The word "megadrought" isn't new in the science community. It's been in use since the early 1990s.

But new findings from research conducted at UCLA have the word making headlines in the Western U.S. this week.

According to the study, the last 22 years are now the driest out of the last 1,200 years in the Western U.S. That kind of statistic has earned the last two decades the classification of "megadrought".

But what does that mean?

A megadrought is a period of 20 to 30 years where conditions are drier than average. There may be some wet years sprinkled in, but drought impacts remain throughout the period. These are much longer in scale than droughts you typically hear meteorologists talk about, which typically last months or years.

Climate scientists can identify megadroughts using tree ring data that stretches back over a thousand years.

“Every year a tree grows an annual growth ring and in a wet year, the ring will be really wide because the tree grows a lot," said Park Williams, one of the study's authors. "In a dry year, the tree grows a little bit because it’s really dry.”

Those rings reveal patterns that climate scientists can use to track megadroughts. They have identified four of them in the Western U.S. since the year 800. They all range between 23 and 30 years in length but vary in severity. Each megadrought ended with a 10-to-15 year period of wetter-than-average conditions, showing evidence of natural climate variability over long timescales.

But that natural cycle is likely trending drier in both droughts and rainy periods because of human-caused climate change. Increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide from human activity are causing Earth's average temperature to rise. As the atmosphere warms, it pulls more moisture out of the ground, exacerbating drought conditions and making rainy periods weaker and further between.

So while this latest megadrought cycle is expected to end in the next five to 10 years, the wetter period that follows may be less pronounced than in previous cycles.

Watch the video above for the full story.

A megadrought ailing the American West got even drier last year and is becoming the deepest dry spell in more than 1,200 years. A study out Monday said the megadrought is now the worst-case scenario officials and scientists worried about in the 1900s. The drought deepened so much in 2021 that it is 5% worse than the old record in the late 1500s.

Scientists compare this megadrought to what would happen in a hypothetical world without human-caused climate change. And they calculate that 42% of this drought is due to global warming from the burning of fossil fuels.

A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that the window of time between 2020-2021 was the driest for southwestern North America in 1,200 years.

In the study, researchers said, "Since the year 2000, southwestern North America has been unusually dry due to low precipitation totals and heat, punctuated most recently by exceptional drought in 2021."

As CNN reported, the burning of fossil fuels has been found to be directly related to water availability in the West. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that in December Los Angles experienced its second-wettest month on record, but then last month Los Angeles experienced its eight-driest January on record for the city.

Once dry and desolate, this riverbed in southern Arizona has been given new life.

“The idea of bringing water back to the Santa Cruz River for Tucsonans has been around for about 100 years. That's when the Santa Cruz River stopped flowing because of overpumping of the aquifer here in Tucson for the agriculture that was going on here in the early 1900s,” John Kmiec, the interim director of Tucson Water, said.

Here in the desert, every drop of water counts.

“South of where we’re standing, this is what the Santa Cruz looked like…it’s dry. It's been like that since the 1920s almost continuously. It only responds for rain,” he explained. “If you want to see abundant life in the desert, just add water, and it's amazing what happens after that.”

So that’s what Tucson water did back in the summer of 2019 – by putting water back where it used to be as part of the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project.

“This is highly treated effluent from our regional wastewater treatment plant,” Kmiec explained. “Our daily flow right now is about 1,500 gallons per minute.”

“We had more than 400 people at about 110 degrees down in this riverbed when we turned this outfall on,” he explained.

The recycled water runs 24/7 into where the Santa Cruz River used to run, attracting people above and wildlife below.

“Just about every desert creature you can think of, you see down here,” Kmiec said.

It’s the sounds of this ecosystem that show the success of the project. Keeping track of the biodiversity here is part of researcher Michael Bogan’s job.

“This is basically how we collect it from the river,” Michael Bogan, assistant professor of aquatic ecology at the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, said.

“So we need to preserve them in ethanol and bring them back to the lab.”

Bogan said he noticed wildlife return right after the water was turned on.

“I immediately noticed dragonflies who had obviously flown in from some other water body somewhere in Tucson, golf course, pond, something like that. Flown in and not only had they found this brand new water that was only a few hours old, but they were already mating and laying eggs in the water. To me that was like seeing the birth of an ecosystem,” he said.

So his team, along with other groups, are keeping track of the species coming in.

“In most places because of either drought, climate change and drought that we’re in or because of human water withdrawals from dams or diversions, most places are drying up. So most of what we study is what happens when the water goes away. This is totally the opposite,” Bogan said.

“It’s a relatively small amount of water, yet it has a huge positive impact.”

Kmiec said the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project shows how to use water in a sustainable way to bring life back to the area for wildlife and for people.

“We see it as one of many. So we’re looking at other opportunities,” he said.

“We’ve done a lot of damage to the ecosystems so this is an example of trying to undo some of that damage,” Bogan said.

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio —

If being a true fan was a sport, the Coxes would surely be in the hall of fame.

"I love the game so win or lose, I love to watch the Bengals play football," said Judy Cox.

Their devotion to the Cincinnati Bengals has been unwavering, much like their devotion to each other.

Rich and Judy got married in December of 1990, right before the last time the Bengals went to the playoffs in '91.

"In 1991, the Bengals had a come pick your seats, and I happened to be in downtown Cincinnati and I picked three seats and came home and surprised her and said, 'We're going to be Bengals season ticket holders.'" said Rich Cox.

In three decades, they've been to 30 NFL stadiums, thousands of games and Judy even went to the historic freezer bowl in '82.

"We had some decent years, we had some drought years. We had this year!" said Judy Cox.

They say this year just feels different.

"There's a feeling that the pieces of the puzzle are coming together," said Rich Cox.

For 31 years, win or lose, these super fans have kept the faith. Now, they say the odds are in the Bengals' favor this year.

"Thirty-one years! 31 years! My dad was a mathematician, you do the odds. Cincinnati is an average team, but every 32 years you should win a Superbowl, by odds," said Rich Cox.

The only stadiums they haven't been to are Lincoln Financial in Philadelphia and SOFI in Englewood, California, where the Super Bowl is this year. They hope to check that one off their list come February.

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. — As unprecedented drought conditions plague much of the West, reservoirs are running dry. Communities reliant on these sources for drinking water are tightening restrictions to preserve adequate supplies.

“This is the first time it’s been this severe," said Tom Colbert of Healdsburg, California. "It’s disheartening. We’ve had friends move out of California because of the drought and the wildfires.”

Located in California's Wine Country, the city implemented water restrictions in June to maintain its drinking water supply through 2021.

The mandate cut water use by 40 percent, limiting individuals to 74 gallons a day. It also banned the use of sprinklers and drip irrigation.

“One of the things that’s made this community very special is the vegetation: the trees, the grasses, the bushes. We want to keep them alive. We don’t want to run the risk of having them dry," said Colbert.

The neighborhood has been bringing in recycled water to preserve the landscaping. Colbert is among a dedicated group of volunteers distributing the supply each week.

“Some, like the Redwoods, require 1,000 gallons of water a week," said Colbert.

A free resource offered by the city, residents are responsible for sourcing or purchasing their own storage tanks, totes, or barrels.

“The City of Healdsburg is currently achieving a 55% reduction in water use and has been doing so for nearly two months,” said Healdsburg Mayor Evelyn Mitchell. “The City adopted high levels of conservation early in the summer because we knew storage in Lake Mendocino was an issue. We are hopeful the entire watershed will band together to achieve significant conservation as the timing of this year’s rain is uncertain.”

But in recent days, water levels dropped below 20,000 acre-feet of storage, falling short of a water conservation goal established to maintain adequate downstream flows for fisheries and human health and safety needs for municipal users.

"We don’t know what’s going to happen," said Colbert.

The ongoing climate threat is leading to creative conservation throughout the state.

“The heat has gotten intense. Intense, intense, especially this summer," said Rebecca Taylor, stylist and owner of Honey Hair Lab in Rancho Cucamonga. "And it never rains. I don’t remember the last time it truly properly rained.”

When she moved from Florida to California, Taylor became hyperaware of how precious each drop of water was. From rinsing hair to washing towels, salons use hundreds of gallons of water each week.

Adapting to the changing climate, she now uses single-use, biodegradable towels. Sustainably sourced, she says EasyDry towels are super absorbent and more practical. Fully biodegradable, the towels return to nature within 12 weeks.

“I don’t have to do laundry; I don’t have to use water," said Taylor. "I know I can make little things different in my routine. It’s worth a try, right?”

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — Nancy Caywood knows the value of holding on to what’s important to you. Her family’s farm is on its fifth generation.

“This is my grandad. He’s out working our family farm in the 1940s right here. He purchased the farm in 1930,” she said.

For 91 years, Nancy’s family has been farming land in Casa Grande, Arizona, about an hour south of Phoenix. So she’s seen some dry weather in her day.

“All of the west is in a serious drought,” said Caywood, “The lakes are decreasing in level, and they’ve all got the bathtub ring, and they’re very, very low right now, and so we just entered what we call tier one of water usage which means that agriculture is going to be cut back.”

The Bureau of Reclamation declared a water shortage in the Lower Colorado River Basin and announced level one restrictions, the first-ever.

"The basin is experiencing its 22nd year of drought, and earlier this summer, the reservoirs hit their lowest levels since they were originally filled," said Tonya Trujillo, the Asst. Secretary for Water and Science.

That means Arizona will face the largest cuts at an 18% reduction. Nevada will see a 7% reduction and Mexico 5%. Those numbers may not sound like a lot to the average person, but to farmers, every drop counts.

“In all honesty, we probably had about, trying to think, probably about 25 acres on this farm this year just because we didn’t have the water," said Paco Ollerton.

His farm is just down the road from Nancy’s. Uncertainty is starting to sink in for Paco for his farm and others.

“My guys are going to have less, my equipment dealer is going to have, you know people are being conservative about buying equipment, it’s going to affect all the suppliers and the inputs,” said Ollerton.

Caywood worries about her son Travis, who runs the farm now.

“Now I’ve just watched this just wear him down, and it’s sad as a parent to see this because I don’t think my grandfather ever experienced this level of drought. But this has been a year, after year, after year, it’s been going on, and to watch this just wear Travis down hurts, it just hurts. And you just want to say it’s going to be ok, but we don’t know,” said Caywood.

Telling the people we love that everything will be OK, you don’t have to be a farmer to know that feeling.

But it might take a farmer to find that glass half full optimism in the middle of a drought. Nancy’s got that too.

“I look out here, and I know that the alfalfa is here, and we can grow it. We just need water, right? And so you just have to look with optimism that we’re going to get water,” she said.