We’re now smack in the middle of the coldest part of winter, here in the Northern hemisphere. That means that someone in the Southern hemisphere is having a great time in some warm mud. I don’t want to name any names; you know who you are!
The forecast is calling for around 20C (upper 60’s F) for this Tuesday, when the low tide is scheduled to be around midday. I put it on my calendar, because that sort of opportunity doesn’t come around often during the short, cold days of winter. I may have to go fully clothed, and I might wimp out before I go under, but if I can manage to get into some deep mud, it will be worth the trip.
The predictions for sea level rise are getting more dire. The current consensus is for 10 feet of rise in the next 50 years or maybe less. Figuring that means 2 feet per decade, I probably won’t have very long left. There may not be any exposed estuary mud in as little as 3 years. On the other hand, I feel bad complaining about losing my mud, when many people’s homes will be threatened, if not inundated.
Long term predictions are not terribly accurate, but the pendulum could swing either way. It may take 10 years longer, or 10 years less. There are more aggressive predictions out there. The ones I’m looking at tend to be conservative. I really need to make my own swamp in the back yard. That would at least buy me a few decades.
This winter has been a moderate one, so far. I haven’t suffered as badly as I do sometimes, with seasonal depression, but the mud withdrawal has been rough, because last year was such a bad year for mudding. I hope you all are doing alright. Hang in there, Spring is coming.
