Drought Plagues Globe
B. McPherson Many parts of the globe are facing another season of exceptional drought. Crops have failed in Argentina, parts of the Ukraine and north and central China. Farmers in the Great Plains are facing yet another growing season with severe water shortages. NOAA is predicting another year of above normal temperatures and lower rainfall again this year. Some of the drought may be relieved in the east, but is expected to continue in the mid-west and spread to California and southern Oregon. The Hawaiian Islands are also experiencing a continuation of drought conditions. No area of the world seems to be immune from changing precipitation – from Greenland to South Africa. At the same time the world’s reserves of ground water, some laid down thousands of years ago are being depleted faster than they can be recharged. Global climate is changing and along with warming is a change in precipitation patterns. Argentina is currently coping with torre...