--- title: NOAA Links California Droughts to Ocean Temperatures description: A spate of winter droughts across California may have emerged from the sea, according to new research canonical: https://time.com/3624145/california-drought-ocean-temperature/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-08T21:09:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T02:40:02.416Z article:section: Science og:title: NOAA Links California Droughts to Ocean Temperatures og:description: A spate of winter droughts across California may have emerged from the sea, according to new research og:url: https://time.com/3624145/california-drought-ocean-temperature/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a1ec6299b72da05/69876d7ae53aba3d054d6690/465648153.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: California Drought Dries Up Bay Area Reservoirs og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NOAA Links California Droughts to Ocean Temperatures twitter:description: A spate of winter droughts across California may have emerged from the sea, according to new research twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a1ec6299b72da05/69876d7ae53aba3d054d6690/465648153.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New Study Links California Droughts to Ocean Temperatures  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Dec 8, 2014 9:09 PM UTC  A pipe emerges from dried and cracked earth that used to be the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir on Jan. 28, 2014 in San Jose, California. A pipe emerges from dried and cracked earth that used to be the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir on Jan. 28, 2014 in San Jose, California.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Dec 8, 2014 9:09 PM UTC A spate of winter droughts across California may have emerged from the sea, according to new [research](http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2014/20141208%5Fcaliforniadrought.html) that links dry spells on land to temperatures on the surface of the ocean. Researchers sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found a pattern of ocean temperatures that appears to predict the build up of a high pressure ridge off the coast of California. Climate scientists say the ridge has effectively blocked winter rainstorms from rolling inland over the past three winters, depriving the state of rain during the wet seasons. “It’s important to note that California’s drought, while extreme, is not an uncommon occurrence for the state,” [said](http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2014/20141208%5Fcaliforniadrought.html) the report’s lead author, Richard Seager of Columbia University. Scientists say the temperature readings might be used to predict drought seasons before they develop. “It’s paramount that we use our collective ability to provide communities and businesses with the environmental intelligence they need to make decisions concerning water resources, which are becoming increasingly strained,” Seager said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3624145/california-drought-ocean-temperature/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3624145/california-drought-ocean-temperature/"},"headline":"New Study Links California Droughts to Ocean Temperatures","datePublished":"2014-12-08T21:09:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:40:02.416Z","description":"Researchers look seaward for early drought detection","url":"https://time.com/3624145/california-drought-ocean-temperature/","keywords":["Environment"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a1ec6299b72da05/69876d7ae53aba3d054d6690/465648153.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a1ec6299b72da05/69876d7ae53aba3d054d6690/465648153.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"California Drought Dries Up Bay Area Reservoirs","caption":"California Drought Dries Up Bay Area Reservoirs","creditText":"Justin Sullivan—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3624145/california-drought-ocean-temperature/","name":"New Study Links California Droughts to Ocean Temperatures"}}]}] ```