Fears of Dry Winter Intensify With La Niña
The Albuquerque Journal covered IoES Director Glen MacDonald's new drought study.
Lake Mead. Photo credit: Glen MacDonaldBeyond La Niña, in the equatorial Pacific, researchers like MacDonald have been watching two other large-scale ocean patterns that also seen to have their own influences on North American droughts.
One is a long-term, persistent pattern of warmer water in the north Pacific. The second involves vast stretches of warm water in the north Atlantic. This year, they all seem to be lined up alongside La Niña, ganging up in a worst case scenario for drought in the Southwest, stated MacDonald.
When all three are in sync, according to MacDonald, "the propensity for drought indeed extends east from California right across your region to Texas."
To read the full article by Reporter John Fleck click here.
Published: Thursday, October 21, 2010
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