A Blessing and a Challenge: Atmospheric River Storms in California

A series of “atmospheric river” storms have brought thirst-quenching rain to much of California, but much of that water is contributing to high - and in some cases dangerous, as seen with the Oroville Dam - levels of runoff. In the April comment for EARTH Magazine, Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center, provides timely insight into what he calls “a blessing and a challenge for California water managers.”

Though this winter’s overabundance of precipitation has effectively ended the five-year-long drought for most of the state, it has not replenished the groundwater, meaning that drought could easily return. What can water managers do to change the system to better capture the waters from atmospheric rivers and protect communities from flooding? Read more in EARTH Magazine’s April comment, available now at EARTH online: https://www.earthmagazine.org

The April issue of EARTH Magazine will be out next month, but the March issue is currently available online. Read how educators in Mongolia are exposing children to the science and wonder of paleontology. Or learn how one of Earth’s largest ocean currents is starting to meander, with uncertain implications for the Antarctic. For these and more captivating stories, visit EARTH online.