The California Drought

The California Drought — page 7
Defining drought is also a matter of context What may be considered a drought in one area may be considered normal in another As a result drought can also be defined as an extended period of time over which less than average amounts of precipitation fall in a given area Some definitions also describe drought as a water shortage which is when a lack of water begins to negatively impact people crops and the environment DROUGHT MONITOR The US Drought Monitor is a weekly-updated map of drought conditions across the nation and Puerto Rico The map is created jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the US Department of Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska Lincoln The monitor communicates drought conditions to the public including policy makers in the government The map shows drought conditions using several categories of drought intensity abnormally dry moderate drought severe drought extreme drought and exceptional drought In September 2016 the map of California indicated abnormally dry conditions or worse across the entire state with the southern half experiencing extreme or exceptional conditions Scientists at the US Geological Survey have classified different types of droughts in an effort to better define the phenomena Meteorological droughts are characterized by a lack of rain or other precipitation An agricultural drought occurs when there is little to no soil moisture Finally a hydrological drought refers to times when the flow of streams and rivers is lowered and the levels of groundwater are reduced The National Drought Mitigation Center lists two more types socioeconomic and environmental droughts Socioeconomic drought occurs when a lack of water affects the delivery of goods and services Environmental drought refers to an extended period of a lack of moisture that begins to negatively impact ecosystems 10