Where angry waters roll (1936 US Flood Map)

Where angry waters roll (1936 US Flood Map)

Fascinating data visualization of flood prone areas across the United States from the David Rumsey Collection 

Interactive Map >
(zoom and pan)

USA Climate Change Maps

Recent extreme weather incidents are examples of human-caused climate change supercharging extreme rainfall events which are are likely to become more common as long as the planet continues to get hotter.

"The reason is based on a physics principle known as the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship, which relates temperature, pressure and water vapor. The principle shows that warmer air can hold more water vapor -- about 7% more water vapor per 1 degree Celsius. More water vapor in the atmosphere means more moisture available to fall as rain, which leads to higher rainfall rates."

On average, the planet has already warmed more than 1 degree Celsius since pre-industrial times, according to a major UN climate change report published earlier this month. Over land areas there has been even more warming, and particularly in the Eastern US, which has led to a noticeable increase in heavy downpours that lead to flash flooding, according to the most recent National Climate Assessment." Source

Every Place Has Its Own Climate Risk. What Is It Where You Live?

Maps Source Below

Stress per Region

Increase in Precipitation

Increase in Droughts

Details

The Connecticut River

Did you know?

• The Connecticut River is named after the Pequot word “quinetucket,” meaning long tidal river. The European corruption of that begat “Connecticut.”
• The Connecticut River is tidal and navigable as far inland as Hartford, CT sixty miles from the Sound. Large oil barges with shallow drafts regularly make the trip upstream to Hartford.
• 410 miles long, the Connecticut River is New England’s longest river running through four states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
• 70% of all the fresh water entering Long Island Sound comes from the Connecticut River.

The Meandering River through the Glastonbury "Reach"

The Floodplain

The large area south of Hartford, Connecticut along the Connecticut River is known as the Great Meadows. It's a large inland wetland and a significant regional resource. The Connecticut River meanders through the Meadows and has shifted considerably over time. The fertile floodplain soils of the Meadows are an important agricultural resource and farmland and farms are abundant throughout the area.

Yellow areas are farmland
Source

Glastonbury Reach

The floodplain area is known geographically as the "Glastonbury Reach". Over time, this stretch of the river has shifted its course. One dramatic example occurred in occurred in 1692 when a flood altered the course of the river in Wethersfield. The flood shifted the course of the rover to the east and swept away all but one warehouse. 

Ancient Glacial Lake Hitchcock

Lake Hitchcock was a glacial lake that formed approximately 15,000 years ago in the late Pleistocene epoch. After the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated, glacial ice melt accumulated at the terminal moraine and blocked up the Connecticut River, creating the long, narrow lake. It stretched from present-day Rocky Hill, Connecticut to St. Johnsbury, Vermont: about 200 miles! 

Part of the ancient sediment dam that contained Lake Hitchcock is still visible today as a sand pit at Dividend Pond Trails and Archaeological District in Rocky Hill. Sands dunes built up along the shore of the lake can also be seen today at Matianuck Sand Dunes Natural Area Preserve in Windsor.

Source

Part of the ancient sediment dam that contained Lake Hitchcock is still visible today as a sand pit at Dividend Pond Trails and Archaeological District in Rocky Hill:

Huh  -- What's the deal re this square-shaped lake?

Crow Point Cove's shape is man-made. The cove was excavated for highway construction of the interstate 91 embankment nearby.

Further Info / Source Info

• CT River Watershed Facts (Connecticut River Conservancy)
• The Great Meadows of the Connecticut River (PDF)
• Geomorphology of the Connecticut River - Glastonbury Reach
• Glacial Lake Hitchcock (Wikipedia)
• Getting to Know Glacial Lake Hitchcock (CT Science Center)
• Glacial Lake Hitchcock Sediment Dam
• Sedimentation in a proglacial lake: Glacial Lake Hitchcock

Maps > Floods and Flood Risks

Natural Disaster Threat Maps >

- Excellent Site! 

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World Maps

Animated Map

The Iromohawk River - Maps Tell a Story

So much ancient history can be learned just from the soil and rocks all around you…

I think this is a fascinating story. It was sourced from a geologist’s book written back in 1917 and presented in this "map abundant" truncated online version.

The Iromohawk River

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U.S Nuclear Power Risk Issues

If a nuclear power plant in the U.S. were to have issues, who would be affected? 

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Risks from Flooding to Numerous U.S. Nuclear Facilities

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