The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms and soil erosion that occurred in the Great Plains region of the United States between 1930 and 1940. The following factors contributed to the Dust Bowl:
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Drought: A severe drought hit the region in 1930, causing the overfarmed and overgrazed land to dry up and blow away.
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Poor agricultural practices: Farmers on the Great Plains plowed up huge tracts of land once covered with grasses that held the soil in place and helped to keep moisture in the topsoil. Without the grass cover, the wind could lift dirt particles into the atmosphere where they were carried east by the prevailing winds.
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Economic depression: The Great Depression, which began in 1929, caused a period of economic downturn that led to poverty and poor agricultural techniques.
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Abnormal sea surface temperatures: According to a NASA study, abnormal sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans played a strong role in the 1930s Dust Bowl drought.
These factors combined to create a perfect storm of ecological, economic, and human misery in the region. The Dust Bowl caused crops to fail, livestock to die, and thousands of farm families to lose their farms and face severe poverty. The government enacted aid programs to help, but it wasnt until 1939 when the rain returned that relief came.
