California Drought May Get Some Relief from NASA Science Resources

Hoping to find a way to help those dealing with the current drought conditions in California, NASA officials took part in a media briefing on Tuesday this week. In the briefing the agency spoke about how they could use its Earth observation assets to help the state of California better manage its water resources and monitor and respond to its ongoing drought.

The media was invited to attend the briefing which was held at the Sacramento Convention Center. In addition to the live briefing , members of the Media were able to call in to the press conference via telephone as well as participate in a live Audio streaming of the teleconference online at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.



According to reports, this could turn out to be a record year for dry conditions in California. Two back-to-back years of drought conditions have led to a state of emergency declaration by California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr..

It is hoped that through a joint collaborative effort between NASA and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the state will find a way to better manage current conditions and prepare for the future.

NASA has a fleet of satellites, combined with airborne and ground-based observation teams, which allow researchers to monitor the Earth’s resources from land, air and space. By sharing this information with agencies and institutions, the space agency’s unique sensing resources and research, it is believed, will be of substantial use in bringing solutions to the state.

Additonal formation about NASA’s Earth science activities in 2014, can be found online at: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow.