Monday, January 27, 2014

Episode 198 (1-27-14): Hydrologists Sing and Study "Where Does the Water Go?"

Click to listen to episode (2:44)

TRANSCRIPT

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of January 27, 2014.

This week, we feature music about the mysteries of hydrology, in a light-hearted song by two Virginia Tech graduate students and a visiting scholar from Italy.  Have a listen for about 35 seconds.

MUSIC


You’ve been listening to part of “Where Does the Water Go,” performed by J.P. Gannon, Paolo Benettin, and Kris Brown.  The term “hydrology” refers to the location and movement of the earth’s water, as well as to the scientific study of those topics.  Hydrologists seek to describe in detail the water cycle, also called the hydrologic cycle.  To do so, they concentrate on pathways of water movement, the timing of that movement, and storage of water at different locations for various amounts of time.  One key part of this work is understanding how surface waters— lakes, streams, and rivers—are connected to groundwater.  For example, our singers’ plaintive cries of “macropores” refer to spaces in soil and sediments that influence groundwater flow, including its movement into and out of streams.  Because of this and many other factors, hydrology’s complicated, and hydrologists have to work hard to learn how, when, and where does the water go.  Thanks to Virginia Tech’s musical hydrologists for permission to use this week’s song.

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

SHOW NOTES

[All Internet addresses mentioned were functional as of 1/27/14]

The science of hydrology seeks to understand and describe water location and movement in dry and wet times.  Top photo: Dry River at Lilly in Rockingham County, Va., Nov. 25, 2007; bottom photo: the same stream and view on December 30, 2007.

Acknowledgments: This week’s song lyrics were written by Virginia Tech graduate student J.P. Gannon and visiting Italian scholar Paolo Benettin.  The audio excerpt was from a November 22, 2013, video recording of them and Virginia Tech graduate student Kris Brown; used with permission.  Thanks to Kevin McGuire, Virginia Water Resources Research Center, for information on the fundamentals of hydrology.

Sources: Information about hydrology and current research issues in the science was taken from the following sources:
*Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, “Introduction to Hydrology,” online at http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3313_3684_3724-9352--,00.html;
*U.S. Geological Survey, “Science in Your Watershed/General Introduction and Hydrologic Definitions,” online at http://water.usgs.gov/wsc/glossary.html;
*University of Virginia Department of Environmental Sciences, “Research/Hydrology,” online at http://www.evsc.virginia.edu/research/hydrology/;
*Virginia Tech Watershed Hydrology Lab, online at http://hydro.vwrrc.vt.edu/.

For a Virginia Water Radio episode on the water (or hydrologic) cycle, please click on this link: Episode 191 (Week of 12-9-13), “The Water Cycle.”



Virginia Water News and Other Information
            For news, events, and resources relevant to Virginia's water resources, grouped into categories, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Episode 196 (1-13-14): The Virginia Legislature on its 396th Opening Day, January 8, 2014

Click to listen to episode (3:30)

TRANSCRIPT

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of January 13, 2014.

This week, we drop in on the latest opening-day of a nearly 400-year-old Virginia institution.  Have a listen for about 90 seconds.

SOUND


With those and other words, ceremonies, and procedures, the Virginia General Assembly opened its 2014 session on January 8.  The Commonwealth’s legislature traces its history to the establishment in 1619 of the House of Burgesses in the English colony of Virginia.  The modern Assembly’s two houses, the House of Delegates and the Senate, convene every January for either a 60-day scheduled session (in even years) or a 30-day scheduled session (in odd years).  Every year, the Assembly deals with the state budget and considers two-to-three thousand bills and resolutions.  That agenda typically includes 150 to 200 water-related bills, on topics ranging from marine resources to groundwater to local water and sewer systems.  The sessions move fast and the decisions can have widespread and important consequences.  You can follow the work online through virginiageneralassembly.gov, or by communicating with your delegate or state senator.

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

SHOW NOTES


[All Internet addresses mentioned were functional as of 1/13/13]



Cartoon by George Wills, Blacksburg, Virginia.


Acknowledgments and Sources: Audio in this episode was recorded from live-streaming of the General Assembly’s opening House of Delegates and Senate sessions on January 8, 2014.  Following are the Web addresses for live-streaming of House and Senate floor sessions:
House of Delegates - http://virginia-house.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3;
Senate - http://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3.

Click here to listen to a longer excerpt (9:43) of the opening of the 2014 Virginia House of Delegates, including members' oath of office and the election and full address of Speaker William J. Howell.  The transcript of new Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's first address to a joint session of the General Assembly on January 13, 2014, is available at this link: https://governor.virginia.gov/news/newsarticle?articleId=2572.

Information on the Virginia General Assembly was taken from the Assembly’s Web site, http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/.  That site includes information and links for following legislation (see note below) and for identifying and communicating with one’s representatives in the House of Delegates and Senate.

The Virginia Legislative Information System, at http://leg1.state.va.us/, is the online location to following the legislation of General Assembly sessions.

Recent Virginia Water News and Other Information
            For news, events, and resources relevant to Virginia's water resources, grouped into categories, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.