RCP 8.5 Business as Usual Scenario
Average
Ring:
The average ring represents the average annual moisture in the upper layer of the soil during 1950-2005. For every 2% increase in annual soil moisture the rings are darker and further apart, for every 2% decrease the rings are lighter and closer together. In the 2090s soil moisture will average 9% less than during the last half of the 20th century. For more info see technical notes.
Escondido Creek Channelized
Seven miles of Escondido Creek straightened and channelized to control storm waters while destroying riparian habitat.
2014 Goldspotted Oak Borer
which has killed 30,000 trees in eastern San Diego County is found in Hidden Meadows, near Escondido. As oaks are much more vulnerable after drought the beetle is predicted to continue to spread throughout the watershed.
2018 Fires
Several small fires near Wild Animal Park. The number of fires is expected to increase by 55% throughout the century, or twice the rate under the enlightened government scenario.
2018 Heat Destroys Crops
Temperatures reached the eighties in January inducing avocado and citrus trees to flower in February. Then a late frost killed tender buds. Just as the reduced crop was beginning to size, record heat in July killed newly formed leaves and the fruit nearby, creating a double whammy for farmers.
West Nile Virus
Don't pick up a bird. It may carry West Nile virus.
2070 Massive Heat Waves
From 2070 through the end of the century the average year has 36 extreme heat days when the temperature rises to over 98.8 degrees, as opposed to four during the period from 1961-1990. Coastal chaparral continues to decline with sensitive species going extinct.
Rising Sea Levels
Inundate nests of endangered Light-footed Ridgway's Rail and Belding's Savannah sparrow in the San Elijo Lagoon contributing to the perilous decline of these species.
Stephen's Kangaroo Rat Extinction
Their grassland habitat in northwestern San Diego and Riverside Counties is destroyed to the point of no return due to urbanization, wildfires and invasive species.
2018 Rural Development Approved
County supervisors approve construction of new housing projects in semi-rural areas of the Escondido Creek Watershed without requiring local carbon offsets.
