Publication: New Scientist

UCLA Expert: Park Williams: Associate Professor and Climate Hydrologist, Department of Geography

Synopsis: Human-caused climate change is making droughts more severe — and could shift some regions of North America into permanent drought conditions. 

UCLA News: “As you warm the air, the air’s demand for water increases,” Williams said. Warmer air can hold more moisture, meaning less water is left in waterways or the soil. In previous work, Williams and his colleagues found that human-caused climate change accounted for about 46% of the severity of the current megadrought in southwestern North America. They concluded that warming contributed to the drought mainly by drying out soil and reducing the amount of precipitation falling as snow, leaving less snowpack to provide a reservoir of water for the drier, warmer months.

Read more at New Scientist.