California has been experiencing a drought since 2012, which is the worst that has been recorded in the last century. But how does it compare to droughts that occurred before human weather records? Though droughts in California aren’t particularly rare, a recent study has found that this drought is the most intense that has occurred in the area over the last 1,200 years. The research was performed by Daniel Griffin and Kevin Anchukaitis of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and their paper was published in Geophysical Research Letters.
In order to get a historical record of precipitation in central and southern California, the WHOI team took core samples of blue oak trees in order to examine the tree rings. During times of plentiful rain, the trees took up a great deal of water, leading to wider rings. When drought conditions occurred, the rings were very small and narrow. Luckily, the trees are hardy enough to survive very tough conditions in order to make this analysis possible.
“California’s old blue oaks are as close to nature’s rain gauges as we get,” Griffin said in a press release. “They thrive in some of the driest environments where trees can grow in California.”
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STORY:http://www.iflscience.com/environment/california-s-drought-likely-worst-1200-years