By national science, technology and environment reporter Michael Slezak, Mark Doman, Katia Shatoba, Penny Timms and Alex Palmer
Updated 3 Sep 2020, 5:05am
Published 3 Sep 2020, 5:05am
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It might be the biggest whodunnit — or what-dunnit — in Australia.

More than 2 trillion litres of water — enough to fill Sydney Harbour four and a half times — has gone missing from our largest and most precious river system — the Murray-Darling Basin.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-03/the-mystery-of-the-murray-darlings-vanishing-flows/12612166?nw=0

roughbarked said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-03/the-mystery-of-the-murray-darlings-vanishing-flows/12612166?nw=0

Oops sorry, replied to wrong thread.

But to clarify, a lot of mathematical models are rubbish. Especially those that are designed to curve-fit to observed data and extrapolate from that into the future.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-03/the-mystery-of-the-murray-darlings-vanishing-flows/12612166?nw=0

Oops sorry, replied to wrong thread.

But to clarify, a lot of mathematical models are rubbish. Especially those that are designed to curve-fit to observed data and extrapolate from that into the future.

Don’t think you have read the article to come to that conclusion. One of the points they make is it is impossible to get accurate statistics as many are not being collected or even investigated. It merely states the problem areas and their possible effect upon the water loss. It is quite obvious that things are way amiss and should be addressed urgently.

It concludes:
And the scientists say whatever the response to the findings, something has to give.

“The current basin plan tries to pretend that we can do everything with a smaller and smaller cake,” says Professor Pittock.

“What this really means is that society is going to have to make some hard choices. How much irrigated agriculture do we want as a society versus how much do we want to retain by way of wetlands and ecosystems of sites of cultural value to Indigenous people?”

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-03/the-mystery-of-the-murray-darlings-vanishing-flows/12612166?nw=0

Oops sorry, replied to wrong thread.

But to clarify, a lot of mathematical models are rubbish. Especially those that are designed to curve-fit to observed data and extrapolate from that into the future.

Don’t think you have read the article to come to that conclusion. One of the points they make is it is impossible to get accurate statistics as many are not being collected or even investigated. It merely states the problem areas and their possible effect upon the water loss. It is quite obvious that things are way amiss and should be addressed urgently.

It concludes:
And the scientists say whatever the response to the findings, something has to give.

“The current basin plan tries to pretend that we can do everything with a smaller and smaller cake,” says Professor Pittock.

“What this really means is that society is going to have to make some hard choices. How much irrigated agriculture do we want as a society versus how much do we want to retain by way of wetlands and ecosystems of sites of cultural value to Indigenous people?”

I don’t think we have the choice. I believe that there will be real fisticuffs type war.

roughbarked said:

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

Oops sorry, replied to wrong thread.

But to clarify, a lot of mathematical models are rubbish. Especially those that are designed to curve-fit to observed data and extrapolate from that into the future.

Don’t think you have read the article to come to that conclusion. One of the points they make is it is impossible to get accurate statistics as many are not being collected or even investigated. It merely states the problem areas and their possible effect upon the water loss. It is quite obvious that things are way amiss and should be addressed urgently.

It concludes:
And the scientists say whatever the response to the findings, something has to give.

“The current basin plan tries to pretend that we can do everything with a smaller and smaller cake,” says Professor Pittock.

“What this really means is that society is going to have to make some hard choices. How much irrigated agriculture do we want as a society versus how much do we want to retain by way of wetlands and ecosystems of sites of cultural value to Indigenous people?”

I don’t think we have the choice. I believe that there will be real fisticuffs type war.

Which is exactly why Abbott devised the scheme in the first place. To make people fight each other, rather than him.