By Paul Homewood
https://www.energycentral.com/c/ec/dust-storm-marks-beginning-southwests-permanent-drought
In 2011, Joe Romm assured us that a dust storm marked the beginning of the Southwest’s permanent drought.
Back in the real world, after that brief blip, precipitation there has returned to perfectly normal levels:
Meanwhile a new paper has reconstructed New Mexico’s hydroclimate going back to 500BC. This puts the 21stC drought into perspective:
OliverHarleyMaxwell19-April30-2500Yrs-HydroClimateVar-NewMexico
It is evident that long and severe megadroughts have been commonplace. As the authors say:
Since ca. 500 BCE, over 50 drought events have surpassed the severity
of recent 21st century conditions
Settled science!
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