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During the beginning of the 21st century, the southwestern United States has experienced severe drought. But two PNAS studies, drawing on sedimentary records of historical regional water flows and fossilized tree ring records, show that drought is a regular, cyclical feature of the southwest.

The current drought is bad, but it's also not unusual. And as psychologically difficult as it may be, it's time to stop thinking of it as an anomaly. If people are going to live in a desert, they need to be realistic about it.

Image: Evaporation rings in Lake Mead./Evelyn Proimos, Flickr.

Citation: "A 1,200-year perspective of 21st century drought in southwestern North America." By Connie A. Woodhouse, David M. Meko, Glen M. MacDonald, Dave W. Stahle, Edward R. Cook Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 107 No. 50, December 14, 2010.

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