Guest speaker discusses possibility of megadrought

The West may be due for a century-long megadrought, according to a climate scientist.

“Patterns tend to repeat themselves,” said Lynn Ingram, a professor in the Earth, Planetary Science and Geography Department at the University of California, Berkeley. “Megadroughts have happened in the past, and we can expect them to happen again.”

Ingram spoke about climate change to students and researchers in the Eccles Conference Center on Wednesday as a part of the ongoing 2015 USU Natural Resources Week. The week is themed “Protect Water, Protect Life” because it coincided with the annual Spring Runoff Conference, an event where water resource professionals and researchers focused on water-related issues.

Ingram spoke at length about the history of climate change in the West.

“Here we are looking at periods of warming and cooling in the past and the impact they had on water resources and human societies,” Ingram said. “This can be useful in terms of predicting the future.”

Over 70 percent of the West is in a state of drought, which can lead to problems with irrigation and forest fires, according to Ingram.

For these reasons, Ingram emphasized the importance of preparation.

“Preparations for a recurrence of prolonged drought or flooding today are lacking and the potential losses are catastrophic,” she said.

Ingram ended her speech by answering questions from students and researchers.

“This was an important talk because it’s a discussion we need to have,” said Eliza Browning, a student who attended the speech. “Sometimes we forget that water is a finite resource.”

More information about Ingram’s work can be found at http://eps.berkeley.edu/people/lynn-ingram.