California drought the opposite of what we should see if global warming were to blame

Government scientists have weighed in on the California drought, challenging the popular conclusion that the drought has been caused by global warming.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - After three years of crippling drought, Californians have asked the question if this unprecedented dry spell is the result of global warming-induced climate change. The current drought is the worst faced by Californians in modern history, since weather records were kept in the 1800s. It may also be the worst drought in 1,200 years.

The drought has been caused by a ridge of high pressure off the Pacific coast which serves to block storms from California, directing them along a more northerly route. This persistent ridge of high pressure is so great that meteorologists have dubbed it, the "Ridiculously Resilient Ridge" (RRR).

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Given the anomalous nature of the weather pattern, which has previously only existed for a year or so, and never for three years as it has now, many have blamed global warming as the cause of the anomaly.

However, NOAA scientists have reached a conclusion that stuns most people who feel global warming is fueling the California drought - the RRR is unrelated to global warming, in fact the formation of the ridge is the opposite of what would be expected if the globe were warming.

Global warming models predict that low pressure systems would be more likely to form off the California coast, bringing more rain to the usually dry and sunny state.

So why the opposite result?

Nobody can say for certain, but what is becoming apparent is the global warming models are insufficient. The more research done into climate change the more we learn that climate models are nowhere near the level of sophistication we need to make accurate predictions, especially in the short term.

NOAA is attributing the RRR to short-term variability. Indeed, short term variability is difficult to predict, but long term trends can be discerned. While it is universally concluded by most climatologists that the planet is warming, it is well within the realm of debate if a single phenomenon is the result of global climate phenomena.

With the drought entering its third year, it will take a steady surplus of rain to replenish state snowpack, reservoirs and groundwater supplies. As a new storm bears down on California, bringing high winds and local flooding, many hope the end of the drought is at hand. This is unlikely, but as NOAA points out, the extreme weather can't be blamed on global warming.

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