Water Loss in California's Central Valley 30 cubic kilometers since 2003

[Ichingcarpenter]

Nasa satellites have weighed the water lost by the US State of California's heartland since 2003.

The Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins which support the highly productive Central Valley have shed over 30 cubic km of water in that time.
The data comes from the Grace mission which detects changes in gravity caused by water as it cycles between the sea, the atmosphere and the land.
It illustrates the impact of a drought but also excessive irrigation use.

It is big issue because of California's importance to food production in the US.
Its Central Valley is one of the major agricultural regions in the world.
It grows more than 250 different crops, accounting for a little under a tenth of all the food produced in the US by value. But the Central Valley also accounts for about a sixth of all the irrigated land in the US, making the region the second most pumped aquifer in America.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8414252.stm

That's 30 kilometers high, 30 kilometers long and wide.

[tularetom]

1. Not hard to believe if you've lived here awhile

When I was a kid I delivered propane to some of the farmers in the south valley. Would have been in the late 50's. There's been 30 feet of subsidence since then in some places. There's a long history of flat out stupid pumping and irrigation practices for over 50 years and now they want to use their past mistakes to justify more dams.

It's the same old story of water projects in California playing out once again. Capitalize on a drought to scare the crap out of the voters to get them to support water bonds to build more impoundments canals and pipelines.

Forget it Jake it's Chinatown.

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. Its hard to believe that how much food that valley produces

And what that really meanes for the US and the planet


EdtIed on a iphone

[Canuckistanian]

3. That's an astounding amount of water

Even for 6 years worth.

Sounds like California has some serious decisions to make. 80 years of mismanagement is finally catching up to them.

It's against nature for millions of people to exist on such an artificial system of dams, reservoirs, canals and pipelines. And with a rapidly changing climate, it's simply not sustainable in the long run.

Something's got to change.