No, not the name given to a geological formation by a frustrated pioneer. It is the resilient ridge of high atmospheric pressure over the northeastern Pacific Ocean that diverts wet storms from reaching the state.
[screen grab] The ridge is caused by human CO₂ emissions. That is the conclusion reached by Stanford University scientists in another study of climate change impacts.
[see video] The epic drought now affecting California is destroying its lucrative agricultural industry. Experts estimate losses of at least $2.2bn and thousands of seasonal jobs. Ten to twenty storms major storms would be needed to make up its rain deficit.
The blocking ridge of high pressure has diverted the jet stream farther north. It is the jet stream that guides Pacific storms to the United States' western coast. Researchers using computer modeling and statistical techniques think that such a ridge is more likely to form than prior to human emissions of greenhouse gas beginning in the Industrial Revolution. The probability of a blocking ridge forming is three times more likely in the present climatic conditions (warming) than in a preindustrial climate.
