Now in its third year, the current drought reminds us that California’s water supplies are limited. Calls are growing louder to enlarge dams – or build new ones – to expand the state’s water storage capacity. But far less attention is given to a cheaper but less visible option – storing water under our feet. [...]
latimes.com Given the historic low temperatures and snowfalls that pummeled the eastern U.S. this winter, it might be easy to overlook how devastating California's winter was as well. As our “wet” season draws to a close, it is clear that the paltry rain and snowfall have done almost nothing to alleviate epic drought conditions. January [...]
usatoday.com While it's been a rough winter so far for people in the north-central and northeastern U.S., both December and January were actually warmer than average across the country overall. The U.S. is having its sixth-warmest winter on record, according to data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), which has records back to 1895. [...]
nytimes.com RIO VISTA, Calif. — On a boat in the heart of California’s biggest river delta, a researcher pored over a sample of murky, weed-infested water, looking for a rare fish about the size of a finger. Spotting one, he shouted in triumph — then measured it and quickly tossed it overboard. “They’re very fragile,” [...]
Newsweek.com The current California drought, the worst in modern U.S. history, has ravaged the Western U.S. for years, dwindling water supplies and withering crops. But scientists say that based on what’s to come, the United States hasn’t seen anything yet. Welcome to our “remarkably drier future.” Analysis released Thursday from scientists at NASA, Cornell University, [...]
latimes.com It doesn't take much to understand why California is so worried about drought. Reservoirs are ever-dwindling. Rainfall is sporadic at best. And let's not forget about the millions of gallons of precious water recently flooding the streets of Brentwood. Nearly 80% of California is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought [...]
newsweek.com The current California drought, the worst in modern U.S. history, has ravaged the Western U.S. for years, dwindling water supplies and withering crops. But scientists say that based on what’s to come, the United States hasn’t seen anything yet. Welcome to our “remarkably drier future.” Analysis released Thursday from scientists at NASA, Cornell University, [...]
sciencemag.org Abstract In the Southwest and Central Plains of Western North America, climate change is expected to increase drought severity in the coming decades. These regions nevertheless experienced extended Medieval-era droughts that were more persistent than any historical event, providing crucial targets in the paleoclimate record for benchmarking the severity of future drought risks. We [...]
latimes.com In rare good news on the California drought, extremely dry conditions in northern parts of the state improved by 10% after a series of strong storms. This week’s U.S. Drought Monitor reports extreme conditions throughout the state dropped from 77% last week to 67%. The positive change occurred mostly in northwestern California and the [...]
slate.com When it comes to drought in the West, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet. That’s the conclusion from a new study that links an increasing risk of decades-long drought episodes in the western United States to human-induced climate change. The study predicts drought severity outside the bounds of what’s thought to have occurred over the [...]