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Figure 2.8.2: North American Drought Monitor, October 2005–2015
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013 Source: NOAA 2015
circulation to adopt a more exaggerated but non-uniform north-south amplitude. As well, the evidence indicates these highly amplified jet-stream patterns are occurring more frequently. Further, such patterns will likely result in extreme weather events (Francis and Skific 2015; NOAA 2015a).
2.8.3 Persistent droughts, disrupted ecosystems
In North America, a dominant climate change threat is recurring drought, particularly in the south and west of the region. A 2000 to 2004 drought in western North America was described as “the most severe drought over the past 800 years, significantly reducing the modest carbon sink normally present in this region” (Schwalm et al. 2012).