Concentrated Rain Worsens Drought, Study Finds
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- Justin Mankin and Corey Lesk published a study in Nature showing that concentrated precipitation overwhelms soils, increasing surface water evaporation and reducing water available for rivers and reservoirs
- The Amazon and American West have experienced some of the highest rates of precipitation concentration since 1980, according to analysis of global rainfall and snowfall patterns by Mankin and Lesk
- Bryan Shuman, a paleoclimatology professor not involved in the study, endorsed the findings, stating the observed patterns are based on direct data and simulations, not speculative models
- River basins in the American West are drying under a megadrought, exacerbated by shifts in precipitation timing and intensity, even if annual totals haven't declined
- Existing water infrastructure in the American West may be maladapted to climate-driven changes, as dams and canals rely on predictable snowmelt and steady runoff now disrupted by intense, infrequent storms
Why it matters: Water managers in the American West and Amazon face increasing aridity despite stable rainfall totals, meaning current infrastructure and allocation agreements risk delivering less usable water over time. This shift undermines the reliability of century-old systems built for consistent hydrological patterns.
