Are you unsure if all the hype about water and food shortages in the future is real or just?
The science is mounting and it is not any one single cause or source. You may not buy into global warming or maybe you do and just do not believe it is man caused. Either way drought is real.
As mentioned the science is mounting in favor of serious problems in coming decades for mankind’s ability to provide adequate fresh drinking water and food to the increasing billions of us on the planet.
In previous blogs I have referenced National Geographic’s April 2010 Special Issue, “Water Our Thirsty World”. They clearly believe we have a problem already in many parts of the world including parts of the United States.
A new study called, the gravity recovery and climate experiment, or GRACE shows the following.
“Combined, California's Sacramento and San Joaquin drainage basins have shed more than 30 cubic kilometers of water since late 2003, said Jay Famiglietti, UCI Earth system science professor and director of the UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling. A cubic kilometer is about 264.2 billion gallons, enough to fill 400,000 Olympic-size pools. The bulk of the loss occurred in the state's agricultural Central Valley. The Central Valley depends on irrigation from both groundwater wells and diverted surface water.
"GRACE data reveal groundwater in these basins is being pumped for irrigation at rates that are not sustainable if current trends continue," Famiglietti said. "This is leading to declining water tables, water shortages, decreasing crop sizes and continued land subsidence. The findings have major implications for the U.S. economy, as California's Central Valley is home to one-sixth of all U.S. irrigated land and the state leads the nation in agricultural production and exports."
The loss is nearly enough to fill Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir and Las Vegas Nevada’s primary water source. The Central Valley’s major source of water comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
Source: University of California - Irvine (2009, December 15). California's troubled waters: Satellite-based findings reveal significant groundwater loss in Central Valley. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 23, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214152022.htm
Next week I will be attending a luncheon in Las Vegas;
How You May be Impacted by Nevada’s Water Supply
Presentation by: Pat Mulroy
General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
I will report what she has to say about our water in Nevada.
Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951
Nevada Water Rights
Land in Nevada
Nevada Ranch Properties
Lincoln County Land Market
Mesquite NV Real Estate Market
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