California could encounter many centuries of drought
A new study of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) mentioned that California could encounter many centuries of drought. Glen MacDonald, a professor at the UCLA, believes that the severe dry that California has faced for the last several years is associated with the alterations in the sea-surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean.
The researchers linked the long lasting dryness in California to the Pacific Ocean’s variations in temperature. For this study, specialists have analyzed 8000 years of data regarding the water and climate changes in the Sierra Nevada. They have then utilized this information to cross-reference it upon the records of Pacific through the marine deposit.
According to the UCLA team, the warming of the seas is usually caused by radiative forcing. The warming has lead to a dangerous extension of the drought period and severe climate change. Currently, the greenhouse gasses are also influencing the increase in temperatures.
A specialist on climate change and drought, MacDonald, mentioned that radiative forcing has had a severe effect on the extended period of drought in the past years. He also mentioned that when an arid period persists for more than 60 days like we have encountered in the 12th century or for millennia like in 6,000 to 1,000 B.C, this cannot be called a simple drought.
It’s believed that the California millennia was influenced by the planet’s orbit which extended the solar energy that was directed to the Northern Hemisphere. So, with the increasing number of greenhouse gasses, California could be preparing for many centuries of drought.
Other investigations of ancient tree stumps sunk in Sierra lakes and tree rings have also reported many centuries of droughts.
A research specialist with the Atmospheric Administration and National Oceanic, Martin Hoerling, linked the West’s warm and arid medieval time to the conditions of the tropical ocean, particularly a cool east Pacific. He mentioned that when the eastern Pacific is cold in comparison to the other tropical waters, the American West is inclined to have reduced quantities of rain.
MacDonald concluded that the temperatures in California are expected to increase, the lakes would get shallower while snowfall and rainfall would significantly decrease.
Image source: Wikipedia
Deborah Campbell
