COMPARING THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE RECENT DROUGHT IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES WITH THE INFAMOUS 1950S DROUGHT

A prolonged drought has affected portions of the southwestern United States for more than a decade (1996–present). Recent research suggests that multidecadal oscillations in both the Atlantic Ocean (e.g., Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)) and the Pacific Ocean (e.g., Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)) may have a significant influence on precipitation patterns, on decadal to multidecadal timescales, in the southwestern United States. This study utilizes the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) to compare the spatial extent, severity, and duration of the recent drought in Arizona and New Mexico to the infamous 1950s drought. Both teleconnection and reanalysis data were used to investigate and compare the causes of these droughts. Preliminary results suggest that there are similarities between these two droughts in terms of their nature (extent, severity, duration) and causes. Specifically, both drought events are associated with the positive phase of the AMO and the negative phase of the PDO.