GEOL 150: Midterm 2 - Droughts and Megadroughts

The Anasaxi lived in the US Southwest… What is the best explanation for this?

A megadrought occurred around 1150

What triggered the dust bowl drought?

The drought was partially forced by cold conditions in the Equatorial Pacific (La Nina pattern). The sea surface temperature became colder which changed the jet streams. The dry air suppressed precipitation aka drought.

What are black blizzards?

Black blizzards is a term used to describe the massive dust storms that occurred during the American Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. These severe dust storms got their name from the way they blackened the sky as they carried millions of tons of topsoil across the Great Plains. These catastrophic storms were the result of severe drought combined with decades of inappropriate farming practices that left topsoil vulnerable to wind erosion.

What ultimatley killed the Greenland Norse?

Cold

What ultimately killed the Akkadians?

drought