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63-565: The Muddy River , formerly called the Moapa River, originates from the Warm Springs Natural Area and flows through the valley before emptying into Lake Mead . The communities of Moapa Town , Logandale and Overton are located in the valley. Logandale is about 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Moapa Town, and Overton is about 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Logandale. Prior to the creation of Lake Mead, Moapa Valley also included

126-554: A cold season freight route between Utah and Southern California that remained in use in Southern Nevada into the 20th century. Mormon settlers established several settlements in the Muddy River area in 1864, including the town of St. Thomas , which by 1938 was submerged under Lake Mead until recently. Some of the towns ruins can be still seen during low water levels. Some Paiutes fought to protect and reclaim their homeland. For

189-834: A cutoff route that avoided the Colorado River, following a route between Resting Springs in California, and the Virgin River Valley that passed through Las Vegas Springs and crossed the Muddy River near modern Glendale . Mormon pioneers blazed a wagon road from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles along this pack trail in 1847, followed by Forty-niners attempting to avoid the winter snows of the Sierra Nevada Mountains , and wagon trains of Mormon colonists on their way to settle in San Bernardino in 1852. By 1855 it had become

252-446: A decrease below the minimum leading to direct danger for amphibian life), increased pollution of surface water , the drying out of wetlands , more and larger wildfires , higher deflation intensity, loss of biodiversity , worse health of trees and the appearance of pests and dendroid diseases. Drought-induced mortality of trees lacks in most climate models in their representation of forests as land carbon sink . Economic losses as

315-487: A diverse climate, ranging from hot, dry regions to cooler, wetter highland regions. The region has considerable variability in seasonal rainfall and a very complex topography. In the northern parts of the region within the Nile basin (Ethiopia, Sudan), the rainfall is characterized by an unimodal cycle with a wet season from July to September. The rest of the region has a bimodal annual cycle, featuring long rains from March to May and

378-434: A factor which increases the gap between developed and developing countries . Effects vary according to vulnerability. For example, subsistence farmers are more likely to migrate during drought because they do not have alternative food-sources. Areas with populations that depend on water sources as a major food-source are more vulnerable to famine. Further examples of social and health consequences include: Wind erosion

441-498: A high level of reflected sunlight and above average prevalence of high pressure systems , winds carrying continental, rather than oceanic air masses, and ridges of high pressure areas aloft can prevent or restrict the developing of thunderstorm activity or rainfall over one certain region. Once a region is within drought, feedback mechanisms such as local arid air, hot conditions which can promote warm core ridging, and minimal evapotranspiration can worsen drought conditions. Within

504-434: A longer duration. Precipitation can be divided into three categories, based on whether it falls as liquid water, liquid water that freezes on contact with the surface, or ice. Droughts occur mainly in areas where normal levels of rainfall are, in themselves, low. If these factors do not support precipitation volumes sufficiently to reach the surface over a sufficient time, the result is a drought. Drought can be triggered by

567-461: A multi-agency partnership, drought is generally defined as "a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time (usually a season or more), resulting in a water shortage". The National Weather Service office of the NOAA defines drought as "a deficiency of moisture that results in adverse impacts on people, animals, or vegetation over a sizeable area". Drought is a complex phenomenon − relating to

630-447: A referendum on merging the two towns into the town of Moapa Valley. The Clark County Commission affirmed the vote, legally creating Moapa Valley on February 13, 1981. The town had a population of about 1,400 people at the time. There are four radio stations licensed to Moapa Valley. KRRN 92.7 has a Spanish format. KXLI 94.5 has a dance format mainly targeted to Las Vegas. KJUL 104.7 has a "middle-of-the road" (MOR) format. KQLL has

693-606: A result of droughts include lower agricultural, forests, game and fishing output, higher food-production costs, lower energy-production levels in hydro plants, losses caused by depleted water tourism and transport revenue, problems with water supply for the energy sector and for technological processes in metallurgy, mining, the chemical, paper, wood, foodstuff industries etc., disruption of water supplies for municipal economies. Further examples of common environmental and economic consequences of drought include: Droughts can cause land degradation and loss of soil moisture, resulting in

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756-549: A result. This means even regions where overall rainfall is expected to remain relatively stable will experience these impacts. These regions include central and northern Europe. Without climate change mitigation, around one third of land areas are likely to experience moderate or more severe drought by 2100. Due to global warming droughts are more frequent and intense than in the past. Human activity can directly trigger exacerbating factors such as over-farming, excessive irrigation , deforestation , and erosion adversely impact

819-662: A series of thermal springs in the Moapa Valley before continuing on its course to Lake Mead , where it drains into the northern arm of the lake near Overton, Nevada . Before the Hoover Dam 's construction, the Muddy River flowed into the Virgin River . Near the town of Glendale the Muddy River collects the flow from the Meadow Valley Wash , forming the principal drainage system for southeastern Nevada. The Moapa Valley area

882-646: A significant role in drought. ENSO comprises two patterns of temperature anomalies in the central Pacific Ocean , known as La Niña and El Niño . La Niña events are generally associated with drier and hotter conditions and further exacerbation of drought in California and the Southwestern United States , and to some extent the U.S. Southeast . Meteorological scientists have observed that La Niñas have become more frequent over time. Conversely, during El Niño events, drier and hotter weather occurs in parts of

945-582: A simulcast of Henderson's 1280 AM on 102.3 FM, which is an oldies music format. Muddy River (Nevada) The Muddy River , formerly known as the Moapa River , is a short river located in Clark County , in southern Nevada , United States. It is in the Mojave Desert , approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of Las Vegas . The Muddy River is approximately 32 miles (51 km) long. It begins as

1008-570: A single dataset can be limiting, as it may not capture the full spectrum of drought characteristics and impacts. Careful monitoring of moisture levels can also help predict increased risk for wildfires. Mechanisms of producing precipitation include convective , stratiform , and orographic rainfall. Convective processes involve strong vertical motions that can cause the overturning of the atmosphere in that location within an hour and cause heavy precipitation, while stratiform processes involve weaker upward motions and less intense precipitation over

1071-570: A variety of reasons, including the harsh climate, unpredictable periods of drought, and a tax dispute with the State of Nevada, the Mormons abandoned the area in 1871. Many of the LDS people returned to the area in the 1880s and it currently has a substantial LDS population 36°44′15″N 114°44′39″W  /  36.73750°N 114.74417°W  / 36.73750; -114.74417 Drought A drought

1134-666: A water supply crisis across much of the country. As a result, many desalination plants were built for the first time ( see list ). By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid lands commonly known as the outback . A 2005 study by Australian and American researchers investigated the desertification of the interior, and suggested that one explanation was related to human settlers who arrived about 50,000 years ago. Regular burning by these settlers could have prevented monsoons from reaching interior Australia. In June 2008 it became known that an expert panel had warned of long term, maybe irreversible, severe ecological damage for

1197-496: A widespread blanket deposit that covers areas of hundreds of square kilometers and tens of meters thick. Loess often stands in either steep or vertical faces. Loess tends to develop into highly rich soils. Under appropriate climatic conditions, areas with loess are among the most agriculturally productive in the world. Loess deposits are geologically unstable by nature, and will erode very readily. Therefore, windbreaks (such as big trees and bushes) are often planted by farmers to reduce

1260-519: Is a period of drier-than-normal conditions. A drought can last for days, months or years. Drought often has large impacts on the ecosystems and agriculture of affected regions, and causes harm to the local economy . Annual dry seasons in the tropics significantly increase the chances of a drought developing, with subsequent increased wildfire risks. Heat waves can significantly worsen drought conditions by increasing evapotranspiration . This dries out forests and other vegetation, and increases

1323-426: Is a similar concept to water scarcity . The different categories of droughts have different causes but similar effects: Several indices have been defined to quantify and monitor drought at different spatial and temporal scales. A key property of drought indices is their spatial comparability, and they must be statistically robust. Drought indices include: High-resolution drought information helps to better assess

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1386-453: Is also negatively effected by drought stress, the reduction in crop yield results from a decrease in photosynthetic rate, changes in leaf development, and altered allocation of resources all due to drought stress. Crop plants exposed to drought stress suffer from reductions in leaf water potential and transpiration rate. Water-use efficiency increases in crops such as wheat while decreasing in others, such as potatoes. Plants need water for

1449-614: Is home to a wide variety of rare and endangered species, including fish, invertebrates, birds, and plants. Three endangered fish inhabit the area: the Moapa dace ( Moapa coriacea ), the Virgin River chub ( Gila seminuda ), and the White River springfish ( Crenichthys baileyi moapae ). These species can be found throughout the various springs, called the Muddy Springs, that feed the Muddy River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has created

1512-477: Is insufficient rainfall to support vegetation. Drought is one of the most complex and major natural hazards , and it has devastating impacts on the environment, economy, water resources, agriculture, and society worldwide. One can divide the impacts of droughts and water shortages into three groups: environmental, economic and social (including health). Environmental effects of droughts include: lower surface and subterranean water-levels, lower flow-levels (with

1575-633: Is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km), or 0.05%, is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,784 people, 1,934 households, and 1,525 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 132.7 inhabitants per square mile (51.2/km). There were 2,213 housing units at an average density of 50.8 per square mile (19.6/km). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.41% White , 0.24% African American , 0.66% Native American , 0.26% Asian , 0.36% Pacific Islander , 4.34% from other races , and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.09% of

1638-488: Is much more severe in arid areas and during times of drought. For example, in the Great Plains , it is estimated that soil loss due to wind erosion can be as much as 6100 times greater in drought years than in wet years. Loess is a homogeneous, typically nonstratified, porous, friable , slightly coherent, often calcareous, fine-grained, silty , pale yellow or buff, windblown ( Aeolian ) sediment . It generally occurs as

1701-410: Is related to low runoff, streamflow, and reservoir and groundwater storage. An agricultural or ecological drought is causing plant stress from a combination of evaporation and low soil moisture . Some organizations add another category: socioeconomic drought occurs when the demand for an economic good exceeds supply as a result of a weather-related shortfall in water supply. The socioeconomic drought

1764-488: Is the heterogeneous distribution of hydrologic extremes in space and time. For instance, El Niño can cause droughts in one part of the region and floods in the other. This is also a common situation within a country, e.g., in Ethiopia. The recent years with consecutive droughts followed by floods are a testament to the need to better forecast these kinds of events and their impacts. Approximately 2.4 billion people live in

1827-1056: The Amazon River Basin, Colombia , and Central America . Winters during the El Niño are warmer and drier than average conditions in the Northwest, northern Midwest, and northern Mideast United States, so those regions experience reduced snowfalls. Conditions are also drier than normal from December to February in south-central Africa, mainly in Zambia , Zimbabwe , Mozambique , and Botswana . Direct effects of El Niño resulting in drier conditions occur in parts of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia , increasing bush fires , worsening haze , and decreasing air quality dramatically. Drier-than-normal conditions are also in general observed in Queensland , inland Victoria , inland New South Wales , and eastern Tasmania from June to August. As warm water spreads from

1890-519: The Amazon basin , Australia , the Sahel region and India . For example, in 2005, parts of the Amazon basin experienced the worst drought in 100 years. Australia could experience more severe droughts and they could become more frequent in the future, a government-commissioned report said on July 6, 2008. The long Australian Millennial drought broke in 2010. The 2020–2022 Horn of Africa drought has surpassed

1953-742: The Moapa National Wildlife Refuge at the Warm Springs Natural Area , as part of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex . In another effort to help protect and preserve the fragile habitats in the Muddy Springs area, the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and various environmental associations have organized an effort to conserve these species. The area was part of the Native American Paiute peoples homeland for centuries, with

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2016-561: The Mojave to the south. "Moapa" is a Southern Paiute language word meaning "muddy"; although "Moapa River" was formerly the official name, local usage tended to translate the name, and it was made official in 1960. The Old Spanish Trail originally followed the Virgin River all the way to the Colorado River and followed it westward. In 1844, the expedition of John C. Frémont discovered

2079-499: The drainage basin of the Himalayan rivers. India , China , Pakistan , Bangladesh , Nepal and Myanmar could experience floods followed by droughts in coming decades. More than 150 districts in India are drought vulnerable, mostly concentrated in the state of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and its adjoining Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, northern Karnataka and adjoining Maharashtra of

2142-654: The Anasazi abandoned Moapa Valley, possibly due to a drought which gripped the Desert Southwest during that time. When the first European (Mormon) settlers arrived, the Paiutes self relocated (banded together) to a reservation north of Moapa Town , where they continue to live today. The first Euroamerican settlers in the Moapa Valley were Mormon pioneers in the latter 1860s. The area has remained heavily populated by Mormons to

2205-508: The Horn of Africa during the period 2020–2023 leading to the third longest and most widespread drought on record with dire implications for food security (see Horn of Africa drought (2020–present) ). Conversely, other parts experienced extreme floods, e.g., the 2020 East Africa floods in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda, and the 2022 floods in South Sudan. A key feature in the region

2268-470: The Moapa Valley area. The Paiutes were hunter-gatherers who did not utilize agriculture as a primary source of subsistence. They lived in temporary brush dwellings, spoke the Southern Paiute language , and practiced a style of pottery that was less sophisticated than the methods used by the Anasazi. The Paiutes and Anasazi people coexisted with little effort in the valley. Sometime around 1150 A.D.,

2331-478: The ability of the land to capture and hold water. In arid climates, the main source of erosion is wind. Erosion can be the result of material movement by the wind. The wind can cause small particles to be lifted and therefore moved to another region (deflation). Suspended particles within the wind may impact on solid objects causing erosion by abrasion (ecological succession). Wind erosion generally occurs in areas with little or no vegetation, often in areas where there

2394-526: The absence of water − which is difficult to monitor and define. By the early 1980s, over 150 definitions of "drought" had already been published. The range of definitions reflects differences in regions, needs, and disciplinary approaches. There are three major categories of drought based on where in the water cycle the moisture deficit occurs: meteorological drought, hydrological drought, and agricultural or ecological drought. A meteorological drought occurs due to lack of precipitation . A hydrological drought

2457-764: The amount of fuel for wildfires. Drought is a recurring feature of the climate in most parts of the world, becoming more extreme and less predictable due to climate change , which dendrochronological studies date back to 1900. There are three kinds of drought effects, environmental, economic and social. Environmental effects include the drying of wetlands , more and larger wildfires, loss of biodiversity . Economic impacts of drought result due to negative disruptions to agriculture and livestock farming (causing food insecurity ), forestry, public water supplies , maritime navigation (due to e.g.: lower water levels), electric power supply (by affecting hydropower systems) and impacts on human health. Social and health costs include

2520-402: The average family size was 3.43. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 33.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP

2583-448: The destruction of cropland productivity. This can result in diminished crop growth or yield productions and carrying capacity for livestock . Drought in combination with high levels of grazing pressure can function as the tipping point for an ecosystem, causing woody encroachment . Water stress affects plant development and quality in a variety of ways: firstly drought can cause poor germination and impaired seedling development. At

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2646-459: The health of people who are directly exposed to this phenomenon (excessive heat waves ). Droughts can also cause limitations of water supplies, increased water pollution levels, high food-costs, stress caused by failed harvests, water scarcity , etc. Reduced water quality can occur because lower water-flows reduce dilution of pollutants and increase contamination of remaining water sources. This explains why droughts and water scarcity operate as

2709-419: The horrific drought in 2010–2011 in both duration and severity. More than 150 districts in India are drought vulnerable, mostly concentrated in the state of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and its adjoining Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, northern Karnataka and adjoining Maharashtra of the country. Throughout history, humans have usually viewed droughts as disasters due to the impact on food availability and

2772-507: The lack of water in the plants, bushfires are common. Since water vapor becomes more energetic with increasing temperature, more water vapor is required to increase relative humidity values to 100% at higher temperatures (or to get the temperature to fall to the dew point). Periods of warmth quicken the pace of fruit and vegetable production, increase evaporation and transpiration from plants, and worsen drought conditions. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon can sometimes play

2835-530: The major food source for the people known as " Basketmakers ". It was also around this time that the art of pottery was introduced. By 600 A.D., Ancestral Puebloan people began building their dwellings above ground, using wood and brush plastered with adobe . Farming was a well-established practice with corn, beans, squash, and cotton being the primary crops. The Puebloans also hunted mule deer , desert bighorn sheep , rabbits , and rodents using bows and arrows . Around 1000 A.D. Southern Paiutes moved into

2898-415: The negative effect on the health of people directly exposed to this phenomenon (excessive heat waves), high food costs, stress caused by failed harvests, water scarcity , etc. Drought can also lead to increased air pollution due to increased dust concentrations and wildfires . Prolonged droughts have caused mass migrations and humanitarian crisis . Examples for regions with increased drought risks are

2961-515: The occurrence of droughts has increased as a result of the increase in temperature and atmospheric evaporative demand . In addition, increased climate variability has increased the frequency and severity of drought events. Moreover, the occurrence and impact of droughts are aggravated by anthropogenic activities such as land use change and water management and demand. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report also pointed out that "Warming over land drives an increase in atmospheric evaporative demand and in

3024-408: The population. There were 1,934 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and

3087-520: The present time. Many streets bear the names of prominent Mormon families, including Barlow, Hinckley, Leavitt, Lyman, Perkins, Whitmore, Wells, and Andersen. The LDS Logandale Stake has thirteen wards . The Huntsmans, a well known pioneer family of Moapa Valley, established the Huntsman Ranch, which the cabin still remains today near Kane Springs. It is a State of Nevada designated historical site. In 1980, residents of Overton and Logandale approved

3150-535: The rainforest towards a " tipping point " where it would irreversibly start to die. It concludes that the rainforest is on the brink of being turned into savanna or desert , with catastrophic consequences for the world's climate. According to the WWF , the combination of climate change and deforestation increases the drying effect of dead trees that fuels forest fires. The 1997–2009 Millennium Drought in Australia led to

3213-543: The reduction in plant growth and yields. Another factor influencing reduced plant growth and yields include the allocation of resources; following drought stress plants will allocate more resources to roots to aid in water uptake increasing root growth and reducing the growth of other plant parts while decreasing yields. The most negative impacts of drought for humans include crop failure , food crisis , famine, malnutrition, and poverty , which lead to loss of life and mass migration of people. There are negative effects on

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3276-451: The rest of society. People have viewed drought as a natural disaster or as something influenced by human activity , or as a result of supernatural forces. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report defines a drought simply as "drier than normal conditions". This means that a drought is "a moisture deficit relative to the average water availability at a given location and season". According to National Integrated Drought Information System ,

3339-564: The same time plant growth relies on cellular division, cell enlargement, and differentiation. Drought stress impairs mitosis and cell elongation via loss of turgor pressure which results in poor growth. Development of leaves is also dependent upon turgor pressure, concentration of nutrients, and carbon assimilates all of which are reduced by drought conditions, thus drought stress lead to a decrease in leaf size and number. Plant height, biomass, leaf size and stem girth has been shown to decrease in maize under water limiting conditions. Crop yield

3402-460: The severity of drought events" and "Increased atmospheric evaporative demand increases plant water stress, leading to agricultural and ecological drought". There is a rise of compound warm-season droughts in Europe that are concurrent with an increase in potential evapotranspiration . Higher temperatures increase evaporation. This dries the soil and increases plant stress . Agriculture suffers as

3465-466: The short rains from October to December. The frequent occurrence of hydrological extremes, like droughts and floods , harms the already vulnerable population suffering from severe poverty and economic turmoil. Droughts prompted food shortages for example in 1984–85 , 2006 and 2011 . The Eastern African region experiences the impacts of climate change in different forms. For instance, below-average rainfall occurred for six consecutive rainy seasons in

3528-450: The spatial and temporal changes and variability in drought duration, severity, and magnitude at a much finer scale. This supports the development of site-specific adaptation measures. The application of multiple indices using different datasets helps to better manage and monitor droughts than using a single dataset, This is particularly the case in regions of the world where not enough data is available such as Africa and South America. Using

3591-408: The town of St. Thomas , which was abandoned in 1938 due to the rising lake level. Moapa Valley is at an elevation of 1,265 ft (386 m) above sea level. The United States Census Bureau gives the census-designated place (CDP) of Moapa Valley (which may not coincide exactly with the town boundaries) a total area of 43.7 square miles (113.2 km), of which 43.7 square miles (113.1 km)

3654-572: The tropics, distinct, wet and dry seasons emerge due to the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone or Monsoon trough . The dry season greatly increases drought occurrence, and is characterized by its low humidity, with watering holes and rivers drying up. Because of the lack of these watering holes, many grazing animals are forced to migrate due to the lack of water in search of more fertile lands. Examples of such animals are zebras , elephants , and wildebeest . Because of

3717-414: The uptake of nutrients from the soil, and for the transport of nutrients throughout the plant: drought conditions limit these functions leading to stunted growth. Drought stress also causes a decrease in photosynthetic activity in plants due to the reduction of photosynthetic tissues, stomatal closure, and reduced performance of photosynthetic machinery. This reduction in photosynthetic activity contributes to

3780-459: The west Pacific and the Indian Ocean to the east Pacific, it causes extensive drought in the western Pacific. Singapore experienced the driest February in 2014 since records began in 1869, with only 6.3 mm of rain falling in the month and temperatures hitting as high as 35 °C on 26 February. The years 1968 and 2005 had the next driest Februaries, when 8.4 mm of rain fell. Globally,

3843-717: The whole Murray-Darling basin if it did not receive sufficient water by October 2008. Australia could experience more severe droughts and they could become more frequent in the future, a government-commissioned report said on July 6, 2008. Australian environmentalist Tim Flannery , predicted that unless it made drastic changes, Perth in Western Australia could become the world's first ghost metropolis , an abandoned city with no more water to sustain its population. The long Australian Millennial drought broke in 2010. East Africa , including for example Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, has

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3906-501: The wind erosion of loess. In 2005, parts of the Amazon basin experienced the worst drought in 100 years. A 2006 article reported results showing that the forest in its present form could survive only three years of drought. Scientists at the Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research argue in the article that this drought response, coupled with the effects of deforestation on regional climate, are pushing

3969-585: Was $ 39,942, and the median income for a family was $ 47,575. Males had a median income of $ 42,348 versus $ 26,442 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 16,696. About 5.7% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. The Moapa Valley was originally settled around 350 B.C. by the Ancestral Puebloan people (who used to be called Anasazi by early archeologists). Around 500 A.D., farming supplanted hunting as

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