UPI | By Brooks Hays | July 10, 2017 at 3:46 PM:
“The future long-term trend based on paleoclimate reconstructions is likely towards diminishing precipitation,” researcher Sevag Mehterian said.
July 10 (UPI) — New analysis of Iranian stalagmites have offered a detailed history of water resources in the region. The findings suggest the Middle East is unlikely to enjoy a relief from its prolonged drought for at least another 10,000 years.
The newest analysis – detailed this week in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews – helped scientists estimate water availability during the last glacial and interglacial periods. The findings suggest water in the Middle East is likely to remain scarce for some time.
“Local governments generally prefer the narrative that the region is only in a temporary dry spell and better prospects of water availability lay ahead,” Sevag Mehterian, lead author of the new study and a doctoral student at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School, said in a news release.
“Our study has found evidence to the contrary, suggesting that in fact, the future long-term trend based on paleoclimate reconstructions is likely towards diminishing precipitation, with no relief in the form of increased Mediterranean storms, the primary source of annual precipitation to the region, in the foreseeable future.”
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