Why Floods Threaten One of the Driest Places in the World (washingtonpost.com)
- Reference: 0180391443
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/12/15/1850220/why-floods-threaten-one-of-the-driest-places-in-the-world
- Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/interactive/2025/oman-dubai-flooding/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f008&mc_cid=316ae751a2
[2]non-paywalled source
. The change has turned extreme rainfall into a recurrent source of catastrophe across the Arabian Peninsula. In the 126 years between 1881 and 2007, just six hurricane-strength storms hit Oman or came within 60 miles of the country. At least four more have made landfall in the past 15 years alone.Research from Sultan Qaboos University analyzing 8,000 storms across 69 rainfall stations found that half of all rain in Oman falls within the first 90 minutes of a 24-hour storm. These intense bursts quickly overwhelm the desert's ability to absorb water and send flash floods racing through wadis -- normally dry riverbeds where many communities are built. In response, Dubai is constructing an $8 billion underground stormwater network spanning more than 120 miles. Oman has agreements to build 58 new dams and is studying 14 major wadis that funnel to its al-Batinah coastline.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/interactive/2025/oman-dubai-flooding/
[2] https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/why-floods-threaten-one-of-the-driest-places-in-the-world/ar-AA1SjHvQ
Re: (Score:2)
One of things that tends to make a desert a desert is a poor ability to absorb water, so yes it tends to run off and not be collected. The article says that they are building a stormwater system, which will presumably allow them to collect the water. Whether the local soil (which is very sandy) will be suitable for most crops is still doubtful.
Re: (Score:2)
Your point is sneaky/snarky, but valid. Dump the rain-water on purpose !! If Oman wanted sandy-clay-loam instead of sandy deserts Sultan Haitham bin Tariq would have bought it 5 years ago ... or 10. Why wait for the flood? But, perhaps Oman does not want to have yeoman farmers bowing to Allah and His gifted wheat crops ... NOT the Sultan. Money grubbing Western oilmen will kiss the Sultans ass for black gold while hoping wheat seeds never leave Alberta.
What a strange set of coincidences. (Score:3)
As the planet rotates, the sunny side absorbs energy from the sun, mostly in the visible-light range, and the dark side radiates that energy, mostly in the infrared range.
Air with more CO2 in it transmits less infrared radiation than air with less CO2 in it.
Manmade CO2 emissions have skyrocketed over the last few decades.
Warmer air absorbs more water than colder air.
Oman saw hurricanes 6 times in 126 years, and then 4 times in 15 years.
It almost makes one wonder whether these are all connected somehow.
Re: (Score:2)
They are connected. The whole global warming issue breaks down into several parts. Part 1, the climate is warming, this is unquestionable, it has been going on since the end of the last ice age. Part 2, the trend is accelerating, also true, there are measurements of global temperature that confirm it. Part 3, this is caused by human actions, more controversial and what actions have what effects depends on a lot of modeling that is not always well supported. Part 4, what should we do about it, this is p
Re: (Score:2)
> the people who we have elected around the world to address it, are better at politics that at actually solving problems.
True. The problem won't be solved in time. Shit will hit the fan.
Re: (Score:1)
The only thing any individual can do about it that isn't politically and doesn't take a lot of resources is just grow some friggin' plants at home.
Re: (Score:1)
*meant to type "politically divisive"
Re: What a strange set of coincidences. (Score:1)
Well, 50 million years ago, much of the Arabian peninsula was under the sea. Then India came scooting by and pushed it up. So things change all the time.
Soaking it up. (Score:2)
[1]You Might Already Be Living in a “Sponge City” [dwell.com]
[1] https://www.dwell.com/article/sponge-cities-green-infrastructure-storm-management-327ab254?
News Flash! (Score:2)
Don't build communities in river beds or on flood planes.
Whether you live in Oman or Mississippi USA, if you get flooded because you built in a river bed or the Mississippi flood plane, I have no fucking sympathy!
Re: (Score:1)
> Don't build communities in river beds or on flood planes.
If it rains long enough in one place, then most of it becomes either a river bed or flood plane (or gets eroded by one).
Re: News Flash! (Score:1)
Exactly, but simple people will keep spouting the same tropes regardless, since they do not know basic geography and geology.