The Post-Normal Times. Two Line Salamander found in Ten Mile Creek. Photo Credit: Cathy Wiss, Audubon Naturalist Society. I have recently become involved in an effort to save Ten Mile Creek, also known as the last best creek in Montgomery County (MoCo) Maryland. MoCo even uses it as a ‘reference stream’ against which to measure the health of other streams, which means you can still find salamanders in it, and even a few trout. Not surprisingly, it is now threatened with development impacts. These are associated with a Master Plan for the Clarksburg area, for which the MoCo Council is considering options for a limited amendment that would establish the permissible amount of impervious surface in the watershed, for purposes of protecting the Creek.
It just so happens that this creek is also the cleanest source of water for a reservoir that was built in response to the drought of 1966, to augment the flow of the Potomac River during such events. Water quality is closely tied to flow conditions. References. Serendipity: What has software engineering got to do with climate change? At the beginning of March, I was invited to give a talk at TEDxUofT. Colleagues tell me the hardest part of giving these talks is deciding what to talk about. I decided to see if I could answer the question of whether we can trust climate models. It was a fascinating and nerve-wracking experience, quite unlike any talk I’ve given before. Of course, I’d love to do another one, as I now know more about what works and what doesn’t. Here’s the video and a transcript of my talk. Computing the Climate: How Can a Computer Model Forecast the Future? Talking about the weather forecast is a great way to start a friendly conversation. [Unfortunately, talking about climate forecasts is often a great way to end a friendly conversation!]
But on the other hand, we know that weather forecasts don’t work so well the longer into the future we peer. Six years ago, I set out to find out. We know it’s very hard to build a large complex piece of software without making mistakes. Rabett Run. Scholars and Rogues. The Science of Doom. Stoat.