"Jim Webster" wrote in message ...

"pearl" wrote in message
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"Jim Webster" wrote in message
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"pearl" wrote in message
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"Jim Webster" wrote in message
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yes, but I admit it

Wow.

.. and the UK is rapidly becoming a water-deficient country too..

not for agriculture. May have to ration domestic use in the SE

Crops aren't being irrigated there yet?

some vegetables and potatoes

not such things as grazing land

I remember the summer of '95 in Essex. Grass all burned up.

yes, and did you see any irrigation of grassland because I travelled pretty
well right round the country that year and never

No.

Any idea why England is experiencing this extended drought?

what extended drought, there is some shortage in some regions but talk about
extended drought in the west and you'd be laughed at

'This is what has happened in south-east England. Two dry years
have reduced the amount of water available to both people and the
environment. You can see from the diagrams on the right that since
October 2004, south-east England has only had a few months of
average or above average.

Why is winter rainfall important?

Winter rainfall is vital for water resources because it fills reservoirs
and groundwater and increases river flows. As temperatures rise
in the spring and plants and trees start to grow, less rain reaches
rivers and groundwater.

The past two winters have been dry in most of England and Wales
which is unusual. South-east England relies on groundwater for
most of its water supply, so two dry winters meant groundwater
levels had not recovered at the end of the 2005-06 winter and this
led to the current water restrictions.

A wet May and August plus reduced demand helped the situation.
However, another dry winter could cause problems next summer
for those in the region.
...'
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk...sion=1&lang=_e

'Outlook

A wet autumn and a wet start to the winter have meant most
reservoirs have recovered and groundwater levels are improving.
In south-east England we are in a better position than this time
last year and the signs are encouraging, but the drought is not
over. If the weather changes and the rest of the winter is dry,
there could be further water resources problems next spring and
summer.
...'
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk...14767/1131486/

The question is, is it part of a trend like, conversely, flooding.

"Our study carried somewhat surprising results, showing that
although the major impact of deforestation on precipitation is
found in and near the deforested regions, it also has a strong
influence on rainfall in the mid and even high latitudes," said
Roni Avissar, lead author of the study, published in the April
2005 issue of the Journal of Hydrometeorology.
....'
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/..._rainfall.html

Stick with UK seasonal vegetables

I'd like to see evidence of vegetables causing water depletion.

Simple.
What is the water content of most vegetables?

If it's that simple you should be able to provide evidence
that vegetable production is causing water shortages.

you just did, vegetables and potatoes are the only crops in the UK
needing
irrigation

Those crops have always been grown there, so they're not to blame.

duh, they need irrigation because more of them are being grown in larger
areas, therefore they are part of the problem

False. The problem has been a lack of rain. A drought, in other words.

And for imported crops it is simple, work out the water content of
vegetables, multiply it by tons exported, that is the amount of water
that
country exports.
If that country is already water deficient, you are merely making things
worse by exporting vegetables

Why are water shortages occuring? Address and eliminate the cause.

'Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth's entire land surface,
mostly permanent pasture

yep, and large areas in the UK, because that is where we produce our
livestock here, is permanent pasture because it is unsuitable for arable
cultivation

Arable land is, but a significant percentage is being used for feedcrops.

And what's wrong with the UK soil, that it's 'unsuitable' as you claim?
Remember that Britain used to be almost entirely woodland. Will you
also say that "permanent pasture" is unable to support fruit orchards?