
The 100th Meridian, Where the Great Plains Begin, May Be Shifting - clumsysmurf
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/100th-meridian-where-great-plains-begin-may-be-shifting
======
justherefortart
I live on this line (Oklahoma). We go through feast or famine with water here
and have for 100s of years.

Here's a nice graph from OWRB (old 2011 data but still shows the swings):
[https://i.imgur.com/vLA1hAk.png](https://i.imgur.com/vLA1hAk.png)

Source: (slow loading)
[http://www.owrb.ok.gov/supply/drought/pdf_dro/DroughtFactShe...](http://www.owrb.ok.gov/supply/drought/pdf_dro/DroughtFactSheet2011.pdf)

It's on page 2.

~~~
Retric
The minimum seems to be ~19 inches which is quite a bit of rain. Around 1/2
the US averages less than that:
[http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/climate/US%20Climate%20...](http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/climate/US%20Climate%20Maps/Lower%2048%20States/Precipitation/Mean%20Total%20Precipitation/Gallery/mean-
total-precipitation.html)

~~~
justherefortart
This is the state average.

Typically the western part of the state (west of the 100th Meridian) is dry as
a bone and in constant drought, while the eastern side is flush with water.
Along the 100th we get both extremes.

This summarizes it pretty much perfectly:
[http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor...](http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OK)

~~~
davidw
I'm not well versed in that kind of thing, but doesn't "drought" just mean
with respect to the average? In other words, what counts for a drought in
western Oregon is different from a drought in southern Arizona, right?

~~~
planteen
Yes, drought is for a region based on its averages. One problem is droughts
and wet spells can happen on periods with length of a decade.

------
mcguire
You may also be interested in the Ogallala aquifer
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer)),
which is kind of important to agriculture west of the 100th
([https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-ogallala-
aqui...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-ogallala-aquifer/)).

~~~
haZard_OS
If you're interested in some newer data for the High Plains Aquifer (AKA
Ogallala Aquifer), try this:

[https://www.usgs.gov/news/usgs-high-plains-aquifer-
groundwat...](https://www.usgs.gov/news/usgs-high-plains-aquifer-groundwater-
levels-continue-decline)

------
rdlecler1
Tipping my hat to the Tragically Hip reference. RIP Gordy.

~~~
Latteland
"New Orleans is sinking man and I don't wanna swim".

------
pilom
If you'd like to read more about this, I recommend John Wesley Powell's
biography: "Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second
Opening of the West" [https://amzn.to/2H2v7oZ](https://amzn.to/2H2v7oZ)

~~~
rat_1234
Another good one (though a bit dated now) is Great Plains by Ian Frazier.

[https://www.amazon.com/Great-Plains-Ian-
Frazier/dp/031227850...](https://www.amazon.com/Great-Plains-Ian-
Frazier/dp/0312278500)

------
sohkamyung
Maybe it's just me, but that headline sounds as if the 100th Meridian, rather
than where the Great Plains begin, is shifting.

Perhaps a better headline would be "The Great Plains, which began at the 100
Meridian, may be shifting".

~~~
gricardo99
It’s a play on a song lyric

[https://g.co/kgs/AgyHpo](https://g.co/kgs/AgyHpo)

~~~
sohkamyung
Ah, I see. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with that part of (edit: North)
American culture.

~~~
benplant
More of a Canadian culture reference, or at least more widely recognized in
Canada.

------
chiefalchemist
What is it about the climate change weather patterns that's pushing the line
East? It's not like the Rockies have gotten taller. That is, a storm moving
east is depleted when it hits the Rockies. That leaves a desert to the East.
Are there less storms? Faster moving storms? Both?

~~~
Thrymr
"In the northern plains, rainfall has not changed much, but temperatures are
going up, increasing evaporation from the soil. Further south, concurrent
shifts in wind patterns are in fact causing less rain to fall. Either way,
this tends to push western aridity eastward." \- the linked article

~~~
AnimalMuppet
The 100th Meridian coincides almost exactly with the western edge of the Gulf
of Mexico. If I understand correctly, moisture comes up from the south, not
just from the Rockies. If the wind pattern changes so that more air comes from
the west and less from the south, that moisture flow is reduced.

------
socialist_coder
Fascinating! It's very interesting to see some real life effects of climate
change in the lower 48.

I would love to see some future projections here.

~~~
haZard_OS
There are many more examples:

[https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/downloads-
indicators-...](https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/downloads-indicators-
report)

~~~
socialist_coder
Thanks for that link! Never seen that before.

------
Naga
I want to emphasize the YouTube video at the bottom of the article:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCFo0a8V-Ag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCFo0a8V-Ag)

As soon as I saw the headline, I knew I couldn't let a reference to my
favourite band go unmentioned. It is almost criminal how underappreciated the
Tragically Hip are as a band.

~~~
gascan
_It is almost criminal how underappreciated the Tragically Hip are as a band._

This statement is somehow perfect.

------
wstrange

      Driving down a corduroy road,
      Weeds standing shoulder high
      Ferris wheel is rusting off in the distance
      At the hundredth meridian 
      At the hundredth meridian
      At the hundredth meridian
      Where the great plains begin

~~~
waterside81
Hello fellow Canadian

