Comments on: The 1,800-year Israeli drought http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html A blog about current events from a Christian perspective. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:22:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: John http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-606 John Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:21:36 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-606 Thinking about it, it'd probably be possible to work out rainfall patterns for the past 1800 years by examining sedimentation around the Dead Sea. In drought years, it should shrink in size and you'd get more sedimentation of salt around it. I haven't done that, but I had the impression that the Dead Sea in 1948 was about the same size as in AD70 or so. I could be wrong, but places like Qumran and Masada are still not that far from it. It's certainly shrinking now, but that's because Israel is using almost all the water from the Jordan for irrigation. Thinking about it, it’d probably be possible to work out rainfall patterns for the past 1800 years by examining sedimentation around the Dead Sea. In drought years, it should shrink in size and you’d get more sedimentation of salt around it.

I haven’t done that, but I had the impression that the Dead Sea in 1948 was about the same size as in AD70 or so. I could be wrong, but places like Qumran and Masada are still not that far from it. It’s certainly shrinking now, but that’s because Israel is using almost all the water from the Jordan for irrigation.

]]> By: casey http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-605 casey Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:53:19 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-605 Thanks, John. You're right. Maybe one of these days I'll get my hands on that book by Rabbi Kohen. Thanks, John. You’re right. Maybe one of these days I’ll get my hands on that book by Rabbi Kohen.

]]> By: John http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-604 John Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:44:14 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-604 I honestly don't know about the 1800 year drought. I'm not sure how he'd prove it either. It's quite possible it's just by looking as descriptions of the vegetation in the Bible and on the ground, in which case the effect of having a government that actually cared about the land makes a significant difference. Certainly, in "Bible times", there was a big need for cisterns for water storage (I've seen quite a few of them) and lots of wadis (both of which suggest irregular rainfall). It seems plausible to me that after the heavy destruction of the infrastructure in AD70, and again in AD135, and without an interested government until 1948, it took 1800 years to catch up. The idea of an 1800-year drought is also plausible, but I doubt there's numerical data to back it up. I honestly don’t know about the 1800 year drought. I’m not sure how he’d prove it either. It’s quite possible it’s just by looking as descriptions of the vegetation in the Bible and on the ground, in which case the effect of having a government that actually cared about the land makes a significant difference.

Certainly, in “Bible times”, there was a big need for cisterns for water storage (I’ve seen quite a few of them) and lots of wadis (both of which suggest irregular rainfall). It seems plausible to me that after the heavy destruction of the infrastructure in AD70, and again in AD135, and without an interested government until 1948, it took 1800 years to catch up.

The idea of an 1800-year drought is also plausible, but I doubt there’s numerical data to back it up.

]]> By: casey http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-602 casey Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:05:57 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-602 I doubt he's making it up (he does say that his research stopped with the 1960's), but thank you, SJN, for sharing that information. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. Even with a 10-year drought in the 30's, after an 1,800-year drought the trend would still be one of increasing rainfall. I doubt he’s making it up (he does say that his research stopped with the 1960’s), but thank you, SJN, for sharing that information. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. Even with a 10-year drought in the 30’s, after an 1,800-year drought the trend would still be one of increasing rainfall.

]]> By: SJN http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-601 SJN Fri, 23 Nov 2007 23:08:42 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-601 Farah states, "I decided to check this out as best I could and examined the rainfall data for 150 years in Israel beginning in the early 1800s and leading up to the 1960s. What I found was astonishing – increasing rainfall almost every single year – with the heaviest rainfall coming in and around 1948 and 1967." Why doesn't he list his sources? Maybe because he's making it all up. Israel experienced a <a HREF="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15120372.500-science--pacific-upheavals-relieve-israels-drought.html" rel="nofollow">drought</a> that lasted almost a decade in the 1930s. <a HREF="http://www.springerlink.com/content/3222l13r234x5808/" rel="nofollow">Within the last century the rainfall in Israel has decreased by one fifth...</a> Farah states, “I decided to check this out as best I could and examined the rainfall data for 150 years in Israel beginning in the early 1800s and leading up to the 1960s. What I found was astonishing – increasing rainfall almost every single year – with the heaviest rainfall coming in and around 1948 and 1967.”

Why doesn’t he list his sources? Maybe because he’s making it all up.

Israel experienced a drought that lasted almost a decade in the 1930s.

Within the last century the rainfall in Israel has decreased by one fifth…

]]> By: Sicarii http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-599 Sicarii Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:49:16 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-599 What God has promised, He shall do according to His word! What an amazing fact! Thank you for sharing it. Next week is the 'peace' talks -- given the weak Olmert administration and Rice's involvement to push for something symbolically good of the Bush administration and her own tenure, I don't have high hopes of anything positive for Israel coming out of these talks. I think I might actually be heart-broken. God bless. What God has promised, He shall do according to His word! What an amazing fact!

Thank you for sharing it.

Next week is the ‘peace’ talks — given the weak Olmert administration and Rice’s involvement to push for something symbolically good of the Bush administration and her own tenure, I don’t have high hopes of anything positive for Israel coming out of these talks.

I think I might actually be heart-broken.

God bless.

]]> By: casey http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-597 casey Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:22:27 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-597 That is interesting, too. As for the rainfall, I do see your point about the particularly high amount of rainfall in 1948 and 1967, but how would you explain the 1,800 year drought that coincided with the forced dispersion of the Jews? That is interesting, too.

As for the rainfall, I do see your point about the particularly high amount of rainfall in 1948 and 1967, but how would you explain the 1,800 year drought that coincided with the forced dispersion of the Jews?

]]> By: John http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-596 John Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:55:31 +0000 http://www.hoshuha.com/blog/israel_drought.html#comment-596 You'd actually expect more rainfall in a war year - a lot more dust in the high atmosphere causes more clouds to nucleate and so on. What was very interesting <a href="http://custardy.blogspot.com/search/label/Israel" rel="nofollow">when I was in Israel</a> (well, one of the many things) was seeing that at every single site, the archaeology began within a few years of the modern state of Israel getting control of the area. The nation see their own mandate as to bring greenness out of the desert, even if that means diverting all the water in the Jordan into irrigation. And they're doing a good job of that. You’d actually expect more rainfall in a war year - a lot more dust in the high atmosphere causes more clouds to nucleate and so on.

What was very interesting when I was in Israel (well, one of the many things) was seeing that at every single site, the archaeology began within a few years of the modern state of Israel getting control of the area.

The nation see their own mandate as to bring greenness out of the desert, even if that means diverting all the water in the Jordan into irrigation. And they’re doing a good job of that.

]]>