Title: Take Two | How climate change is affecting the desert landscape | 89.3 KPCC
Headings: How climate change is affecting the desert landscape
Environment & Science
How climate change is affecting the desert landscape
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Content: That lack of humidity in the air, in the soil, in the whole region makes it so the hotter temperatures don't have that one other element to bump up against that would make it a little less intense." As a result, he adds, places like the deserts of the Southwest have seen a higher increase in average temperature than elsewhere in the country. Researchers like Cameron Barrows, ecologist at UC Riverside, told James that could lead to profound impacts on the landscapes, including a site like Joshua Tree National Park. "About 90 percent of the Joshua trees within the park would be gone," says Barrows, explaining that it would take just decades for that to happen. But already husks of Joshua trees are scattered throughout the park where, a few years ago, lush, vibrant trees had stood. Currently, researchers are finding that new trees and seedlings are propagating more at higher elevations — and cooler climates — but what's unknown is if they can sustainably adapt in the long-term. Another finding by reporter Ian James is climate change's impact on the populations of the people in the deserts as well as throughout Southern California. For example, Lake Mead, a reservoir just east of Las Vegas, has steadily lost more and more water over the years that a stories-high bathtub ring has formed around its perimeter. That indicates how its current level compares with where it's historically been. "It's a lifeline of water for this region, and it's less than half-full right now," said James. "