Texas is no stranger to drought seasons.
Both the 1950s and 2010s saw long dry spells that threatened the way of life for people who call the state home.
However, these intense droughts could be nothing compared to what Texas may see in the future, new research published in the journal Earth’s Future finds.
Jay Banner, professor in UT’s Jackson School of Geosciences, and state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon warn of a future with more extreme drought and flooding as a result of climate change.
By the end of the 21st century, Texas droughts could compare to or exceed the 10-year megadroughts that plagued the state in its ancient past, the research finds.
The study’s authors are calling on the state to change the way it manages its water resources, especially as Texas’s population is expected to swell from 29.5 million people to 51 million by 2070.
Read more about the team’s projections and how we should prepare.
Jay Banner, Ph.D., is a professor in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin, and he is also the director of UT’s Environmental Science Institute. His research interests center on climate and hydrologic processes and how these are preserved in the geologic record, as well as how human activity affects the sustainability of water resources.