TechKnow: The New Dust Bowl - Full Episode

August 11, 2015 12:30AM ET

WATCH: Scientists are tracking California's epic drought

Topics:
Technology
Science
 

On this episode of "TechKnow," Phil Torres and Shini Somara head out West to see how the drought is impacting the state of California.

Phil teams up with scientists at NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory who are using satellites and airborne flying laborators to track and measure the amount of available water in the Sierra Nevada snow pack. The goal is to give water managers an accurate assessment of much water they can expect to come from the mountain region during California's ongoing drought

On the ground, Shini Somara ventures to the Central Valley to explore a new technology: solar desalination. A start-up company called Water FX is using solar thermal troughs to provide freshwater to farmers. 

Original Air Date: October 18, 2014 

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