On Thursday, scientists claimed that the California drought was being intensified by global warming by up to 27 percent, with an unfavorable forecast for the future, according to The New York Times. Although the drought is part of a natural climate variant, California's chances for severe droughts have doubled over the course of a century.
Climate scientist A. Park Williams of Columbia University published a peer reviewed research letter, Contribution of Anthropogenic Warming to California Drought during 2012-2014, which took note of the different variables in California's drought history and why certain periods stood out among others.
"A lot of people think that the amount of rain that falls out the sky is the only thing that matters," said Williams. "But warming changes the baseline amount of water that's available to us, because it sends water back into the sky."
Central Valley has land that is so dry that farmers are having to drill deep into the soil just to find enough water to irrigate their crops, according to The Washington Post.
Irrigation is a bit of a double-edged sword, as it provides moisture that cools the air and offsets heat. However, critics claim that over irrigation causes states to lose their artificial moisture, making the air even hotter. Parched earth combined with lightening strikes have caused wildfires all over California.
The fires are so abundant and severe that the smoke can be seen from space, according to Space.com.
