A new study says the Southwest region of the United States faces the threat of megadroughts this century as temperatures rise.
The Colorado River basin, which spans parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico, has been in the midst of a historic drought for the past 16 years. While dry spells lasting at least two decades have gripped the Southwest before, scientists said future megadroughts would be hotter and more severe.
The study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. It says, in part:
