Those who study weather patterns have long been concerned about the drought-like conditions that have threatened the American West over the past two decades. However, it wasn’t until a recent study from the journal Science that experts were able to officially state that we are headed for an actual “megadrought”, the likes of which we haven’t seen in more than 1,200 years—the state of Nevada included.
For the past two decades, a large portion of the western United States has felt the effects of a major dry spell. With the release of a recent study from journal Science, this dry spell is now being called the worst megadrought the region has experienced in over 1,200 years.
For this study, scientists looked at the nine states that comprise the western region of the United States, all the way from Oregon down to New Mexico. They focused on tree ring data from these states to compare the current drought to previous droughts that occurred as far back as year 800.
The study concluded that the current drought started in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico around 2000, and it hasn't stopped. In fact, soil moisture and tree ring data show that today's drought has already surpassed three of the four largest megadroughts of Medieval times.
The study's lead author, A. Park Williams of Columbia University, stated that what's occurring in our country now is “a drought bigger than what modern society has seen." Williams stated that this is due to a natural and moderate drought being intensified by temperatures that are 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the past—like how clothes dry faster in the warmth of indoors than they would outside.
To truly understand the role humans have played on the current drought, the study used computer models to see how the current drought would hold up in a world without fossil fuels. The models ultimately showed that a whopping 47% of today's drought can be blamed on human-caused climate change.
Looking at the U.S. Drought Monitor, you can see that large sections of Oregon, California, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada are all experiencing abnormally dry, moderate, and severe drought conditions. The region that's fairing worst of all is a section of Northern California and Southern Oregon that is currently categorized as extreme drought.
Although last year brought more rain and snow than we've had in a long time, researchers say it wasn't nearly enough to make up for dry conditions we've been experiencing for the past 20 years.
What do you think about these recent findings concerning this new megadrought? Read more about our current drought and how it compares to others throughout history here.
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