Thursday Top of the Scroll: Scientists find the Colorado River was blighted by a worse drought in the 2nd century
While the current drought afflicting the Colorado River Basin is the worst since federal scientists began keeping records, a new study using paleoclimatic data discovers it is not the worst drought in the region’s recent geological history. Researchers at the Bureau of Reclamation published the study Thursday in Geophysical Research Letters, a peer-reviewed geoscience journal. They used paleoclimatic evidence like tree rings and indicators in bogs and caves to reconstruct stream flows; the researchers found evidence of a devastating drought that struck the Colorado River Basin in the second century.
Related article:
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: New study finds extreme, severe drought impacting the upper Colorado River basin in the second century