The California Drought
The California drought is one of the worst environmental events California has ever seen. Lasting over 150 years, the drought may seem to "go away" at some times, but in reality, the effects are still prominent. Drought affects not only people but ecosystems and species as well. Even though droughts are natural occurrences that happen no matter what, the California drought is a drought that should be watched carefully and slowed down as soon as possible.
The Tale of 2014
On February 14, 2014, in Fresno, President Barack Obama stepped out of Air Force 1 into the dry California air. While he had been expecting the drought, the signs along the highways saying "serious drought; help save water" only further proved what he was there for. On the same day, he visited a farm, home of Joe and Maria Del Bosque, and saw just what the California drought was doing to farmland in the number 1 farming state. The land was losing water, making it extremely difficult for plants to grow. Deforestation and loss of vegetation were leading to the spread of the desert and desertlike conditions, known as desertification. By the end of his trip to California, President Obama had pledged $180 million to existing drought relief funds in California as well as making a point of saying that he would ask Congress to put $1 billion of new funding into a "climate resiliency" program.
US Drought Monitor 2014, the California drought on January 14, 2014, map and key by the US Drought Monitor, National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, accessed 12 May 2023, https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Maps/MapArchive.aspx
What exactly is a drought?
After all of that, you might be asking the question above: what is a drought? If you're thinking dry climate and desert-like conditions, you're on the right track.
A drought is a prolonged period of time where an area gets little precipitation or moisture. That area of land becomes very dry and often very hot. Droughts usually cause problems like crop reduction and dehydration of the soil. If the drought lasts long enough, water sources like lakes and rivers might start to dry up a little bit. What water that had been there before would no longer be there and nothing would be replenishing it. Droughts are caused by extended periods of time with little to no precipitation, and climate change is not helping at all.
This is what's currently happening in California. You may be confused because, as of 2023, only a small portion of California is considered "in a drought". That's because we had an abnormal amount of rain- and snow-fall during the later months of 2022 and the earlier months of 2023. According to Hayley Smith, we've received around 173% of normal snowfall. On Friday, April 24, 2023, the Burbank Airport area received around 4.6 inches of rain.
How are droughts affecting those around me?
Another question that's frequently asked about almost anything is "how will it affect me?" Due to these phenomena, there are many negative affects surrounding droughts:
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because of the lack of moisture in the ground, the soil becomes dry and sometimes cracked; this soil is very hard to plant farms on, which leads to a loss of agricultural space and therefore a loss of produce
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the above leads to the idea that deforestation is okay because that's where there's space; deforestation only makes droughts and desertification worse because it makes the air drier
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the lack of moisture and overgrown on land leads to more landslides and mudslides
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excessive groundwater pumping can lead to a permanent loss of ground water in aquifers
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excessive groundwater pumping can also lead to the deterioration of these aquifers; this can lead to seawater getting into the ground water as well as sinking in the ground that can lead to other problems on the surface
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groundwater also affects all other sources of water (rivers, lakes, streams, ect.)
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dry windy conditions of a drought can lead to wildfires; Californians know all about wildfires and how the summer and drier seasons are the hottest times for wildfires to spark; with the added threat of dying plants from lack of water, wildfires can very, very quickly get out of hand and the drier conditions can make the wildfires more severs and more dangerous
What can I do to help to stop droughts from getting worse?
There of course will always be droughts. It's a natural occurrence, just like fluctuations of carbon dioxide in the air. While they can't be stopped, there are ways that you can help stop them from getting worse. Some places where you can find tips on water conservation include:
While there are many ways that people can help, not every is possible for everyone. Do what you can to help slow down the drought and prevent the loss of water from harming more people and other species than it already has.