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Video - Drought in California: No Rain in San Francisco

February 21, 2015 Add Comment Edit

Drought is making life difficult in areas all over the world and one of the worst hit areas is California. As a sign California's persistent drought, downtown San Francisco recorded no measurable rain in January 2015, this is the first time this has happened in at least 165 years. The National Weather Service also said Santa Cruz recorded no rain in January for the first time since 1893. Normal rainfall for that city in January is more than 6 inches. For the Bay Area as a whole, last month was the driest January on record, the weather service said.

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Climate Change Increases the Risk of Megadroughts

February 05, 2015 Add Comment Edit

If we do not take the appropriate actions to stave off climate change the number of megadroughts will significantly increase.

New research has quantified the risks from climate change and provided insights into the prospects of megadroughts in the US and around the world. The study is titled, "Assessing the risk of persistent drought using climate model simulations and paleoclimate data."

The scientists from Cornell, University of Arizona and US Geological Survey came to the shocking conclusion that in places like the southwestern US, "the risk of a decade-scale megadrought in the coming century is at least 80 percent, and may be higher than 90 percent in certain areas."

Extrapolating data from this study shows that there are equal or higher risks of megadroughts in the rest of the world than the estimates provided for the US Southwest. This means that in the subtropics (e.g., in the Mediterranean, western and southern Africa, Australia, and much of South America) the likelihood of megadrought is more than 90 percent.

These findings are considered to be highly conservative because they do not factor temperature increases which are known to increase drought effects. The actual likelihood of drought when temperature increases are factored into the equation may be closer to 100 percent.

This data corroborates a 2012 study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research. This study concluded that without significant emissions reduction most of southern Europe and about half of the United States will experience persistent extreme drought.

We are already seeing severe droughts in California, Brazil, Australia and other places around the world. We know that entire civilizations have been ended by megadroughts. The current situation and the looming threat of megadroughts make efforts to significantly reduce emissions that much more urgent.

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Infographic - Civilizations that have Succumbed to Megadrought
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Climate Change Induced Drought Threatens Brazil's Carnival

February 05, 2015 Add Comment Edit

Climate change induced drought is forcing Brazil to scale back its iconic Carnival celebrations. The worst drought in over 80 years is killing crops and depriving millions of Brazilians of drinking water. The current drought began in 2005, and with no end in site it is being called a megadrought. This type of chronic water shortage has been shown to have played a pivotal role in the demise of at least 5 civilizations.

The densely populated southeastern portion of Brazil is the worst hit area of the country. The drought is so bad that more than a dozen cities and towns in the state of Minas Gerais have called off or scaled back their Carnival celebrations. Ouro Preto is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, has been forced to rotate outages to ensure ample water for the 70,000 tourists who descend on Ouro Preto for Carnival.

Water levels are alarmingly low in Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo prompting one city official to call for the cancellation of Carnival.

In the state of São Paulo, there are days when there is no water coming out of their taps. The president of Brazil’s Water Regulatory Agency, Vicente Andreu, warns that São Paulo residents should prepare for a "collapse like we’ve never seen before."

For the first time in its history, the city of Oliveira has canceled all 2015 Carnival festivities due to very low water supplies.

According to a 2013 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of sciences this series of droughts in Brazil may be a sign that the rainforest is showing the first signs of large-scale degradation due to climate change.

"Our results suggest that if droughts continue at five- to 10-year intervals or increase in frequency due to climate change, large areas of the Amazon forest are likely to be exposed to persistent effects of droughts and corresponding slow forest recovery," said NASA scientist Sassan Saatchi, lead researcher of the study.

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February 04, 2015 Add Comment Edit

Drought in California and Heat in Alaska

February 04, 2015 Add Comment Edit

The beginning of this year recorded unprecedented drought and heat in the US. Record setting droughts have been ravaging California while Alaska is setting its own records for anomalous warm temperatures.

California has been experiencing a persistent drought. The Bay Area recorded its driest January on record. In the month of January the city of San Francisco recorded no measurable rain for the first time in 165 years.

Other cities in California have also suffered from an absence of rain in January. This includes the city of Santa Cruz which recorded no rain during the month for the first time since 1893 (normal rainfall for that city in January is more than 6 inches). Even in northern California the month of January was unusually dry and warm.

Alaska has seen extremely warm temperatures and an absence of snow coverage in January. There was virtually no snow for the running of the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Alaska has had an unusually warm winter. January was its third-warmest such month on record. Nome set an all-time monthly record high temperature on January 27 with a reading of 51 degrees Fahrenheit. The statewide average January temperature was 14.8 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1971-2000 average.

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Charts and Graphs - US Drought
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Infographic - US Megadroughts this Century

February 04, 2015 Add Comment Edit

Charts and Graphs - US Drought Severity

August 22, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Republicans Object to Federal Drought Aid and Refuse to Help Fight Wildfires

August 08, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Droughts and related wildfires are two serious problems in the US, particularly in California. President Obama and the Democrats have been working to provide much needed federal aid to for these climate related disasters. Despite Republican objections, in May Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) succeeded in securing the support she needed to pass the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014. However, in August, Republicans stonewalled legislation that would have provided financial support to assist California in its effort to fight wildfires.

In February President Obama announced a $1.2 billion aid package for farmers, ranchers and communities in California and several more agricultural states. This includes $15 million in conservation grants, $5 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program and $3 million for rural communities at risk of running out of water. The federal initiative earmarked funds to expedite approval for projects related to water quality and quantity. Obama also pledged $60 million for food banks in the State of California to help families that may be economically impacted by the drought and a total of $183 million specifically for California's drought relief programs.

Aid to fight wildfires, which are known to be exacerbated by the climate change induced drought and heat, have been rejected by Republicans. Despite attempts by the Obama administration and Democrats in the House and Senate, Republicans said "no" to bills that would help fight these wildfires.

On Tuesday, August 5, House Republicans denied the aid package and on Thursday August 7, Republicans in the Senate rejected the much needed federal funding. They then left for vacation leaving the wildfires to keep burning out of control.

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