I was listening to Alaska News Nightly on NPR on the way home from work tonight. They had a segment about several communities in Southeast Alaska that normally get their electricity from hydroelectric plants, that have had to use large backup diesel generators to power their communities, some of them for the first time ever. Why? Because there has not been enough rain, which means there is not enough water to run the hydroelectric plants. In many of these communities, this is a situation that has been developing over the last few years, and it is a troubling trend.
Southeast Alaska has a climate very similar other parts of the Pacific Northwest, including lots of rain and mild temperatures year round. If a decrease of rainfall persists, the climate and ecosystems there will change rapidly as things dry out. Southeast has lots of large, beautiful trees that require a LOT of moisture, and it would be very sad to lose them.
If you are curious, you can listen to it here:
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