Precipitation has been dropping significantly since 1976 for portions of North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
The well-known Dustbowl of the mid-1930’s may not have been an anomaly. In fact, significant drops in precipitation are creating fears that another similar tragedy may be in the making.
Additionally, those areas that are traditionally thought of as deserts or arid areas may not be the ones most seriously affected. Studies show that far northeastern Canada, north central United States (including certain areas around the Great Lakes), large portions of British Columbia and even Alaska are showing dramatic drops in precipitation.
Far northeastern Canada may be facing the most serious precipitation decreases. Some areas there are receiving rapidly declining precipitation in the last three decades. The decreases range from -2 to -15 inches annually, a significant reduction.
In addition to the areas already mentioned, certain portions of the Amazon Basin, locations in eastern Mexico, parts of southwestern U.S. (expected); much of southern Europe (essentially Spain, Portugal, southeastern Franch and northwestern Italy), and great areas of Asia and Africa, including the lush tropical sub-Sahara regions are experiencing significant decreases in precipitation.
This dramatic worldwide precipitation decrease could be the harbinger of another, more pervasive dustbowl, one which encompasses the entire planet.
It doesn’t appear that the reductions are slowing down. On the contrary, the decreases are measured on an annual basis.
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