DROUGHTS What is it?

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply whether surface or underground water. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. How it happens? Droughts are caused by lack of rain over a long period of time. If rain does occur it usually isn't enough for the ground to absorb before it is evaporated again. Plants and animals need water to survive, so if there is not enough water they will eventually die from thirst and dehydration. Water is one of the main ingredients in the food chain, for example: If a plant dies from lack of water then the animal that eats that plant will also die, the cycle will then continue to die out. Its effect Because drought is to dry and hot plants cannot survive without water and animals cannot survive without plants, water and other living creatures. So drought has a great effect on the food chain. If a drought is really long, measures are taken to help save the water. When a drought is that bad drastic measures such as never washing your car or only having one shower per day are not much fun and can sometimes lead to uncleanly environments which can cause bacterial related diseases and infections. Types of drought Meteorological drought is brought about when there is a prolonged period with less than average precipitation. Meteorological drought usually precedes the other kinds of drought. Agricultural droughts are droughts that affect crop production or the ecology of the range. This condition can also arise independently from any change in precipitation levels when soil conditions and erosion triggered by poorly planned agricultural endeavors cause a shortfall in water available to the crops. However, in a traditional drought, it is caused by an extended period of below average precipitation. Hydrological drought is brought about when the water reserves available in sources such as aquifers, lakes and reservoirs fall below the statistical average. Hydrological drought tends to show up more slowly because it involves stored water that is used but not replenished. Like an agricultural drought, this can be triggered by more than just a loss of rainfall. Where can you find them? Angola, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Swazi, Tanzania, Uganda, Djibouti in Africa, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Nepal, Syria, Tajikistan in Asia, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, USA, Canada, in America and Australia in Oceania.

The Dust Bowl Also called the Great Drought, is synonymous with the 1930s and the central plains of the United States. The drought itself extended from 1934 to 1941 and affected two-thirds of the country, from the Rockies to the Appalachians. Two of the driest years on record in the U.S., 1934 and 1936, occurred during this time. The dust was the rich Great Plains topsoil that had dried and was picked up by strong surface winds, some of it blowing all the way to the East Coast. The term "Dust Bowl" referred to the area of eastern Colorado and New Mexico, west Texas, and most of Oklahoma, and Kansas. On April 14, 1935, a dust storm engulfed Stratford, Texas, and actually suffocated some residents. The day was referred to as "Black Sunday." During the summer of 1936, at least four major dust storms swept the central Great Plains. Poor ranching and agricultural practices, the below normal rainfall, along with very high temperatures and strong winds, all contributed to the "Dust Bowl."