The Great Plains (Chapter 11)

In Chapter 11, we learned about the Great Plains region of the United States. In particular, we learned about its hydrology systems, such as the significant role that aquifers play in providing water to the area. I was interested to learn that most of the Antelope Valley is also dependent on aquifers as well. The following diagrams from the United States Geological Society (USGS) show how most of the Antelope Valley is dependent on two aquifers:

(Source: http://pubs.usgs.gov/ha/ha730/ch_b/basin_range3.html)

According to a study of the Antelope Valley by the USGS, groundwater in the AV is used for both domestic and irrigation purposes. Since the population of the AV is steadily increasing, demand for water is also increasing and placing a greater strain on the area's water resources. Just as in the Great Plains, the Antelope Valley's water table and aquifers are being depleted at a rate faster than they can be replenished by natural processes, leading to a future "compaction", or collapse, of the aquifers.

Experience suggests that the continued mining of ground water from the Lancaster subbasin will cause additional aquifer- system compaction. The future of ground-water use in Antelope Valley is linked to continuing compaction of the aquifer system and additional land subsidence. The hydrogeologic complexities of the linkages and the associated ground-water basin management challenges will continue to confront AVWG (Antelope Valley Water Group) and other future users of this crucial resource in the arid, high-desert valley.

(Source: http://ca.water.usgs.gov/groundwater/poland/)

Finally, another similarity between the Great Plains region and the Antelope Valley is that both regions experience very high winds. The combination of the AV's strong winds and its sandy desert topography leads to frequent dust storms across the area. The following YouTube video provides a great up-close look at what it is like to be caught in one of these dust storms in the Antelope Valley. Watching the video helps me to imagine what it must have been like to have lived through the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains during the 1930s.




Unfortunately, despite the Antelope Valley's consistent strong winds, the AV has only a single windmill to generate energy, shown below, although a few private homes have their own windmills to generate energy for their own households.




I hope the Antelope Valley and the Great Plains can increase the number of their windmills and ultimately harness most of their wind energy in the future in order to provide a renewable source of energy for the United States.