Drought worsens after weeks of slowly improving conditions

In the last four weeks, I’ve been blogging about Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath- flooding, destruction, and the potential hazards of flood water.  Prior to all of this hurricane talk, the focus of this summer’s weather was the drought and high temperatures.  Called “the worst U.S. drought in decades” reports indicate that after a month of improved conditions- the drought “has deepened again.”  Scientists are unsure of an explanation other than “a simple lack of rain.” 

More than half the U.S. has suffered a drought since the summer of 2012; rain had begun to ease the situation beginning in September.  The U.S. Drought Monitor reported as of November 21, 2012 that “60.1 percent of the lower 48 states were in some form of drought.”  The areas of most drought intensity continue to be Texas, the Southwest, the Great Plains, and almost all of Nebraska.  There is apparently no “clear, scientific explanation for why the drought is lingering.”  Nebraska and the Dakotas to the north may see the drought worsen. 

So what does this mean in the big picture? Why should we care?  Well, drought causes damage to crops and vegetation; thus, food prices increase in an ever struggling economy.  Drought also plays a role in the water supply to our communities. 

The NC State University has a website that provides Climate Education for K-12. This site has information and resources concerning all types of climate and I found information linked to drought.  Due to the “reduced amounts of precipitation for an extended period of time can lead to the loss of plant life and crops. Without needed rainfall, crops and animals can suffer serious declines, and food and water shortages can occur.”

Figure A shows the most current picture of drought in the United States.

There are several types of drought:

1) Meteorological drought is a long-term measurement of lower than normal precipitation.

2) Hydrological drought is a lack of water in subsurface and surface terms.  This includes the water supply that is held in streams, lakes, groundwater and other types of reservoirs. Hydrologic droughts tend to develop over an extended time period.

3) Agricultural drought is when there is not enough water to sustain crops. Rainfall deficits during the critical growth periods of a crop (different from crop to crop) can result in large yield losses, or even complete crop loss.

Overfarming techniques and deforestation also have serious consequences. “Overfarming takes all the nutrients out of the soil that the plants/crops need to survive and essentially “kills” or desertifies the land.”  Deforestation causes fewer trees to cover ground; thus, less water vapor is able to saturate the air above the trees in order to form clouds and rain.  The long term consequence of this-  a rainforest could “dry out and absorb less carbon dioxide because of reduced plant growth.”  Ultimately, adding “enormous” amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which I believe is the snowball effect of global warming, extreme weather, and climate change.

Suhr, Jim. (2012, November 22). Drought worsens after weeks of slowly improving conditions. St. Louis: Associated Press.

http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/.droughteffects