drought

Sheppard, PR, Comrie AC, Packin GD, Angersbach K, Hughes MK.  2002.  The climate of the US Southwest. Climate Research. 21:219-238.

Hoerling, M, Webb RS, Ray AJ, Doesken N, Bradley U., Barsugli JJ, Averyt KB, Wolter K.  2008.  Colorado Climate Change: A Synthesis to Support Water Resource Management and Adaptation. :58.

April 22, 2009 | University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ | Event Web site

Tucson will host a “Spotlight Conversation on Climate Action” as part of an elite group of 10 communities that were selected by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability to be highlighted nationally. This event is part of the National Conversation on Climate Action series of local-level community engagement events taking place nationwide on Earth Day.

April 21, 2009 | 2nd Flr, 3550 N Central Ave, Phoenix, Arizona | Event Web site

The next Governor's Drought Task Force Interagency Coordinating Group meeting will be held on April 21, 2009. During the meeting, you will hear water supply updates on the Salt and Verde watersheds and Colorado River Basin and an update from the State Drought Monitoring Technical Committee.

March 26, 2009 - March 27, 2009 | San Diego, California | Event Web site

This conference will bring together representatives from the U.S.-Mexican border states, federal officials, local water agencies and academia to discuss drought in the border area, including climatic drivers, the outlook for improving climate forecasting skills, the possibility of long-term drying trends in the region, and Colorado River Basin/Rio Grande Basin drought management activities.

May 4, 2009 - May 6, 2009 | Anchorage, Alaska | Event Web site

Meeting topics will include meeting future water-supply needs, drought and flood co-management, ecosystem impacts, and water-management challenges.

March 5, 2009 - March 6, 2009 | México City, D.F., México | Event Web site

The CHANGE workshop is a first step towards creating a knowledge exchange network between academic researchers and experts from non-governmental organizations. Knowledge from CHANGE will be communicated to policy-makers working on issues related to water stress, drought impacts, adaptation to changing water regimes due to climate and land use changes, and monitoring water-related issues.

The drop in visits during July 2002 coincides with extreme drought and wildfire events in the area.

Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico, 2003. Bathtub rings show higher lake levels from previous years. Drought and reduced streamflow from the Rio Grande in the early 2000s caused the water level to drop, along with a reduction in recreational visits.

The peak intensity of the drought that began in the late 1990s occurred in 2002 and 2003. Using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor maps archive this figure shows how the drought affected the entire Southwest. Extreme drought conditions very likely extended well into Mexico despite lack of data available to the U.S. Drought Monitor at that time.