Io9 - The U.S. Southwest Could Soon Experience Decades-Long “Megadroughts”
George Dvorsky at Io9 has some really bad news for us. If only all those people out there denying that our actions are effecting the climate, had stopped and actually helped us solve the problem instead. Maybe than we wouldn’t be facing this terrifying prospect in the future.
During the 1930s, America’s High Plains were ravaged by an 8-year long drought, resulting in the dreaded Dust Bowl. Scientists now warn that, owing to global warming, this could happen again — and that by next century many parts of the world could experience “megadroughts” lasting for several decades.
The new study, which was conducted by Cornell University, the University of Arizona, and U.S. Geological Survey researchers, used climate model simulations and paleoclimate data to predict that the chances of the southwestern United States experiencing a decade-long drought is at least 50%. The analysis suggests that the risk is at least 80%, and possibly as high as 90%, in certain areas.