There has been hopeful talk that an El Niño condition in the Pacific Ocean will end the California drought next winter. However, Lund and Mount said it is statistically likely the drought will continue into next year. "We all hope wet weather returns to California soon," the scientists said, "but, given the odds, it makes sense to prepare for another dry year."
The media is continuing to report on telling impacts of the drought. KQED Science's Alice Daniel posted a story today about the plight of beekeepers, who can normally release their bees in the foothills to drink their fill of nectar from wildflowers. This year, those hills are "bone dry."
“I've never seen a year like this when it's not only dry but the irrigation water is so scarce,” said Gene Brandi, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation. “I think the honey production in California will likely be one of the lowest levels we've seen in a long time.”
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an AP story by Terence Chea about 6-month-old salmon who are being transported to the coast in tanker trucks because rivers don't have enough water to support their swim to the sea.
Trucking the smolts ensures a large number will survive and grow to be California king salmon. But skipping the river journey means the migratory fish won't know how to swim home to spawn in three years.
"Because that imprinting cycle is broken, it's unlikely that many fish will make it back to Coleman. In other words, they stray. They won't find that scent to where home is," said Scott Hamelberg, who manages the Coleman National Fish Hatchery.