Earlier in the semester I posted about the severity of California’s water crisis and the measures the state’s governor had made to mitigate it. Last year the snow pack in the Sierra, which comprises nearly a 3rd of CA’s water source, was a mere 5% of the average. This year, thanks to the strong El Nino in the eastern Pacific, the snowpack was up to 87% of the average. [1] This seems at first glance to be a great improvement, and as though it could significantly aid Californian’s in their need for water. However, this is not necessarily the case for several reasons, which are enumerated in the article from the New York Times cited below. First and foremost, the majority of this snowpack is unlikely to be of help to the southern half of the state, which is typically drier to begin with. Second, as global warming progresses we are seeing higher proportions of the winter precipitation falling in liquid form as opposed to snow, causing more to run off quickly rather than be released slowly during spring time melting. Lastly, and coincident with my project topic for another class, the decrease in natural wildfires has lead to an average of 500% increase in trees per acre, which diminishes the water supply both through uptake for growing and proximate melting from the heat they give off. The primary message I took from this article was that despite having significantly more snowpack this year compared to last, Californians cannot afford to relax their water saving strategies in the face of global warming.

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/science/california-snow-drought-sierra-nevada-water.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0