The Longest Drought
7 hours ago Charles Rotter 76 Comments
Climate scientists reconsider the meaning and implications of drought in light of a changing world
Peer-Reviewed Publication
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SANTA BARBARA
Lake Powell 2017
IMAGE: RINGS AROUND LAKE POWELL IN 2017 EVINCE THE DROUGHT THAT HAS SETTLED ON THE AMERICAN WEST. STEVENSON’S STUDY SUGGESTS IT WILL REMAIN WITH US FOR THE REST OF THE CENTURY, IF NOT LONGER. view more
CREDIT: PUBLIC DOMAIN
Maps of the American West have featured ever darker shades of red over the past two decades. The colors illustrate the unprecedented drought blighting the region. In some areas, conditions have blown past severe and extreme drought into exceptional drought. But rather than add more superlatives to our descriptions, one group of scientists believes it’s time to reconsider the very definition of drought.
Researchers from half a dozen universities investigated what the future might hold in terms of rainfall and soil moisture, two measurements of drought. The team, led by UC Santa Barbara’s Samantha Stevenson, found that many regions of the world will enter permanent dry or wet conditions in the coming decades, under modern definitions. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal the importance of rethinking how we classify these events as well as how we respond to them.
“Essentially, we need to stop thinking about returning to normal as a thing that is possible,” said Stevenson, an assistant professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. This idea affects both how we define drought and pluvial (abnormally wet) events and how we adapt to a changing environment.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/03/15/the-longest-drought/
