Continuing our look at droughts around the globe, NASA posted a story last month about the drought in the eastern Mediterranean based on some recent research that was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.  The research showed that based on climate data and tree ring analysis from the region, which includes Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey among other countries, this is the worst drought that region has experienced in at least 900 years.  Stress on water supplies is one factor which can promote civil unrest, since people need clean water to live.  Unlike the droughts mentioned in previous posts, this drought is not linked to El Niño or La Niña.  You can find the story here and the original research paper here.

drought in middle east jgrd52762-fig-0011