A new study says the Southwest region of the United States faces the threat of megadroughts this century as temperatures rise.
Researchers found the risk is reduced if heat-trapping gases are curbed.
Dry spells lasting at least two decades have gripped the Southwest before, but scientists said future megadroughts would be hotter and more severe.
The study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
The Colorado River basin, which spans parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico, has been in the midst of a historic drought for the past 16 years.
