Tom Philpott. Tom Philpott Science

Date of Publication: 10.16.15. 10.16.15

Devastating Chart Shows Why El Niño Won’t Fix the Drought

The California Aqueduct in the Mojave Desert near Palmdale, CA. Steve Proehl/Corbis

This story originally appeared on Mother Jones and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

In California, news of a historically powerful El Niño oceanic warming event is stoking hopes that winter rains will ease the state’s brutal drought. But for farmers in the Central Valley, one of the globe’s most productive agricultural regions, water troubles go much deeper—literally—than the current lack of precipitation.

That’s the message of an eye-popping report from researchers at the US Geological Survey. Read more.