Drought tool feeling heat: Climate change challenges data used by scientists to assess arid states of U.S. West
By Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times
Published: June 15, 2024, 6:05am
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Saline brine and salt sediments on Owens Lake in February in Lone Pine, California. Winter storms have helped to revive Owens Lake more than a century after its inflows were diverted to the Los Angeles Aqueduct. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS) (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)Photo Gallery
LOS ANGELES — Known for its glowing swaths of yellow, orange and red, the U.S. Drought Monitor has warned farmers, residents and officials throughout the nation of impending water scarcity every week since 1999.
Backed by data on soil moisture, temperature, snow cover, meltwater runoff, reservoir levels and more, the map has become an essential instrument for determining the outlook of water supplies, declaring drought emergencies and deciding where and when government aid should be distributed, among other things.
