California and the Drought JordanVick
Purpose:ToshowhowthecurrentCaliforniadroughthasincreasedtheeffectofac8onsofhumansinCaliforniaintherecentAnthropoceneandiscurrentlyshapingmajorgeologicalaspectsinarapid8mespan.
Otheraspects:HumansoverminingofGroundwaterreservoirsHumansUseofFrackingintheStateanditseffectsDammingriversandlakesBiologicaleffects
hGp://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/lake-tahoe.aspx#axzz44XfZ0xAu
OverviewofCalifornia’sWater
About60%oftheprecipita8oninCaliforniacomesfromseasonalrainsorsnowfallintheSierraNevadaandthesouthernCascadeRange(SierraNevadaConservancy,2011)
Mostprominentbodiesofwaterareusedheavilyforagriculture,energy,ordomes8cuse.
Theamountofsurfacewaterisnotenoughtosupportthelargepopula8onofthestate.Sotherestoftheneededwateristakenfromundergroundwaterreservoirsorgroundwater.
Use of ground water through the years
• Sincethe1990’sCalifornia’suseofgroundwaterhasbeensteadilyincreasing.• Morethan40%totalannualgroundwaterusedduringthedroughthasgonetoagricultureintheSacramentoandCentralvalleys• WaterhasbeenpumpedfromCalifornia'sCentralValleyformorethan150years,changingwhatusedtobeamarshandextensivelake,TulareLake,intofer8leagriculturalfields.• Inthat8me,about160cubickilometers(40cubicmiles)ofwaterwasremoved--thecapacityofLakeTahoe--droppingthewatertableinsomeareasmorethan120meters(400feet)andthegroundsurface5meters(16feet)ormore.
hGp://www.nature.com/news/water-and-climate-recognize-anthropogenic-drought-1.18220
Why is groundwater important?
• Groundwaterisunderneaththeearth’scrustandactsasawaytoholddownthecrustfrompoppingupandrising.• Thisiscalleda“rebound”.• WithoutreservesofgroundwaterthemountainrangeoftheSierraNevadawouldrisebyasmuchas15millimeters(.6inches)inthepast18months• Inthepast150yearstheSierrashasrisenabout6inches.
The Sierras are moving?
DuetothediminishingamountofgroundwaterreservesitallowsthecrustthatmakesupthemountainrangetomoveIfcon8nuestobeuncheckedinseveraldecadesitcouldhaveaprofoundeffectontheenvironmentinthesierrasaswellastherestofCalifornia.
Plantlifecouldbeeffected.RiverscomingfromtheSierraNevadascouldbedras8callychangedalsoeffec8ngmountainecosystems
No8cethemostwaterconsumedisintheValleyregions.
Just how bad is the drought? FolsomLake
hGp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar8cle-2567911/NASA-turns-research-California-drought.html
LakeMeadWhichisinNevadabutprovidesmuchneededwatertoSouthernCalifornia Normalwater
level
Currentwaterlevel
hGp://voices.na8onalgeographic.com/2014/07/30/groundwater-deple8on-in-colorado-river-basin-adds-big-risks-to-water-security/
It also effects the Mountains as well
2012SkiSeason2015SkiSeason
How do they get groundwater?
• Theymineforitinaverysimilarwayyouwouldgetoiloutoftheground.• Thiswayofgekngwatercausesministressesonthegroundandvariousnearbyfaultlines.• Theseministressescouldveryeasilyaccordingtoseveralstudiestriggeraminiquakeandevenalargerearthquake.• Thishasonlybecomeaconcernduetotheincreaseinneedtogetmoregroundwater.
hGps://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=131393
Other aspects of Anthropocene due to Drought
• FrackinghasalsobeenproventocausesimilarministressesonfaultlinebutinalargerscalethisiscalledInducedSeismicity.• InducedSeismicityiswhenwaterispumpedintothegroundwhichcausesaddedpressureofinjectedwaterlubricatesexis8ngfaults,whichcanseparatethemenoughtoreleasetheenergythatcausestremors.• Frackingandgroundwaterextrac8ontogethercouldtriggeralargerearthquakealonganearfaultline.
Humans effects on California water
• Californiahastheoneofthemostengineeredanddiversifiedwatersystems,includingsixaqueductnetworksmorethan2,000kilometerslongandinexcessof1,400dams.• Thesedamnsandirriga8onsystemsgreatlyimpactsthemigra8oncycleoflocalfishlikesalmontrout,anddeltasmelt• increasedgroundwaterextrac8onlowersthebaseflowsofrivers,streamsandpools.Poolnetworksbecomedisconnectedandfoodwebsarebroken.• IntermiGentstreams,whichproviderearingandbreedinghabitatsforriverbiota,areespeciallyvulnerabletodrought.
hGp://www.nature.com/news/water-and-climate-recognize-anthropogenic-drought-1.18220
More pictures!!!
hGp://www.nature.com/news/water-and-climate-recognize-anthropogenic-drought-1.18220hGp://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/04/daily-chart-10