The historic drought in the U.S. Southwest is not a passing crisis, but the story of things to come, according to , lead author of a report on the drought for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The NOAA report found that an unprecedented, but likely natural, string of low rain and snow seasons since January 2020 triggered the drought. But high temperatures from global warming made the drought worse than it would have been in a cooler climate.
鈥淭he report tells us that this drought has a human fingerprint, the outlines of which will become clearer as the region slides further toward aridity,鈥 says Mankin, an assistant professor of geography and co-lead of NOAA鈥檚 Drought Task Force.
Mankin and his co-authors found that drought recovery will take several wet and cold years of rain and snow, suggesting that it will not end soon.
鈥淭his drought is exceptional relative to our historical climate,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut not to the one we continue to commit ourselves to with each additional ton of carbon dioxide we emit.鈥
The NOAA report documents the magnitude, causes, and projected future of the ongoing drought, which has already caused impacts in the tens of billions of dollars.
Mankin says that he hopes the research team鈥檚 work will help guide public response to the drought.
鈥淓nsuring the Southwest鈥檚 resilience to droughts like this one is key to ensure the entire country鈥檚 resilience to wider climate impacts,鈥 he says.
