Is Drought the New Normal for the Western U.S.?

Drought has no singular definition, but it seems that the standard for rainfall is changing in some places. Learn what that means in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/western-us-drought-news.htm

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, there's a historic drought gripping
the Western United States. Forecasts for wildfires, water shortages, and
bone dry riverbeds abound, and it could impact life far
outside the region where it's happening. So today, let's talk

(00:25):
about how drought works. Let's start with the basics. What
is a drought? Though it may seem straightforward, it can
be difficult to boil down to a simple definition. There's
no magic number, be it inches of rainfall or water level,
that signals when a drought begins or ends. For the article,
this episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke with

(00:47):
Stephanie McAfee, an applied klimatologist at the University of Nevada Arenow.
She said, drought can mean different things in different places.
It can actually even mean different things to different people
in the same place. But like many in her field,
McAfee ascribes to a definition coined by the late climate
researcher Kelly Redmond. Drought is quote insufficient water to meet needs.

(01:14):
By most accounts, The current drought in the Western United
States has been ongoing since the early two thousand's. While
it might not be the longest drought the region has
ever seen, one in the twelve hundreds lasted more than
a century, it's one of the most severe. Water levels
in the Colorado Basin and Lake Mead have hit new loads,
and Las Vegas didn't see rain for a record breaking

(01:37):
two hundred and forty days between April and December of
The drought has gone on long enough that climatologists are
considering new terminology for it. Some have proposed labeling it
a mega drought to convey the scope of the situation.
Others argue that the Mega drought moniker still doesn't do
this event. Justice McAfee said something that we might be

(01:59):
looking at is actually more like a ritification. A ritification
occurs when a region becomes permanently drier. In other words,
it marks a shift in the baseline for the amount
of water that's considered normal. As the effects of climate
change play out, it seems that less rainfall in the
Western United States might become the standard. So since it's

(02:23):
becoming increasingly common, what are some of the dangers associated
with severe drought. One of the most obvious risks is wildfire.
We saw a series of devastating fires along the West coast,
in particularly in California. This year. Some areas of the
Golden State have received as little as eleven percent of

(02:43):
their typical rainfall to date, which could spark even worse
burns than last year as the summer progresses. Another concern
is food production. Agriculture is incredibly important to the economies
of many Western states, including California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona.
Common crops in these states, like almonds, wheat, avocados, and apples,

(03:05):
require lots of water to grow well, which could lead
to shortages of those crops in times of drought. That's
devastating to those states economies. And then there's ranching with
less rainfall in states like New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona.
Ordinarily lush grazing lands for animals like cattle have suffered.

(03:25):
It's contributed to a worldwide deficit in livestock feed. But
it's important to remember that drought isn't just a West
Coast thing. Other areas are in the midst of their
own droughts. How Stuff Works also spoke with Curtis Roganti,
an atmospheric scientist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at
the University of Nebraska. He said, I've been getting reports

(03:47):
of crops struggling in parts of the Upper Midwest. Northern Iowa, Minnesota,
parts of Michigan, and then even up into parts of
New England are all experiencing various levels of drought right now,
and that means everyone across the US can expect to
feel the effects of Western drought as it continues to
ripple across the rest of the country. For example, last

(04:08):
year California wildfire smoke made it as far east as
New York City in Boston and potentially even impacted air
quality in the Netherlands. On the economic side, smaller crop
yields out of the West would likely drive up produce
prices nationwide. Despite our best efforts, human beings can't control
the weather yet, but there are things we can all

(04:31):
do to help mitigate the effects of drought. First, don't
waste water. Water conservation is crucial to easing drought stress
if you live in a drought prone area. Simple things
like turning off the water when you brush your teeth,
taking a shower instead of a bath, or watering your
plants at night to reduce evaporation. All help save precious

(04:51):
h Two. Another one of the best ways to save
water is to save electricity. It takes about fifteen gallons
that's arounds of water in the form of coolant or
steam to generate a single kill abott hour of power. Second,
pay attention to fire safety. Ragante said, if there's a
campfire band in national forests, don't light a camp fire,

(05:14):
and if you're not allowed to shoot off fireworks, don't. Third,
think about switching up your landscaping. Planting drought tolerant species
like aloe, lavender, or cacti can greatly reduce your lawn's
water needs. Having a less thirsty lawn means you'll have
fewer thirsty people and it can look beautiful as well.

(05:35):
Another trick, mulching and composting, helped keep soil wetter for
longer and can even produce a cooling effect on the
surrounding environment. Finally, if you live outside of a drought zone,
consider buying less water intensive foods. That could mean switching
to oat milk instead of almond milk, buying watermelon instead
of apples, or opting for a chicken instead of burgers

(05:57):
at your next summer cookout. None of this will fix
the drought, but these measures, taken together, along with holding
large corporations accountable for the choices that they make too,
can reduce the risk that drought poses to many people.

(06:17):
Today's episode is based on the article scientists warn Western
u s drought could be new normal on houstaff works
dot com, written by Joanna Thompson. Brain Stuff is production
of Our Heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot
com and is produced by Tyler Playing. Four more podcasts
by heart Radio. Visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.