Namibian Dust Storms

[Joseph Noci 1Participant @josephnoci1]

[Joseph Noci 1Participant @josephnoci1]

July , our mid winter, was the hottest month this year – temps reached 47deg C, with average temps of 26degC for the 30 days. Average temps for Jan/Feb, normally our hot months , were below 22deg C. The East (Berg) winds were the most voracious since 2004. The sand and dust was extreme. IRG estimates are some 400,000 tons of sand, dust, silica blown out to sea over 21 days.

Some Sat images..

Resolution ends up a little low , click on the photo to open with better res. Swakopmund, my home town, is labeled as is Walvis Bay, some 45km south.

We tape up all ouside door jambs, keyholes, etc….

Joe

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Wow. Impressive images.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Mind-boggling, Joe !

It reminds me how arrogant it is, of mankind, to think that we can do much to ‘re-stabilise’ Climate/Weather to suit ourselves.

MichaelG.

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Those statistics are difficult to translate into day-to-day living. The satellite images show a land offering no more welcoming than Mars. Having experienced three dust storms in Aden, which lasted a maximum of 6 or seven hours, the thought of your experience leaves me aghast. How can you survive with the taped-up doors, etc.?

To exist in such a malevolent environment and design and produce the extraordinary range of tools and devices which you delight us with, is beyond amazing! Beyond inspiring … thank you!

rgds

Bill

Edited By Cornish Jack on 09/08/2020 09:38:51

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I think I would move, bit too warm for me. Are you sure people are supposed to live there?

Mike

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Then the sea washes it back in as a beach to lounge upon

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, certainly to warm for me, if it got that hot here, I think I'd have to sit in my car with air conditioning on the coldest setting.

Regards Nick.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 09/08/2020 08:03:42:

Mind-boggling, Joe !

It reminds me how arrogant it is, of mankind, to think that we can do much to ‘re-stabilise’ Climate/Weather to suit ourselves.

MichaelG.

I once calculated the energy released by every fossil fuel reserve on the planet if it was all burned at once

The earth receives the same amount of energy from the sun every 2.5 days

I do think we can do a lot more about pollution though

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

In Crete we just had a dust storm blown up from Egypt….only 2-3days…..

the sun went brown, just like Los-Angeles when the Santa-Anna's blow in from Mexico………..

Nothing like ur's tho…..

just lately the av temp is between 32-36…….hot enough……but oh so nice…..

I was part of a walking / hiking club that got an invite to go to Namibia…….

I found out to late…..was on standby just in case somebody dropped.out…..

had to have a full medical and helicopter insurance in case of emergencies……hahaha…

Nce one Joe…….somebody got to keep an eye on the wildlife…..

……….

JOE,

just an ask, can u tell me what the Africaans name for their full size travelling spice cupboard…

u keep apart from spices, rice and grains etc…..

would like to build one for home…

when I was in S.Africa saw a few that were handed down thru the family…..beautiful old things…..terrific hardwood, hand sawn and shaped, big brass hinges…..shame we didn't have iPhones then for photo's……..

the cupboard had double doors about 2' wide and the hight was around 6' and on casters, multi shelved and a lot of small drawers……..it was apparently something the Dutch / German settlers brought with them in the old days…..

Google only shows a wall cupboard or spice racks…..

thanks…..

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Posted by Nicholas Farr on 09/08/2020 13:41:19:

Hi, certainly to warm for me, if it got that hot here, I think I'd have to sit in my car with air conditioning on the coldest setting.

Regards Nick.

..until the vents clog up and the car is stripped to bare metal ready for repainting….?

pgk

[Joseph Noci 1Participant @josephnoci1]

Posted by Mike Poole on 09/08/2020 09:58:57:

I think I would move, bit too warm for me. Are you sure people are supposed to live there?

Mike

Oh Yes, who wouldn't want to??

On my doorstep – 50 meters away..

And a little further inland..

Walking with my Wife and a buddy..

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

I do like the weather to be hot and I'd certainly put up with it to have fabulous pets (well wildlife) like that close by. Big cats are fantastic. Little ones are good as well.

Colin

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Certainly some spectacular wildlife and scenery Joe, it might make it on to my list of places to visit but too warm for me to live there. I seem to know more and more people having bits cut off because of the sun or at least poor protection from it. It’s hovering round 30°C in the UK and I’ve pulled the curtains and got a fan blowing on me, it will soon be winter.

Mike

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Posted by Ady1 on 09/08/2020 13:43:06:

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 09/08/2020 08:03:42:

Mind-boggling, Joe !

It reminds me how arrogant it is, of mankind, to think that we can do much to ‘re-stabilise’ Climate/Weather to suit ourselves.

MichaelG.

I once calculated the energy released by every fossil fuel reserve on the planet if it was all burned at once

The earth receives the same amount of energy from the sun every 2.5 days

I do think we can do a lot more about pollution though

The clue is in the last phrase (do a lot more about pollution)

With an approx albedo of 0.3 for the Earth 30% of solar radiation is reflected back into space. Fossil fuels don't directly heat the planet (much as you show in your 2.5 days calc) but can change the albedo by changing the atmosphere and thus the albedo. The sun then overheats the planet day on day for as long as the greenhouse gasses stay in the atmosphere.

regards Martin

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Hi Joe, thank you – now I get it! I was going to say " lucky bugger", but it's not luck – good decisions and knowing where you're going and the rest follows.

Clogs – Not sure if the 'cupboard' you're referring to is what my SWMBO refers to as a 'Schrank' (sp?) in German – it sounds similar.

rgds

Bill

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Hello Joe,

Spent an afternoon in Swakopmund mid ‘60s when the frigates SAS Kruger, I was serving aboard, and SAS Steyn docked in Walvis Bay waiting for newly commissioned SAS Pretorius to arrive from UK, both frigates to meet up with her further up north

We weren’t expecting much after the drive there through the desert to your town, BUT what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be, cool with palm trees if memory serves, and realised why it was THE holiday resort that it was then.

No doubt built up somewhat since then.

The only other thing I remember was sand as far as the eye could see, apart from the sea.

Geoff – Couldn’t take the heat now, and uncomfortable with 30° now.

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

Thanks Joe,

"Schrank"….

the name doesn't remind me………

Starting to get somewhere now…..Wiki etc……

[Author]

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