Via gCaptain, a report from Reuters by Karl Plume:
CHICAGO, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Commercial barge traffic on southern stretches of the Mississippi River was at a standstill on Tuesday as low water levels halted shipments of grain, fertilizer and other commodities on the critical waterway,shipping sources said.
The supply chain snarl comes just as harvesting of corn and soybeans, the largest U.S. cash crops, is ramping up and as tight global supplies and strong demand for food and fuel have sent inflation soaring.
Around 100 tow boats hauling some 1,600 barges were lined up for miles waiting to pass through one trouble spot near Lake Providence, Louisiana, that has been largely closed since late last week, shipping sources said.
At least two other sections of the lower Mississippi have also been closed at times, disrupting the flow of grain to U.S. Gulf Coast export terminals, where some 60% of U.S. corn, soybean and wheat exports exit the country, they said.
This is a reminder that even normal weather can still create problems. While there are dredging efforts underway to deepen shipping channels, it’s a stop-gap measure barring some rainfall upstream. As it is, barges are not being loaded to full capacity, to allow them to ride higher in the water. This is one more thing that is going to complicate global food supplies — as if problems in Ukraine weren’t enough.
But is this ‘normal’ weather?
The Atlantic has a 2012 article detailing an extended drought that hit the Midwest.
This summer, the United States has experienced its worst drought in more than half a century. The Mississippi River is approaching record lows, as far as 20 feet below normal. Throughout the Midwest, meager corn harvests began on the some of the earliest dates ever recorded. Corn and soybean farms are producing far smaller yields this year, which will affect livestock production and impact food prices worldwide -- especially in developing nations, where even a small rise in the cost of grains can be devastating. Collected below are images of a very dry and dusty Midwest, where residents hope that remnants of Hurricane Isaac might bring at least a little relief.
So here we are 10 years later, and it’s déja vu time depending on where you are.
In Nebraska, only about 40% of the corn crop is in good or excellent shape with 35% of the crop labeled as poor or very poor.
Norfolk, a Nebraska town that's currently under extreme drought conditions, is about 10 inches below normal in precipitation so far this year.
Southern and Northwestern parts of Iowa are also facing severe droughts.
The crop numbers are better in Iowa though with 65% of corn crops in good or excellent condition and only about 10% are rated poor or very poor.
And it's not only corn crops being effected but also soybeans and grasslands.
The end of the harvest season will likely to tell the full story on the true impacts on this summer's weather.
The EPA has this on climate impacts in the Midwest:
Key Points
- Temperature increase in the Midwest has accelerated in recent decades, particularly nighttime and winter temperatures.
- This region will likely experience warmer and wetter winters, springs with heavy precipitation, and hotter summers with longer dry periods.
- Risks to human health are expected to rise with warmer temperatures, reduced air quality, and increased allergens.
- There may be higher yields of important agricultural crops for a limited period of time. However, over time, increasingly warmer temperatures and other stressors are expected to decrease yields.
So, we’re looking at decreasing crop yields over time as well as lower water levels that will make shipping what food is produced more difficult — which will likely make it more expensive as well.
Note that this does not mean there won’t be spring flooding in the Midwest, or blizzards, but the odds of those kinds of events are shifting as well. “...warmer and wetter winters, springs with heavy precipitation, and hotter summers with longer dry periods” is another way of saying climate variability is increasing.
It’s a reminder that Climate Impacts can be both fast and slow. We have to be increasing our resilience to cope with events like Hurricane Ian — but we also have to be thinking about longer term changes that can have an even bigger impact over time. We also have to remember that this kind of change is happening around the world. Globalization is about more than supply chains and economics; the climate challenge is global as well.
And fast or slow, here or elsewhere in the world, Republicans are unable and unwilling to face up to the reality of changing climate.
Interesting times ahead.