What also happens in a drought is that the topsoil crusts over and cracks ( like in the photo above ). What also occurs when the soil crusts over is the soils ability to absorb rain water, the hard soil acts like concrete and water will not replenish the in-ground aquifers. In California the Central & San Joaquin valleys are prime examples of this; once farmers had pumped water from the ground, then we built irrigation canals no the government is cutting back on the irrigation water. And with chemical fertilizers/herbicides/pesticides the topsoils are also dead becoming dust bowls, which also impacts the absorption of rain water.
Which leads to water runoff and depletion of the in-ground aquifers, which in turn.... you get the picture.
What also happens in a drought is that the topsoil crusts over and cracks ( like in the photo above ). What also occurs when the soil crusts over is the soils ability to absorb rain water, the hard soil acts like concrete and water will not replenish the in-ground aquifers. In California the Central & San Joaquin valleys are prime examples of this; once farmers had pumped water from the ground, then we built irrigation canals no the government is cutting back on the irrigation water. And with chemical fertilizers/herbicides/pesticides the topsoils are also dead becoming dust bowls, which also impacts the absorption of rain water.
Which leads to water runoff and depletion of the in-ground aquifers, which in turn.... you get the picture.