The Dying of the American West

This chart shows the millions spent lobbying against climate control for their profits. They collectively lobby to control, delay, or block climate policy, spending over $200 million. And Washington seems to do whatever they want. So many environmental policies have been abolished recently, it is forever going to impact our world.

What exactly is a megadrought? According to scientists, it is a prolonged drought lasting two decades or longer. Past megadroughts have been associated with persistent multi-year La Ninas. These megadroughts happen on an extreme scale. Today, it appears to be one of worse in 1200 years and, the first to be influenced by human-caused climate change.

Park Williams, a researcher at Columbia University, studies tree rings and historical data which provide information on past climate conditions. But today, an added element is human.explortation, pollution, and deforestation.

The current megadrought is second only to the last event, which occurred in the late 1500s.

The science of dating events, environmental and archeological effects. Each ring marks a complete cycle of seasons or one year.

The word comes from the Greek, dendron means tree and Kronos means time. It was Leonardo da Vinci who was the first person to say trees form rings annually to detect conditions.

We can't deny the effects of climate change. It's real and it is here now. Here are the five major problems:

Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

Desertifiction-land degradation

Deforestation-Taking of trees and land

Loss of Biodiversity-25-75 species extinct each day

Disposal of wastes-industrialization and urbanization

As one can see from the scale, the southwest U.S. is showing climate change. The temperatures have risen 2.2 degrees in the past twenty years. Reservoirs in Lake Mead and Lake Powell have shrunk dramatically. The lakes are in the worse drought in its 56-year history.

Coupled with arid conditions, insect outbreaks are ravaging dried out forests, making them vulnerable to wildfires. These wildfires are increasing, and in the last twenty years, have grown to over 100 blazes per year. Since the 1970s, the wildfire season has increased from five months to seven months.

The International Tree-Ring Data (ITRDB) is a repository for tree-ring measurements since 1990. And, extreme events offer a wealth of information on climate, global hazards, drought monitoring at the NOAA site. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

Megadroughts brought about mass migrations such as the Anasazi of the American southwest in the 1500s as they moved farther south.

Elements of weather caused by the climate and El Nino winds are also responsible but, the human factors are, by scientists, contribute as much as 50% to the increase of droughts. In 2018, nearly 200 dead horses were found decomposing at dried-up Arizona water holes.

We all need to do our part to conserve water, and it will take exceptional leadership and smart water management for cities and states. We can no longer ignore the dangers of climate change. Agriculture will have a significant impact on farming.

Water restrictions will be crucial to maintaining our water supply, and while it may be painful, it is imperative we do our part.

NOAA National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

Smithsonian Magazine

NCDC.NOAA.gov

Mashable.com

byu.edu

kged.org