This is terrific. Would be a great resource for journalists to identify and understand some of the key points that can then be shared in a more public-friendly format. I wish all stories had this kind of accessible data “behind the news” that could be explored!
An example - the bulk of California's water storage is in the natural reservoir of mountain snowpack. The large volume of precipitation this year, much of it as high-altitude rain falling on snow, has caused an extraordinary amount of snowmelt in a short period of time. The natural reservoir of snowpack is rapidly released into our manmade resorvoirs and strains or exceeds their capacity. This cycle of alternating extremes, drought to wet, is expected to continue, and our water infrastructure's capabilities must be planned in light of that.
Here's a great article on climate change's effects on our water infrastructure in light of the Oroville Dam's situation: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/opinion/what-californias-...
An example - the bulk of California's water storage is in the natural reservoir of mountain snowpack. The large volume of precipitation this year, much of it as high-altitude rain falling on snow, has caused an extraordinary amount of snowmelt in a short period of time. The natural reservoir of snowpack is rapidly released into our manmade resorvoirs and strains or exceeds their capacity. This cycle of alternating extremes, drought to wet, is expected to continue, and our water infrastructure's capabilities must be planned in light of that.