A recent article in the journal "Science" investigates whether decreasing winds in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies are contributing to declining precipitation.
The article attributes this to both natural climate variations and man-made climate change.
The research was led by research hydrologist Charlie Luce with the Rocky Mountain Research Station's Aquatic Sciences laboratory in Boise, along with colleagues from the University of Idaho and the northern region of the U.S. Forest Service.
In this feature interview, Luce tells News Director Sally Mauk that the research grew out of a bit of a puzzle they were trying to solve.