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Decades-Long 21st Century Drought Predicted For U.S.

A buoy stands on dirt at the abandoned Echo Bay Marina in Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area, July 2014. (James Marvin Phelps/Flickr)
A buoy stands on dirt at the abandoned Echo Bay Marina in Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area, July 2014. (James Marvin Phelps/Flickr)

California and the Southwest are entering the fourth year of drought conditions. This is what scientists call a normal drought that occurs naturally and only lasts a few years.

But a new study published in the journal Science Advances says the U.S. will experience a “megadrought” that will go on for decades in the latter part of the 21st century (2050–2099).

What is the cause of the drought and how will it have? Here & Now’s Robin Young speaks with co-author of the report, Benjamin Cook of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

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