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All Sunshine, No Rainbows

A rainbow over a desert (MacKerrow, 2021)

A Drought Prevention Organization Informational Piece

Kyle Gramer
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Contents
Abstract 3
How Droughts Impact the Natural Status Quo 3
Damage to Natural Environments 3
Wildfires 3
Economic Drains 4
UV Radiation 5
How Water Can Be Used More Responsibly 6
Why Water Use Reduction Is Crucial 6
Conclusion 7
References 8
Figures
Figure 1 4
Figure 2 5
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Abstract
A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in an area. From rainforests to deserts, any
biome can experience a drought so long as less rainfall, snowfall, etc. is occurring than normal.
Droughts can be caused by natural factors, but human intervention exacerbates these factors
and makes them more common than they would be otherwise. Some human habits such as
over-irrigation, over-farming, and deforestation can accelerate the start of a drought, or
prolong ongoing droughts (Sen Nag, 2018). Water is crucial to all forms of life, and a drought
harms the process of water permeating through an environment with the water cycle. Some
negative effects of droughts are food shortages, declining animal populations, increased fire
risk, increased UV radiation reaching the earth, and economic damages. Droughts are also
caused by meteorological changes, something humans have also impacted with global
warming. Global warming will not be discussed in detail in this white paper, but it is important
to note how intertwined it is with droughts and their effects. Global warming is a larger issue
that is caused by many things humans have done over the last 100+ years, and droughts are
just a small part of these issues. A major solution to these problems lies in widespread water
conservation efforts. This takes the form of better farming practices, and more relevantly, the
public managing their own water usage. If every household can save just one gallon of water
each day, it would make a massive difference.

How Droughts Impact the Natural Status Quo

Damage to Natural Environments
A lack of precipitation in an area causes damage to plants. Without proper hydration, these
plants wither away, and remove a food source for local wildlife. This lack of food and drinking
water causes animals to migrate to other locations and interact with humans and their places of
living (Smith, 2014). This will also lead carnivores and predators out of these damaged
environments where they may attack local pets. Plants also help to keep soil healthy. From
dehydration, deforestation, and wildfires, soil is damaged and will take time to recover once
precipitation returns. An extreme example of this was the Dust Bowl in 1930’s America. Poor
farming habits and drought combined caused many dust storms all over the plains of the United
States, causing damage to homes and forcing migrations. It took years for the land to recover.

Wildfires
As plants can be damaged by wildfires, they are also the tinder for these exact fires. Drought
conditions can increase an area’s susceptibility to wildfires. “Dry, hot, and windy weather
combined with dried out (and more flammable) vegetation can increase the probability of
large-scale wildfires.” (Drought.gov, 2022). California and Australia have been especially subject
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to wildfires in the recent years. Global climate change and dry conditions have caused
immeasurable damage to natural and human-inhabited environments. Figure 1 below is a map
of drought conditions throughout the US and locations with active wildfires as of 6/14/2022.

Figure 1

Economic Drains
Another major impact of droughts is on the economy. Property damage from wildfires, crop
shortages, and damage to public infrastructure (Drought.gov, 2022). Money spent on farms
that did not yield crops due to drought is essentially wasted money. A reduced supply of these
crops also spikes the cost of successful crop yields. Local governments also sometimes mandate
water-conservation habits during droughts. This means that citizens are forced to limit their
water usage rather than doing it of their own accord. Clean water is a valuable resource, and it
is important that individuals should be able to use it at their own discretion, within reason.
Figure 2 below is a map of economic damages from droughts in the US since 1980.
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Figure 2

UV Radiation
One final major impact of droughts is increased UV radiation. The UV Index is a value assigned
to a location “that relates the ground-level strength of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation to
forecasted stratospheric ozone concentration, forecasted cloud amounts, and elevation of the
ground “(epa.gov, 2022). A higher UV Index indicates a higher amount of solar radiation
reaching a given area. This is relevant to droughts because reduced condensation in the
atmosphere allows more sunlight to reach an area unfiltered. UV radiation is a major factor in
risk of developing skin cancer. Skin cancer is a deadly ailment that sometimes goes unnoticed
longer than it should. Proper sun protection from clothing and sunscreen is important for
extended sun exposure, especially in an area with a high UV index. Smoke from wildfires also
damages the ozone layer which is another protector from UV radiation. The damaged ozone
layer is another way in which droughts and global warming overlap.
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How Water Can Be Used More Responsibly

Droughts can be prevented if individuals use water more responsibly. There are many ways to
waste water without even thinking about it because of bad habits. It is important to think about
how water is used at home when cooking, cleaning, and during recreational activities. Here are
some ways to control water usage at home from Guardian Pool Fence.

 Buy a pool cover for personal pools

 Use plants that require less water
 Take shorter showers instead of a full bathtub
 Use efficient toilets and shower heads
 Buy water saving appliances; dishwasher and washing machine
 Fix leaky faucets indoors and outdoors
 Use appliances for full loads only
 Wash cars less
 Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run

The list goes on. Just be mindful of how water is used on a personal level. If a local government
mandates water-conservation efforts during droughts, more water control tactics will be
suggested. There are also massive changes to be made in how much deforestation occurs, but
this is not something the public can affect. The demand for deforestation can somewhat be
decreased by using paper products more responsibly, but there is not much to change here in a
mostly digital school and work world. These water management methods can be distributed via
the internet, mail, or any other distribution method so long as people hear about it and heed
the dangers. Arid western climates will especially be a prime target for these strategies.

Why Water Use Reduction Is Crucial

Using less water helps to prevent droughts because less water must be pumped from reservoirs
and natural sources. Water preservation tactics are also important while droughts are already
in effect because it helps to spread the minimal existing resources less thin. Droughts are
events that have occurred since before humans existed, and they will continue to happen after
human influences are gone from the Earth. But right now, human activities influence the
frequency of droughts, and it is important that efforts are taken to mitigate droughts. Wildlife
displacement, wildfires, economic damages, and cancer rates can all be decreased with
responsible water usage. Reduced water usage also places less strain on plumbing and
sanitation infrastructure.
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Conclusion
Droughts happen from time to time naturally, but they happen more frequently due to human
intervention. It is important to monitor how water can be preserved because it will help keep
droughts from happening, and it will ease the strain on water supply during droughts. Droughts
damage the environment and the economy and contribute to wildfires and UV radiation
hazards. It should be of high importance to prevent as many droughts as possible, but this
requires effort from as many people as possible. Drier climates are especially susceptible to
droughts due to already low precipitation levels. Droughts in these areas can sometimes start
before weather forecasts even realize it, because rain every 14 days has suddenly become no
rain for 23 days, for example. Drought concentration trends can be seen in Figure 1, and US
citizens who live in these locations should take extra precautions to use water responsibly.
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References
Guardian Pool Fence. (2022). The Drought in California – How Can You Help? Guardian Pool Fence

https://guardianpoolfence.com/drought-california-help/#:~:text=1%20If%20you%20have%20a
%20pool%2C%20buy%20a,the%20water%20run%20while%20you%20scrape%20them%20clean.

MacKerrow, E. (2021). How Rainbows Form And How To Find Them. In Light of Nature

https://inlightofnature.com/how-rainbows-form/

Sen Nag, O. (2018). What Are The Main Causes Of Droughts? WorldAtlas

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-main-causes-of-droughts.html

Smith, J. (2014). Drought Hurting Animals, Plants. California Academy of Sciences

https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/drought-hurting-animals-plants

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022). EPA.gov retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/uv-index-1

US Government. (2022). Drought.gov retrieved from

https://www.drought.gov/