Agriculture
Animated Map: U.S. Droughts Over the Last 20 Years
Animated Map: U.S. Droughts Over the Last 20 Years
The Western U.S. is experiencing one of the worst recorded droughts in the last 20 years.
Temperatures from California to the Dakotas are currently hovering around 9-12°F above average—but how bad is the situation compared to past years?
This animated map by reddit user /NothingAbnormalHere provides a historical look at droughts in the U.S. since 1999, using data and graphics from the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM).
What is the U.S. Drought Monitor?
Over the last two decades, the USDM has been tracking, measuring, and comparing droughts across America.
While droughts can be difficult to classify and standardize, there are various factors that can be used to gauge when a region is experiencing drought. These include measurements of snowpack levels, soil moisture, and recent precipitation.
To track these conditions (and make sense of them), the USDM synthesizes data from a plethora of meteorological sources, including the Palmer Drought Severity Index and the Standardized Precipitation Index.
From there, conditions are broken down into categories, ranging from D0 (abnormally dry) to D4 (Exceptional Drought). A map is released each week that shows which states are experiencing drought, and to what degree.
Where Are The Most Drought-Prone Areas?
According to a map created by climatologist Becky Bolinger (which is published on Drought.gov), Arizona and Nevada are the most historically drought-prone states—the two have experienced drought more than 50% of the time tracked by the USDM.
California is high on the list as well, with the state experiencing drought at least 40% of the time.
As the historical data shows, the West is no stranger to droughts. However, this year’s drought has become particularly worrisome because of its intensity and breadth.
Right now, more than a quarter of the West is experiencing a D4 level drought—a new record. To help put things into perspective, here’s a look at how much overall land area in the West has been in drought, since 2000:
When a region is experiencing a D4 drought, possible impacts include:
- Water Scarcity
Lower reservoirs, combined with decreased snowpack lead to water shortages. - Crop losses
Water shortages mean less water for fields, which can lead to acres of fallow (unused) farmland. - Wildfires
Dry conditions and lack of moisture increase the risk of wildfires.
Is This the New Norm?
This record-breaking drought is wreaking havoc across the West. In California, reservoirs have about half as much water as they usually do, and crop failures are happening across Colorado.
The worst part? Some experts believe that this could be the new normal if human-driven climate change continues to increase average temperatures across the globe.
Agriculture
Visualizing the Global Coffee Trade by Country
Which countries export, and import, the most coffee? This visual highlights the global coffee trade by export flows in 2019.
Creator Program
Visualizing the Global Coffee Trade by Country
From drip coffees to decadent lattes, every cup of coffee begins its journey from the humble coffee bean. A massive global coffee trade moves these beans from farms in one country to cafes in another.
In this piece, Airi Ryu uses data from Chatham House’s resourcetrade.earth to track the global trade of unroasted and non-decaffeinated coffee beans in 2019, highlighting the world’s top coffee exporters and importers.
The Biggest Exporters in the Global Coffee Trade
Close to 84% of the world’s coffee bean exports come from just 10 countries.
All these countries are found in the “Bean Belt” between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn where coffee grows best. These top coffee-producing nations include Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia.
Here are the top coffee exporting nations in 2019:
| Rank | Country | Coffee Exports (Tonnes) | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2.20M | 28.9% |
| 2 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 1.44M | 18.9% |
| 3 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 0.77M | 10.1% |
| 4 | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 0.44M | 5.8% |
| 5 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 0.34M | 4.5% |
| 6 | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 0.26M | 3.4% |
| 7 | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 0.25M | 3.3% |
| 8 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 0.23M | 3.0% |
| 9 | 🇮🇳 India | 0.23M | 3.0% |
| 10 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 0.22M | 2.9% |
| n/a | 🌍 Others | 0.83M | 11.0% |
| n/a | 🌍 Others (re-export) | 0.40M | 5.2% |
The South American nations of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru export nearly 42% of the global coffee beans. Brazil exported over 2.2 million tonnes in 2019 alone, more than a quarter of the global coffee trade.
Across the Pacific, Vietnam and Indonesia together exported 23.4% of the world’s coffee beans in 2019. Other major exporters include the Central American nations of Honduras and Guatemala, which combined for 8.7% of global coffee bean exports, and the African nations Uganda and Ethiopia with 6.7% combined.
Biggest Coffee Bean Importers, By Country
On the other side of the global coffee trade are nations with high demand for coffee dominating import shares. Many of these importing nations also re-export coffee beans to other parts of the world under their own local brands.
Here are the top coffee importing nations in 2019:
| Rank | Country | Coffee Imports (Tonnes) | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 1.47M | 19.3% |
| 2 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 1.08M | 14.2% |
| 3 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 0.63M | 8.3% |
| 4 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 0.43M | 5.7% |
| 5 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 0.31M | 4.1% |
| 6 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 0.29M | 3.5% |
| 7 | 🇫🇷 France | 0.21M | 2.7% |
| 8 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 0.20M | 2.6% |
| 9 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 0.18M | 2.4% |
| 10 | 🇷🇺 Russian Federation | 0.18M | 2.4% |
| n/a | 🌍 Others | 2.36M | 34.7% |
The U.S. is the largest importer of coffee beans in the world, bringing in 1.5 million tonnes of unroasted coffee beans in 2019, equivalent to 19.3% of all exports that year. While Brazil and Colombia are its biggest sources of coffee, beans imported from Asia and Central America also thrive thanks to a strong specialty coffee culture.
Europe is also a massive destination for coffee bean exports. Germany led the way with 14.2% of global coffee imports, while Italy accounted for 8.3%.
A brewing coffee culture in Japan has made the country a major player in the global coffee trade. In 2019, Japan was the fourth-largest coffee bean importer in the world and far and away the leading importer in Asia.
As the desire for coffee continues to permeate throughout the world, and as climate change puts a strain on coffee production (and vice versa), the flows of coffee beans are sure to change in the coming decades.
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