drought

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'Blue Hole' May Hold Secret to Mayan Collapse

Long drought may have led to civilization's collapse—and proof may be in sediment

(Newser) - Everything from overhunting and a peasant uprising to deforestation and an alien invasion has been proposed to explain why the Mayan civilization collapsed, Smithsonian notes. But one theory has been gaining ground in recent years: extreme drought. Now more evidence has surfaced to support the drought postulation—and the proof...

California's Massive Drought Deficit: 11T Gallons of Water

That's 130K Rose Bowls' worth: NASA

(Newser) - Even the biggest reservoir in the US wouldn't provide enough water to replace what's been lost in California's drought. In fact, you'd need 1.5 times that much water, or 11 trillion gallons, to do so, according to NASA satellite findings. Another way to put it...

NOAA: Don't Blame Climate Change for Calif. Drought

Lack of rain caused by natural patterns, report says

(Newser) - Is humanity off the hook for California's record-breaking drought? A new federal report says the drought, "while extreme, is not an uncommon occurrence for the state," and is the result of natural weather patterns instead of man-made climate change, reports USA Today . NOAA researchers say a major...

California's Drought Worst Since 800 AD

Analysis of tree rings puts current spell at No. 1 over last 1.2K years

(Newser) - How's this for perspective: The drought currently being endured by Californians is the worst in 1,200 years. Researchers who analyzed tree rings going back to 800 AD found that the three-year period from 2012 to 2014 ranks as the most severe over that span, reports the Los Angeles ...

Scientists Pinpoint Worst Drought in 1K Years

Dust Bowl of 1934 was 30% more intense than the runner-up drought of 1580

(Newser) - If you've lately found yourself wondering when the worst drought North America has suffered occurred, here's your answer: 1934. At least, as far as the last millennium goes. In a new NASA study, scientists say that a combination of atmospheric conditions (a high pressure ridge off the West...

California Drought Perk: Better Wine

A vintage 'for the ages': winemaker

(Newser) - The long drought in California is, of course, bad news for most in the agriculture business—but winemakers are seeing some real benefits. The lack of rain is actually leading to some of the best wine Napa and Sonoma counties have seen in a while, the Wall Street Journal reports....

Hungry Bears Get Desperate in Sierra Nevada

9 captured in 2 days

(Newser) - If you live near the Sierra Nevada, your chance of running into a bear has apparently spiked: Nine have been captured in the area over the last two days, while another was killed by a car. In the fall months, bears can eat up to 25,000 calories a day—...

How a State With Little Rain Suffered a Huge Mudslide

Mt. Shasta lacked the snow that would have protected glacier from sun

(Newser) - The US Forest Service thinks it knows what caused the boulder-filled mudslide that surged down Northern California's Mt. Shasta on Saturday: the Golden State’s extreme drought conditions . According to the LA Times , scientists think water gushed down from the Konwakiton Glacier, causing a mudslide that picked up increasing...

600-Year-Old Tree Dies in New Mexico Drought

'Yoda' couldn't hang on

(Newser) - Yoda is no more. The rugged little Douglas fir had survived more than 600 years in a remote part of New Mexico, but the Albuquerque Journal reports that it died amid the state's current drought. "We had a moment of silence to pay our respects," wrote a...

'Megadrought' Could Come to Southwest: Study

3-decade dry spell could spark mass migration: experts

(Newser) - An "extreme" drought is already affecting 82% of California, researchers say, and 58% is facing an even worse "exceptional" drought—but perhaps the most worrying news deals with the possibility of a 30-year "megadrought." The odds of that occurring now range from 20% to 50% in...

Drought Lifts Western US —Literally

California mountains half an inch higher these days

(Newser) - If you're in the western US, the ground you're standing on may be a little higher than it was a few years ago. The drought that's been plaguing the West has resulted in an "uplift effect," scientists find. The "growing, broad-scale loss of water"...

Your Bottled Water Might Come From Parched California

Loose regulations, high demand keep bottlers in business

(Newser) - The $22 billion bottled water business is rife with odd logic: It takes 1.39 liters of water to make one liter of bottled water, for example, and much of the nation's supply is being drawn from a state parched by drought, the Atlantic reports. Why, then, do we...

California Drought Fuels Boom in ... Lawn Painting

Dryness is bad for lawns, good for odd business

(Newser) - Just because you're dealing with dry weather doesn't mean your lawn can't be pretty. Companies in California tell the National Journal that the lawn-painting business is booming amid the state's worst recorded drought. Following the lead of golf courses and realtors, the businesses spread dye they...

Couple Could Be Fined $500 if They Water Lawn, $500 if They Don't

CA cities don't like brown lawns, despite state mandate to conserve water

(Newser) - In this week’s “Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t” file: A Southern California couple received a letter from Glendora city officials threatening to fine them $500 if they don’t get their sun-scorched brown lawn green again, reports AP . Which Laura Whitney and Michael Korte...

Wasting Water in California Will Cost You $500

So get a nozzle on your hose if you plan to wash your car come August

(Newser) - If you live in California, now may be the time to stop using drinking water in non-recirculating ornamental fountains. That's one of the practices—along with things like allowing runoff from your sprinklers, hosing down your driveway or sidewalk, or washing your car without a nozzle on the hose—...

After Lake Dries Up, Cherished Ring Is Found

Elizabeth Clark lost her class ring in 1954

(Newser) - There is, perhaps, the tiniest upside to drought: An 84-year-old Washington state woman will soon hold her 1953 university class ring, lost six decades ago, after it was found in a dried-up West Texas lake. Elizabeth Clark lost her Howard Payne University class ring in 1954 in Lake Nasworthy near...

Millions of Salmon Migrating ... by Truck

California's drought makes normal annual rite too risky

(Newser) - In drought-stricken California , young Chinook salmon are hitting the road, not the river, to get to the Pacific Ocean. Millions of six-month-old smolts are hitching rides in tanker trucks because California's historic drought has depleted rivers and streams, making the annual migration to the ocean too dangerous for juvenile...

New Drinking Water Source: Cow Poop?

Technology turns manure into water that's fit for livestock

(Newser) - A new technology could make a world of difference to struggling farmers low on water but rich in cow poop, scientists say. A Michigan State University team has created a system that extracts drinkable water—at least fit for livestock to drink—from manure, creating roughly 50 gallons of water...

Calif. Drought Plan: Make Water Flow Uphill

Ambitious plan would cost millions

(Newser) - Water has flowed from Northern California's snow-capped peaks to the south's parched cities ever since the California Aqueduct was built in the 1960s. Now, amid one of the worst droughts in history , state officials are considering an audacious plan to send some of the water back uphill. State...

100% of California Covered in Drought

And much of that is extreme or exceptional drought

(Newser) - For the first time in 15 years, 100% of California is under some degree of drought, according to the latest data from the National Climatic Data Center . And some 76.6% of the state is under extreme or exceptional drought, the Los Angeles Times reports. That's notable, considering none...

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