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