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The 2011-2016 California Drought

A drought is defined as a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall; a shortage of water resulting from this. There have been several droughts in California’s past, with both new and old challenges arriving from the current one. On January 17^th,2014, California State Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared a State of Emergency, calling for state officials to assist farmers and communities that have been most affected by the extreme dry conditions. These dry conditions have persisted since 2012, with 2014 being the driest year on record. There have been many contributing causes, including climate change, unusual high-pressure systems, and more. 2016 is the fifth year of the drought, which has been one of the worst on record. Several methods are being used to combat the drought, both state and individual levels, but the effects are lingering.

Table of Contents:

• Significance
• Cause
  • Climate Change
• Effects
  • Ecological Effects
    • Water Quality
    • Wildlife
  • Economic Effect
• Bibliography
• See Also
• External Link

2011-2016 California Drought

Significance

One of the most significant differences between the current California drought and previous ones is population. Today there are over thirty-nine million people, several million more than previous drought periods such as the droughts in 1976-1977 and 1987-1992. This means that there is a significantly larger socioeconomic and pollution impact on the environment.

According to Peter Gleick, co-founder, president emeritus and chief scientist of the Pacific Institute, a global water think tank, also believes that “One of the things that sets this drought apart is that now there is this incredibly clear climate signal”. By this, Gleick refers to the unusual high pressure system off the California coast that many scientists say is one of the main causes of the dry spell. This pressure system, named the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” by scientists studying it, has formed a barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the California coast, preventing winter storms from making landfall. While high pressure systems do develop naturally, they usually “pop” and dissipate. For reasons yet unconfirmed, this Ridge has yet to do so. Instead, it is deflecting much-needed rain north towards British Columbia and Alaska. This, being one of the major causes of the current drought, has researchers baffled by its unusually strong position.

Several areas of the US are experiencing dry spells, not just California. Georgia and its surrounding states, as well as Maine and its neighboring states, are experiencing long-term drought conditions. California is arguably receiving the worst of these conditions, with the largest, longest, and most intense drought currently active in the US, based on the most recent report from the United States Drought Monitor.

Causes:

Climate Change

Groundwater has been rapidly decreasing as the number of dry years is exceeding the number of wet years. This prevents groundwater levels from recovering during the wet years. Another significant cause of reduced water flow to the population is a drop in snowpack, or the snow that is maintained in high elevations throughout the year. “Snowpack, through runoff, provides about one-third of the water used by California's cities and farms. The snowpack at the beginning of April is crucial because this is when the snowpack is normally at its peak and begins to melt into streams and reservoirs. As of March 30, 2016, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) measured the statewide snowpack to be at 87 percent of normal for this date. However as of June 13, 2016 the statewide snow water equivalent was 6 percent of average for this date.” – California Water Science Center. This means that between March 30^th and June 13^th, snowpack levels dropped 81 percent, so that in June 94% of the annual snowpack was missing. This is such a dramatic drop that officials have to specifically plan for lower levels, as snowpack accounts for “between 60 and 80 percent of the annual water supply to more than 70 million people living in the western U.S.”

Effects

Ecological effects

Water Quality

Drought causes the degradation of water quality, endangering both human and animals. This is because pollution that would normally be spread through a large volume of water is condensed into the little that is left. Furthermore surface and groundwater levels, which plant, animal, and human life use as our biggest water source, are greatly reduced. This is particularly concerning because these sources are replenished by rainfall and snowpack runoff, which are most damaged by the drought. “When regular winter rains are absent, forests and grasslands are left vulnerable to fire.” – California Academy of Sciences. Supporting this, from January 1 through January 25 of 2014, CalFire responded to 406 wildfires, as compared to the average 69 wildfires  for that time period over the previous five years.

Wildlife

Animals, both large and small, are facing very real dangers, as the drought drives smaller animals towards extinction and larger animals are forced into more frequent negative contact with humans. For example, monarch butterflies have seen their numbers plummet due to lack of food and unusual  weather patterns along their migration route. Their number have reached the lowest point since 1993, when their numbers were recorded by the World Wildlife Fund for the first time. Fish and birds also face similar troubles, as they have no way to return to their breeding grounds or protect their nests without the rivers and marshes that they’ve been using for centuries.

Economic effects

Crop Losses in 2015 were estimated to be about $1.2 billion. Since the drought started in 2011, up to $2.7 billion dollars has been sustained agricultural losses.Furthermore, the drought has fueled the closing golf courses, and a nationwide debate about almonds, two of California's biggest businesses.

Bibliography

Lohan, Tara. "Why California's Current Drought Is Different From the Past." KQED Science. PBS, 24 Aug. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Jones, Jeanine. California's Most Significant Droughts: Comparing Historical and Recent Conditions. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Water Resources, 2015. Print

U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center. "California Drought." Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2016

Asner, Gregory P., Philip G. Brodrick, Christopher B. Anderson, Nicholas Vaughn, David E. Knapp, and Roberta E. Martin. "Progressive Forest Canopy Water Loss during the 2012–2015 California Drought." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113.2 (2015): n. pag. Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science. Web. 2 Nov. 2016

"Water Conditions: Water Conditions." Water Conditions: Water Conditions. California Department of Water Resources, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2016

Office, Climate Program. "What Can Drought-stricken California Expect from the Forecast El Niño Winter?" What Can Drought-stricken California Expect from the Forecast El Niño Winter? National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, Aug. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

Hanak, Ellen, Jeffery Mount, and Caitrin Phillips Chappelle. "Publications." Publications. US Environmental Protection Agency, July 2016. Web. 03 Nov. 2016

Rogers, Paul. "California Drought: What’s Causing It?" The Mercury News. N.p., 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2016

Bathke, Deborah. "United States Drought Monitor." United States Drought Monitor Home. National Drought Mitigation Center, 8 Nov. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016

Smith, Jami. "Drought Hurting Animals, Plants." Science News. California Academy of Sciences, 7 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Geiling, Natasha. "Here's What The 2015 Drought Will Do To California's Economy." ThinkProgress. N.p., 05 June 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2016