Satellite images show Mexico’s severe drought from space

The reduced capacity of the lagoon was deadly for thousands of fish.

Low water levels have concentrated pollutants further reducing water quality and further stressing fish, Irma de la Pena, head of the Department of Ecology in the city of Cuauhtémoc, told CNN in June.

Laguna Bustillos is an important source of water for the state of Chihuahua and is mainly used to irrigate nearly 20,000 plots of agricultural land. With limited water, the people of Chihuahua saw their crops and livestock wither.

It’s not just the Bustillos lagoon though. More than 85 percent of the country was affected by drought as of May, with some areas experiencing reduced rainfall since the end of 2022, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

You can see more pictures of drought-stricken Mexican lakes in the video below.

The drought “created quite a deficit in both the northwest and the south-central part of the country in terms of lack of precipitation,” Derek Vollmer, Director of Waterscapes at WWF, told Business Insider.

The view from space is bleak, but images from the ground show an even bleaker reality for people, plants and animals dealing with drought.

Some farmers cannot provide adequate water for their livestock, and cows and donkeys have died during the hot, dry months. Other farmers have left the area because conditions are so severe, farmer Jesus Maria Palacios told Reuters in June.

Even the bees perish.

“There is almost no vegetation in the landscape right now because of the drought,” beekeeper Adan Rascon Ramos told Reuters. This includes thirsty wildflowers that have not bloomed.

As a result, bees looking for pollen have turned to the limited agricultural crops left, and herbicides are killing them in droves.

An unusually dry year

Using Landsat satellite data, the researchers can determine that the current drought in Mexico is more widespread than the last one in 2011 because it affected two regions, the north and the south-central region.

“From hundreds of miles in space, we’re able to look at things like drought and look at very subtle changes in what’s happening on the landscape,” Terry Sohl of the USGS Earth Resources Science and Observation Center told BI.

Various factors led to the last drought. Last year, El Niño failed to bring its usual rainfall to the north, and a weak La Niña affected rainfall levels in the southern and central regions. The first half of this year was also very dry, adding to the problem, according to NOAA.

Tropical storms in June brought some relief to the central and southwestern regions, but northwestern Mexico is still in a drought.

More than half of Mexico’s reservoirs are at or below 50% right now. “It takes a lot of additional rainfall to build this reserve,” Vollmer said. “A good set of rain won’t happen because of the drought.”

Vollmer said drier conditions could become more permanent in some regions. Droughts are classified based on historical averages, he said, but “we’re moving into new conditions.” What was once a drought may now be the new normal.

There are several potential measures to help protect against future droughts. WWF has worked in Mexico to help communities create water reserves by implementing policies to keep river systems above a certain level. It was originally an effort to ensure biodiversity, but “it’s increasingly being recognized as insurance against these drought conditions,” Vollmer said.