The California Drought
Withering, Anhydrous, troublesome, enemy, risk.
TAKE ACTION
What are the primary causes of the drought?
Primary causes of the California drought are a pattern of warm ocean temperatures, natural conditions, and a buildup of heat trapping gases in the atmosphere. The drought was most likely set off by La NiƱa- a pattern of cooler than normal ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific. Climate change and atmospheric conditions play a prodigious sum of the role in the ongoing duration of the California drought.
Don't believe us? Maybe these photos will convince you.
Laguna Lake, San Luis Obispo, California
San Jose, California
Palo Alto, California
What policies has the California State Government put into place to address the drought issue?
On December 17th, 2013, California governor, Jerry Brown declared a state of drought emergency, announcing the lowest total rainfall in the state's 163- year history and asking residents to voluntarily reduce their water usage.
What are the experts saying about the drought?
"One simple modeling exercise in our study indicates that the record high temperatures could have exacerbated the 2012-2014 drought by approximately 36 percent."- Richard Seager, Climate model specialist at Columbia University.
"Multi-year droughts appear regularly in the state's climate record, and it's a safe bet that a similar event will happen again."- Richard Seager.
How Should YOU take action?
Preserve water--inside and outside of your home!
For example, turning off your faucets when you're not using it or taking shorter showers!
Raise Awareness!
Read or create your own public service announcement to get the word out!
Feed your extra water to the plants!
Don't throw away water you're not drinking! Feed it to the plants who need it the most!
Responses?
The public has responded by taking action. Raising awareness for the preservation of water has skyrocketed-- Californians are participating in various relief efforts such as creating public service announcements telling the world what they do to preserve water.