Inching Out of Drought
In early January, 2017, California experienced heavy, week-long winter rains. Some areas in Northern California received up to 21 inches of rain and powerful winds. Residents across the state welcomed the rain, heralding it as the jolt needed to refill the state’s reservoirs that dropped to record-low levels throughout California during the five-year drought.
If we dig into satellite records, it’s easy to see the drought reflected in California’s reservoirs. See how the water levels in Lake Shasta, one of the the state’s largest reservoirs, changed throughout the drought, reaching record lows in 2014:
After California’s most recent rains, data shows a significant influx of water to Lake Shasta. We can see evidence of this inflow in satellite imagery— watch water levels rise over just one month:
In this resolution, we can see that the Shasta Dam’s spillway was opened, letting water from the dammed lake flow freely into the Sacramento River.
Further south, smaller rivers began to flood. Near-infrared satellite imagery of Sonoma County, California throws flooding into sharp relief:
The red color of the imagery indicates chlorophyll levels in plant life, contrasting with the pale green water that overtopped the banks of Mark West Creek and flooded neighboring vineyards.
These rains and floods, however, are only temporary. The health of California’s water system depends on long-term snowpack, where a large portion of the state’s water reserves are stored. And snowpack is acutely affected by warming temperature trends. As snow falls, reservoirs fill, spillways open, and fields flood, regular satellite monitoring can help researchers and governments document progress from above. Learn more about state-wide resource monitoring from space.
