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Reduced rainfall across the Amazon basin is causing large areas of forests to die, which could be amplifying drought conditions across the region.

Researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research believe that this process, known as self-amplifying forest loss, could cause a vicious circle of drought and further forest loss across the Amazon region, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

Nearly 1,000 feet below the bed of the Dead Sea, scientists have found evidence that during past warm periods, the Mideast has suffered drought on scales never recorded by humans — a possible warning for current times.

Thick layers of crystalline salt show that rainfall plummeted to as little as a fifth of modern levels some 120,000 years ago, and again about 10,000 years ago.

“All the observations show this region is one of those most affected by modern climate change, and it’s predicted to get dryer. What we showed is that even under natural conditions, it can become much drier than predicted by any of our models,” said lead author Yael Kiro, a geochemist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Snowmelt and rain are in abundance for the first time in years in Central Valley, Calif., which boasts so much farmland it helps feed much of the world. But the state’s five-year drought was so bad that all those farms sucked up enough groundwater to sink a solid three feet, thereby reducing the region’s water storage capacity, reports a new study out of Stanford University.

“California is getting all of this rain, but in the Central Valley, there has been a loss of space to store it,” says a researcher tells Courthouse News; they used satellite technology to precisely calculate the changes in elevation. “When too much water is taken out of clay, its structure is rearranged at the microscopic level and it settles into a new configuration that has less storage space.

Historic Calif. Drought Wreaked Irreversible, Bizarre Damage
Central Valley sank 3 feet—and won’t be rebounding

This subsidence represents a permanent loss in groundwater storage. Using these methods, we estimated that a permanent loss of 7.48 × 108 m3 of groundwater storage occurred during our study period. This accounted for roughly 9% of groundwater pumping in our study area. While this is just a small fraction of the total water stored underground in this area, this 'water of compaction' is an important safeguard for times of drought that, once removed, cannot be replenished.

Snowmelt and rain are in abundance for the first time in years in Central Valley, Calif., which boasts so much farmland it helps feed much of the world. But the state’s five-year drought was so bad that all those farms sucked up enough groundwater to sink a solid three feet, thereby reducing the region’s water storage capacity, reports a new study out of Stanford University.

“California is getting all of this rain, but in the Central Valley, there has been a loss of space to store it,” says a researcher tells Courthouse News; they used satellite technology to precisely calculate the changes in elevation. “When too much water is taken out of clay, its structure is rearranged at the microscopic level and it settles into a new configuration that has less storage space.

Pirates in Somalia are being driven to the seas by a devastating drought, says the top U.S. military commander in Africa.

General Thomas Waldhauser, the head of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), said food shortages in Somalia were contributing to the resurgence in piracy.

About three million Somalis face food insecurity or famine and a national disaster was declared last month.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis expressed concerns about the resurgence of Somali piracy during a visit to the American military base in Djibouti.

One reason for the increase in the attacks is famine and droughts in the region, as some of the vessels targeted were carrying food and oil, Gen Waldhauser told a press conference.

Somalia is one of four countries and over 20 million people in Africa and the Middle East identified by the United Nations as currently at risk of extreme hunger and famine.

Newfie wrote:Patience Pete. Let's see what things look like in 10-20 years.