COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Heat Accelerates Dry in California Drought
Description: Although record low precipitation has been the main driver of one of the worst droughts in California history, abnormally high temperatures have also played an important role in amplifying its adverse effects, according to a recent study. Experiments with a hydrologic model for the period Oct. 2013-Sept. 2014 showed that if the air temperatures had been cooler, similar to the 1916-2012 average, there would have been an 86% chance that the winter snowpack would have been greater, the spring-summer runoff higher, and the spring-summer soil moisture deficits smaller. [Source: U.S. Geological Survey]
URL: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=4239#.VXcgolKgk7w
Availability: Full Text
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Publish Date: 5/28/2015
Reading Level: Basic
Page Length:  

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