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<br />Historical Perspectives on Colorado Drought <br /> <br />Tree ring records can be <br />compared to <br />Instrumented periods to <br />devefop estimated Palmer <br />Drought Severity Index <br />records for hundreds of <br />years into the past <br /> <br /> <br />Drought of 2002 <br /> <br />Having considered the full extent of recorded droughts in the past 110 years. <br />how does the Colorado drought of2002 compare with past droughts'! The <br />severity of the 2002 drought eclipsed many of the records established during <br />20th century droughts, including those of the 19305, 19505, and late 19705. <br /> <br />is represented <br />Hydrologic <br /> <br />"he comparative magnitude or this drought to other Colorado droughts <br />graphically in Figure 2. The 2002 drought produced the lowest Palmer <br />Drought Index seen during the modem (instrumental) period of record. <br /> <br />~~=- <br />(" '~ <br />.~ <br /> <br />'PalmerH)'drolrJglcal <br />OtoughllrO!. <br /> <br />~ <br />~ <br /> <br />8.0 <br /> <br />>< 6.0 <br />~ 40 <br />E <br />~ 2.0 <br />o <br />2 0.0 <br />~ <br />e .2.0 <br />~ <br />~ <br />=:: -4.0 <br />. <br />E <br />'ii-6.0 <br />"- <br />.80 <br /> <br />2000 <br /> <br />980 <br /> <br />Year <br />National OImatlC Data Center' NE$OI$, <br /> <br />NOAA <br /> <br />900. December 2002 (NCOC 2003) <br /> <br />During the drought of 2002. scientists at Ilydrosphere and the National Atmospheric <br />and Oceanic Administration collaborated to identify se\'erallrec ring records that <br />corrclate well with natural flows in Boulder Creek. From these tree ring records. <br />they were able to generate estimates of stream flows in Boulder Creek that extend <br />back as far as 1703. <br /> <br />The data. depicted in Figure3. show that the 2002 stream flows arc probably the <br />lowest that have occurred since 1725. i'ot onl)" that, but the data anal)"zed in Ihe <br />~tudy sug~esl thai droughts la\ting more than 15 )'ears haw occurred scwral <br />times within the past 300 )"ears (1I)"drosllhere 2002), <br /> <br />Pages <br /> <br />recyeled conlent paper <br /> <br />HOA Engineering. Inc. <br />Printed on 30% posl-consumer <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />960 <br /> <br />940 <br /> <br />920 <br /> <br />10"0 <br />1900 <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />January <br /> <br />Colorado statewide PHDlt <br /> <br />Figure 2. <br />