One Smokey Mofo!!!

This foreshadows a nuclear winter

 

SE Virginia is in the same boat - The Great Dismal swamp and some other land has been burning for a few weeks, and on base you can't see the jets taking off for the smoke. Wind shifts, and boom, clear as any other day, and then wind shifts again and you're blind, visibility down to less than a mile. We've been advised to refrain from exercise, and asthma sufferers are being told to stay indoors altogether.

I sort of feel bad complaining about smoke, though - I mean, if someone's house is burning, it seems like some smoke is kinda trivial in comparison. :shrug:

 

I'm waiting for Mel Gibson to drive down one of those roads in a V8 Interceptor...

 

I remember a few years back when we were in our fire season, there was a thick blanket of smoke over the entire city, and it was glowing a really vibrant orange, almost like the orange in this smiley -->

Was an amazing sight, but kinda scary at the same time!

 

Wow. That's F'd up, man. Hope it clears up soon.

This whole planet is going to hell in a handbasket.

 

I would also like to give a big thumbs down to the smoke. Certainly thankful that none (few?) have burn hurt... but this smokiness flat out sucks.

 

That's unfortunate, man, hope it clears up soon.

Jeez, does Cali's fire season ever end anymore?

 

Which base, NAS? If so, I work there too.

 

It is awful, I have not been able to work out for a week and am starting to weeze from all the smoke. Over a thousand fires apparently.

 

Yeah, NAS Oceana. I work at the FRC (used to be AIMD). I'm going to take pictures if the smoke gets as bad again as it did yesterday morning.

 

Even as far south as Los Angeles, I have a layer of ash on my car every morning, and we have also been having those amazing orange sunsets....

 

When people think of massive forest fires, they often attribute blame to some influence of man. Well, there's some truth to that. Our previous efforts at preventing forest fires have only made the problem worse. Fires are a normal part of a forest ecology, and are necessary for many plants to grow. For example, redwoods and sequoias would soon go extinct if not for the fires which spare them, but clear the surrounding lands for their offspring to flourish in.

Generally speaking, efforts to stop forest fires are counterproductive. Small forest fires are harmless in the ecological sense. However, when you prevent them from happening, more flammable species will accumulate and the next forest fire will be bigger. If you prevent fires from occuring in an area for decades, then fire-resistant species will be pushed out, and you'll be left with a big forest full of tinder. Then when a fire does occur, it is a massive one that destroys everything in its path.

Obviously it's a tricky situation because the fires will burn homes in the area. The more you stop the fires from destroying these areas, the stronger they become and the harder it will be to stop them. Some areas are probably just not meant for civilization.

 

Welcome to what we South East Asians have been going through for the past 10 years.

Kuala Lumpur:


Jakarta:


Singapore, we don't get it that bad because of the winds: