The West Coast of US has a Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and rainy winters. The Sierra Nevada acts as a natural rain barrier, causing the basin to its right to be extremely arid. Further to the right lies the Rocky Mountains. In the east, the Appalachian Mountains block moist rain clouds from the Atlantic, giving the East Coast—home to the original thirteen colonies—distinct seasons, ample rainfall, and suitability for agriculture. Between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians lies the Great Plains, which, shielded from rain clouds on both sides, is relatively dry and more suited for ranching. Some areas receive less than 400 mm of annual rainfall, making farming impossible.
The western US, referring to the region west of the Appalachians, is arid. The primary water source here is the Colorado River, replenished mainly by melting snow. However, due to persistent lack of precipitation, the region has been in drought since 2000, with reservoirs along the river at just 30% capacity. Most of California, especially the more populous and agriculturally dependent south, is becoming increasingly dry.
The Great Plains rely heavily on the Ogallala Aquifer in the south, one of the world’s largest underground freshwater sources, supplying one-third of the groundwater used for US agricultural irrigation. However, prolonged agricultural use has depleted the aquifer, and insufficient rainfall has prevented its replenishment, leading to groundwater exhaustion in some areas. Climate change (regardless of cause) exacerbates not only the drought in the West but also increases extreme weather events like hurricanes, posing challenges to the wetter eastern regions.
Future water resource competition will be critical. Throughout history, civilizations have thrived near water. Regardless of societal models, humans need water. Nearly every major civilization has relied on its own water sources. The US has the Ogallala Aquifer, and India has its own. India, a monsoon-dependent country, has a unique climate, with the arid Deccan Plateau and deserts. Its significant aquifer lies near the border with Pakistan, in the large triangular area between the Indus and Ganges rivers. The Brahmaputra River, originating from the Yarlung Tsangpo River in China, flows down from the Himalayas after a major bend, but the aquifer beneath this region is relatively sparse. If future conflicts arise between Pakistan and India, water resources will likely be a central issue. If China builds a hydropower station in the Medog region, generating 300 billion kWh, India’s fate will no longer hinge on its confidence. If relations completely break down, shutting the water gates is a possibility. Incidentally, Europe’s aquifers are also depleting, and without large-scale engineering efforts to replenish them, Europe and the US risk self-destruction by over-extraction.
The documentary California Water Wars is highly recommended. The depletion of US water resources, particularly the Ogallala Aquifer, is rarely covered by mainstream media. Water costs account for more than half of agricultural expenses, and despite its vast scale, US agriculture is no longer highly profitable.
The Ogallala Aquifer is crucial to the US’s national fate. Stretching from the north through South Dakota to Texas, this massive aquifer is being overused without replenishment, compounded by extensive shale gas extraction. When Trump took office in 2016, California’s ideological divide was partly rooted in the declining fortunes beneath the nation’s surface. The US drought is systemic, stemming not just from global warming but also from atmospheric changes and groundwater depletion. The Earth’s surface is three-dimensional; focusing solely on the surface is misguided. Underground issues are harder to address, and land is the foundation of everything. If the land is ruined, nature will no longer provide.
The San Andreas Fault is central to California’s earthquakes, and the gradual rise of the Sierra Nevada will exacerbate drought in the western US As the snowline descends year by year, more Pacific monsoon rain is blocked, making inland drought inevitable. With the aquifer drained and mountains rising, the nation’s geology is shifting.
To the left of the Sierra Nevada lies a massive valley, and to the right are the famous Rockies. Together with the vast basin between them, they form the Cordillera mountain system, the largest in the Americas, spanning North and South America. This explains why the West Coast thrives while the Midwest lags—the mountain system divides the nation’s values from top to bottom.
From the Great Plains, the Ogallala Aquifer stretches south to Texas, but its depletion raises questions about the nation’s future.
The eastern US is the lowest-lying region, with Florida being a swampy area prone to sinkholes, as reported in numerous news stories. This region is also where the Ogallala Aquifer drains into the sea. Essentially, the entire eastern US sits on a layer of mud, growing softer toward the east. In fact, the entire country rests on mud—dry in the west and swampy in the east—due to glacial deposits from the Ice Age. According to the US founding date, calculated as the “Ji Chou 己丑” day in the Chinese calendar, Jiĺ·± represents low-lying, damp soil, while Chou丑 signifies cold, wet earth.