In 1999 Laguna Salada, Baja, MX became completely dry. This is the last piece of the Colorado River Delta to dry up. In 2000 the mega-drought is recorded to begin. The drying of the delta began in 1936 and it took 63 years to kill the delta.
In 1936 the flow of the Colorado River stopped near the US/MX border because of the filling of Hoover Dam. In 1939 CA began transferring huge quantities of water from the Colorado River to LA. Water diversions for cities and agriculture completely drained the river ever after that and no moisture entered the delta.
This caused the 3,000 sq-mi verdant, green, delta to change into a 3,000 sq-mi dry, dead, desert. This changed two hydrologic cycles, which ultimately diminished the snowpack in the Colorado Mountains by 20%, which diminished the Colorado River flow by 20%.
In 1999 Laguna Salada, Baja, MX became completely dry. This is the last piece of the Colorado River Delta to dry up. In 2000 the mega-drought is recorded to begin. The drying of the delta began in 1936 and it took 63 years to kill the delta.
In 1936 the flow of the Colorado River stopped near the US/MX border because of the filling of Hoover Dam. In 1939 CA began transferring huge quantities of water from the Colorado River to LA. Water diversions for cities and agriculture completely drained the river ever after that and no moisture entered the delta.
This caused the 3,000 sq-mi verdant, green, delta to change into a 3,000 sq-mi dry, dead, desert. This changed two hydrologic cycles, which ultimately diminished the snowpack in the Colorado Mountains by 20%, which diminished the Colorado River flow by 20%.