Category: Drought

Climate Change Colorado River Drought Global Warming Science

The West accepts its drought-ridden future, slashes water use

sudshr47 March 21, 2019

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Out West, the future is dry.

Amid an unprecedented 19-year drought in the expansive Colorado River Basin — which supplies water to 40 million Americans — seven Western states have acknowledged that the 21st century will only grow drier as temperatures continue to rise. And that means less water in the 1,450-mile Colorado River. On Tuesday, water managers from states including California, Utah, and New Mexico announced a drought plan (formally called a Drought Contingency Plan), which cuts their water use for the next seven years — until an even more austere plan must be adopted.

Already, the drought has left water levels at Lake Mead — the nearly 250-square-mile reservoir that’s held back by the formidable Hoover Dam — at their lowest levels in half a century. The water shortage has left telltale, white mineral “bathtub rings” around the basin, well over 100 feet high.  Read more…

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View More The West accepts its drought-ridden future, slashes water use
Climate Change Drought Extreme Weather Global Warming Science

The Colorado River is evaporating, and climate change is largely to blame

sudshr47 September 7, 2018

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An hour’s drive from Las Vegas stands America’s Hoover Dam, a commanding barrier of concrete holding back the trillions of gallons of Colorado River water held inside Lake Mead. 

The dam is a proud place, built by thousands of hands and with 5 million barrels of concrete. Its golden elevator doors, Gotham-esque pillars, and stoic guardian angel statues line the lofty walkways atop the structure. A U.S. flag beating patriotically over the desert gets swapped out every few days, and then put out for sale in the visitor center. 

Yet, in the 80 years since the great dam’s completion, the 1,450-mile Colorado River – which sustains some 40 million Americans in places like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles — has been gradually growing weaker, and the water level beyond the noble dam has fallen considerably over the last two decades. The writing is easily spotted on the steep rocky walls of the Lake Mead reservoir, where a bathtub-like ring shows where the water once sat during more fruitful times. Read more…

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Anthropology Archaeology Climate Change Drought Science

The fall of the Maya civilization was bloody and worsened by a 200-year drought

sudshr47 August 2, 2018

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During the fall of the Maya civilization over 1,000 years ago, kings were killed in public, captives were taken hostage, and in one notably violent event in the city of Aguateca, Maya fled their homes during a surprise assault, without time to even grab their belongings.

Though warfare can’t be ignored, the toppling of the classic Maya civilization — renown for its massive stone temples and astronomical observatories — is believed to have another formidable culprit: crippling drought. And for the first time, scientists have deduced just how severe this centuries-long drought may have been.

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View More The fall of the Maya civilization was bloody and worsened by a 200-year drought
Climate Change Drought Firefighters Nasa Science

A NASA prototype could save the lives of firefighters as blazes erupt in western U.S.

sudshr47 July 11, 2018

Nearly 40 large wildfires now burn across the United States. 
Blazes are expected this time of year, with hot air, dry land, and gusty winds stoking big fires throughout the western U.S. But today, twice as much land is burned than in the early …

View More A NASA prototype could save the lives of firefighters as blazes erupt in western U.S.
Climate Drought Extreme Weather Global Warming Science

Thomas Fire becomes largest blaze in California history, during state’s worst fire year

sudshr47 December 24, 2017

California’s Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties has eclipsed the 2003 Cedar Fire as the largest wildfire in Golden State history, at a whopping 273,400 acres. This puts the blaze’s burned area as larger than New York City, and nearly t…

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California Climate Drought Nasa Space

Striking aerial photos show severity of California wildfires

sudshr47 December 6, 2017

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a state of emergency in the city Tuesday as several wildfires continued to rage across the region.

Blazes in Santa Clarita, Santa Ana and Ventura County claimed tens of thousands of acres between them and filled the southern Californian skies with smoke — so much smoke in fact, they left trails visible from space.

NASA’s striking satellite image, above, gives a good feel for the scope of the smoke, as did pictures posted by meteorologists on Twitter Tuesday.

Incredible amount of smoke being picked up on satellite right now from the wildfires in Southern California#ThomasFire #RyeFire #CreekFire pic.twitter.com/vEH3vkm7IJ

— Drew Tuma (@DrewTumaABC7) December 5, 2017 Read more…

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