Many folks living on the Great Plains to develop “dust pneumonia.” Photo Courtesy Ken JamesBloombergGetty ImagesAll of this said if droughts equate to dry weather that persists over time then following that logic megadroughts are extensive dry periods meaning that the extreme dryness associated with megadroughts persists for decades. “Within that period there may be occasional better wet years but the respite is brief” The New York Times reports. “The dryness soon returns and drought maintains its longterm grip.”According to Smithsonian Magazine.
Only four major megadroughts have previously occurred in the American West over Belize WhatsApp Number the last 1200 years. Reportedly the first megadrought occurred during the 800s and was followed by similar periods of extensive and extreme dryness in the mid11oos 1200s and 1500s. If history is any guide we’re due for another megadrought. However since the late 1800s — which is when the Industrial Revolution kicked into full gear — our impact on the planet has led to a megadrought that may have even more devastating and lasting consequences. The Current CrisisLike megadroughts of the past.
The current one overtaking the western United States — and much of the Southwest in particular — was driven partly by natural changes and fluctuations but there’s no denying that human contributions to climate change have exacerbated the problem. “Global warming has pushed what would have been a moderate drought in southwestern North America into megadrought territory” a 2020 study published in Science notes. For this project researchers studied the rings of ancient trees to understand the past climate of western America — though soil moisture among other indicators also played a part.Jason Smerdon a paleoclimatologist at