05 Aug All day I face the barren waste

Fed by the Rio Grande, Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico drains 74,850 square km, almost half again the area of Nova Scotia. When full, it holds 2,065,010 acre-feet, or 2.55 cubic kilometres of water. It was at or near capacity for most of the the period from 1985 to 2000, but last summer, it dwindled to its lowest level in 41 years. The image on the left, taken June 2, 1994, show it about 89 percent full. At right, July 8, 20134, it was down to about 3 percent of its capacity.

The paired photos are from a series of NASA images showing changes in the earth’s surface. Many but not all relate to climate change.

Bonus points: Sons of the Pioneers.