News Climate

California drought worst in at least 1,200 years

Tree rings reveal historical Golden State rainfall

Mojave

PARCHED PARADISE  California’s current drought is the worst in more than a millennium, a new record of blue oak tree rings suggests.

D. Griffin

By Thomas Sumner

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Climate

  1. image of Getz Ice Sheet in Antarctica
    Climate

    Collapse may not always be inevitable for marine ice cliffs

    By Sid Perkins
  2. person walking by an electronic sign in Phoenix that reads 122 degrees and 6:27pm
    Climate

    The last 30 years were the hottest on record for the United States

    By Carolyn Gramling
  3. tree trunks in shallow water
    Climate

    ‘Tree farts’ contribute about a fifth of greenhouse gases from ghost forests

    By Maria Temming
  4. smoke billows up behind a row of trees
    Climate

    ‘Zombie’ forest fires may become more common with climate change

    By Jonathan Lambert
  5. People hold up a poster that reads, "Earth needs thinkers not deniers"
    Climate

    Climate change disinformation is evolving. So are efforts to fight back

    By Carolyn Gramling
  6. image of the Gwydir River
    Climate

    Rivers might not be as resilient to drought as once thought

    By Carolyn Gramling
  7. Mangrove trees in Mexico's Cristalino Cenote
    Climate

    Mangrove forests on the Yucatan Peninsula store record amounts of carbon

    By Carolyn Gramling
  8. Tengchong Yunnan hot springs in China
    Microbes

    These climate-friendly microbes recycle carbon without producing methane

    By Carolyn Gramling

From the Nature Index

Paid Content