The drought is a topic all too familiar to anyone living in California. And anyone that has gone to the mountains this year, knows for certain how bad the drought really is. The lack of snow pack made it hard to tell what season we were in without a calendar, even in January and February. An article in the New York Times on Monday, September 14, confirmed that what we know is true. Scientists studied the tree rings of blue oaks throughout the Sierra Nevada and California's Central Valley to find the precipitation levels and winter temperatures dating back to around 1500. Using this data and known correlations to snow pack levels, the scientists could say that the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada this winter is the lowest in 500 years. Knowing that this snow pack is extremely low, really does not help much understanding of the |
drought or help uncover any solutions, however it further exemplifies the massive recent change in world climate. Quickly mentioned in the article is that the finding is not too shocking and does not help the current situation, however it does continue to paint the picture of man-made climate change and the terrible consequences it can have all around the globe. For now, we must pray for snow this winter and work to curb climate change to allow snow for centuries to come.