Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry subhumid areas, leading to a reduction in biological productivity. It’s not the expansion of existing deserts, but rather the process by which fertile land becomes increasingly dry and unproductive. This process is often caused by a combination of natural … Continue reading
Category Archives: Drought
Accelerating Melting of Himalayan Glaciers
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed publication, revealed that ice in the Himalayan glaciers is melting at a rate 10 times higher than the average rate over past centuries, far more rapidly than glaciers in the rest of the world. All told, Himalayan glaciers have now … Continue reading
Megadrought
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Under the Dead Sea, Warnings of Dire Drought -2017
A study from Columbia University/Earth Institute Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory revealed that the Middle East has experienced devastating droughts when the earth went through hotter periods 120,000 and 10,000 years ago. The data suggest this time around it may be worse due to a high demand for fresh water from a … Continue reading
California Drought Photos 2013-2014
Global warming at work Before and after photos taken at Lake Oroville, CA on 07/20/2011 and 08/19/2014.
California Drought Report -2014
Comprehensive report (in English, .pdf file) prepared by the University of California at Davis detailing the economic loss to the State of California due a pervasive drought that has caused the greatest ever net loss of water.
California Flooding & Drought
February 16, 2017 We have received numerous requests to reconcile drought with the recent flooding in northern California. Most of them infer that, being polar opposites, it is impossible to have both at the same time. The answer is that California’s climate is complex and varied, with a well-watered north … Continue reading
Decades-Long Megadroughts Coming
October 7, 2016 A megadrought is comparable in severity to the worst droughts of the 20th century, but of much longer duration. As a result, it would impose unprecedented stress on limited water resources in the American Southwest. A study published in Science Advances warns of the near certainty of … Continue reading
High Risk of Severe Water Stress in Asia
March 30, 2016 A study published in the peer-reviewed online journal PLOS (Public Library of Science) finds that in the absence of autonomous adaptation or societal response, there is a high risk of severe water stress in some densely populated Asian watersheds by 2050. Abstract The sustainability of future water … Continue reading