geological, morphological force” influences landscape development. (Crutzen, 2022) Regarding the human-nature connection, with certainty, climatically, we are reaching a position where city infrastructure is struggling to adapt with changing weather conditions, yet there is hope as new innovative solutions offer cities pathways to adapt resiliently after damaging storms.
Notes Bibliography
Anard, Dr. Dibyesn, Peter Grego, et al. Oxford Atlas of the World. Oxford. 2024.
“Background.” Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, cw3e.ucsd.edu/background/.
Halpert, Mike. “U.S. Climate Outlook for February 2024.” NOAA Climate.Gov, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1 Feb. 2024, www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/us-climate-outlook-february-2024.
Paul J. Crutzen. The Anthropocene: A New Epoch in Earth’s History. APESS, edited by
Susanne Benner, Gregor Lax, Jos Lieveld, vol. 1, 2021, pp. 19 – 21. Springer Link.
NOAA, US Department of Commerce. “Precipitation Summary .” Hydrologic Data, NOAA’s National Weather Service, 8 Feb. 2024, www.weather.gov/wrh/TextProduct?product=rrmlox.
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