Episode 116: Restoring Water Cycles and Ecosystems with Alpha Lo

[@suburbanbiology]

I linked this video on my channel. I hope it sends some traffic this way. The AEA team should have more subscribers. Each one will make the world a slightly better place. Keep up the great work yall!!

[@djprsone]

So informative. Both fascinating and technical. Thx

[@thingformob]

Great conversation! Thanks Alpha and John for your valuable work.

[@DocSiders]

Water runoff from croplands into the oceans has a FAR GREATER WARMING Effect on Continents than CO2 from burning fossil fuels does. Not even close. Croplands with Healthy Soils and high % of plant cover are routinely 8°F cooler than surrounding dry, dead soils in adjacent fields (up to 15° on very hot days). CO2 has nothing like that effect on land temperatures. As a bonus, Healthy Soils across whole Continents would sequester far more CO2 (in just a decade - with ~ accumulation of 0.5% Organic Matter annually with the best Soil Regeneration Practices) than we have put into the atmosphere in the last 75 years.

[@DavidBelliveau]

Prairie dogs bring rain by digging "dust pumps" that send the dust into the atmosphere which is similar to cloud seeding. That's how rain dances work. Vigorous dances add more dust into the air which eventually does the same thing.

[@DavidBelliveau]

I'm a proponent of long ponds. Follow an elevation contour with a 6 meter wide pond as long as possible. Then go downhill 2 meters and do it again. This way you'll maximise water/land interface. These edges have the land feeding the water and the water feeding the land. The effect is multiplied. Slowing the water's path downhill with these long ponds, at scale, will eventually recharge aquifers, increase aquatic protein production, increase terrestrial protein production, moderate temperatures (warmer winters, cooler summers) and slow, stop, and eventually reverse sea level rise. Placing housing and other infrastructure on floating structures on long ponds also has the result of no impact on productivity, as floating housing often serves as shelter for the creatures that live in the water beneath the structures. Housing no longer reduces valuable agricultural/forest land. Properly managed aquaculture in the long ponds will produce multiple quantities of food compared to terrestrial production. Food, fuel, medicines and fibre will explode in abundance on terrain that's carved up with long ponds. Water availability will increase substantially. Each raindrop will eventually reach the ocean as it does now, but it may take a century instead of a few days. Mini water cycles where trees and plants transpire providing moisture for downwind rains can make the water flow uphill in many cases. Just start carving long ponds everywhere you can. Apply permaculture practices to the modified landform. We should be able to feed 50 billion people if this is done with enough permaculture design.

[@earthinspiredart7773]

❤ the water cup in India has done so much water restoration! Also, primary water Institute are so inspiring. ❤ yah, change is coming....cheers

[@michelezebell3133]

Cindy Morris in France did an amazing presentation regarding the effect of wind patterns and landscape on the rain in far distance places. She spoke for Zach Weiss' organization a year or so ago. I think it's available via water Stories on KZbin. Brilliant.

[@JohnPierce-so8hw]

I never made the connection that predators help prevent deserts.

[@tyee.5023]

"Plant the rain"- Brad Lancaster talks about this, his book 'Raibwatet Harvesting For Dry lands And Beyond' is about permaculture type principles applied in the desert using native plants and encouraging to start where you are- even in urban landscapes. He learned from an African farmer named Zephaniah Phiri, who learned how to slow and hold water on 1/4 acre of eroded sloped desert land with no job and grew his own food to feed his family.

[@mikebunetta7420]

Thanks for remembering the beaver no river ever ran free.

[@regenerativegardeningwithpatti]

Excellent interview. Some NFP are making manmade beaver dams in Montana. Hopefully, we can increase the knowledge to get more people on board. Unfortunately, it is like John says that change will happen one funeral at a time. Too many people are still killing beavers without understanding how they are helping the water cycle. Does the 7 acres of trees have to be planted all together in one block or can it be hedgerows? Thank you for your work.

[@squeaker19694]

Very interesting and inspiring. I shall definitely be putting these ideas into practice on my farm. I can't help thinking though that perhaps humans need some predators to regulate us.

[@markus_selloi]

The part about the ethanol plants makes sense.. I am pretty sure that they do not give a dang about the consequences of the heaviest possible pesticide and haber-bosch use, which they are doing