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There are ancient trees submerged beneath Lake Tahoe, meaning the region was once much drier than it is now. Those trees are remnants of epic droughts over the centuries that lasted so long, they caused Lake Tahoe and other western lakes to drop 20 feet or more, allowing forests to grow where there is now water. And they could come again. Despite recent heavy rain and snow, should the area start planning for another monster drought?
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Suburban strip malls, office buildings and other paved areas make droughts worse by blocking billions of gallons of rainwater from seeping through the soil to replenish ground water. Atlanta, which is the most rapidly sprawling metropolitan area, loses enough water to supply the average household needs of up to 3.6 million people a year. Boston is next, with between 44 billion and 103 billion gallons of water lost. After that is Philadelphia, with 25 billion to 59 billion gallons of water unable to return to the soil.
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Central Florida has been invaded by giant 4-inch grasshoppers that are immune to pesticides and taste too bad to be eaten by predators. The Eastern lubber is yellow with red and black markings. It?s too fat to fly, but it can jump high and long. It has five eyes, viselike jaws and ever-moving mouth parts, and if you bother one, it will spread its wings and hiss at you. If you touch it, it ejects a stinky, irritating foam all over you. There are usually only a small number of lubbers around each year, due to lack of enough food and water. But the combination of a dry winter and summer rain has caused a huge increase in population.
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Recent bee attacks in Arizona have convinced some experts that drought may be making thirsty bees more aggressive. They could be moving into populated areas looking for water. “This is a very real problem,” says beekeeper Tom Martin, who thinks the situation will get worse if the drought continues. Three recent attacks, one of which killed a 46-year-old woman, have people worried. Cheryl McClain, who was allergic to bee stings, died after being stung 80 times by bees swarming outside her home. Her boyfriend was also stung many times, but managed to survive.
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