Title: Climate Change and the California Drought | At the Edge | US News
Headings: Climate Change Caused California Drought
Climate Change Caused California Drought
The science behind the drought is unquestionable.

Content: Finally, a recent NASA study added to the science linking such high-pressure zones to extreme low precipitation in California . Looking over the past century, total annual precipitation in California has declined slightly . Since 2000, precipitation has been below average in 9 of 14 years. One of the hallmarks of climate change is that, on average, wet regions are getting wetter and dry regions are getting drier . The southwestern United States is one such dry region, and the Colorado River (which provides much of the water used in Southern California), is experiencing drought conditions “ nearly unrivaled in 1,250 years ." The fingerprint of global warming has been found in the climate change contribution to the severity and duration of the recent drought afflicting the southwest. The Rocky Mountains are unable to provide the water that Southern California needs, just as the Sierra Nevada cannot provide relief for Northern California. As hotter temperatures dry out crops and precipitation is scarce, groundwater withdrawals increase. A recent study found that the greater demands on the groundwater supply and the rapid rate of depletion may threaten the groundwater supply in multiple Western states for many years to come. Groundwater has an immensely long rate of recharge, and according to this research, the rate of groundwater depletion during the drought is almost six times greater than that of surface water.