[photo credit: Lanterman House]
Amanda Smith will present “LA Is Not A Desert” on Sunday, November 16 at 1 p.m. at the Lanterman House, challenging widespread assumptions about Southern California’s climate with scientific evidence.
The central claim may surprise many Angelenos: Los Angeles doesn’t meet the scientific definition of a desert.
“Los Angeles is not a desert. Its climate is not classified as arid. It is a warm temperate climate with a warm and dry summer,” according to Dennis L. Hartmann, an atmospheric scientist and professor at the University of Washington.
Recent climate data supports this classification. Downtown Los Angeles receives 14.25 inches of average annual rainfall based on 1991-2020 climate normals, according to Southern California Weather Notes—enough to exceed the threshold for desert classification.
The lecture will explore how Los Angeles has extensive water resources and thriving ecosystems. The Arroyo Seco, a 24.9-mile-long seasonal river and watershed, flows through La Cañada Flintridge, in Altadena, in Pasadena and in South Pasadena before joining the Los Angeles River.
The Los Angeles River itself required a massive channelization project beginning in 1938, using 3.5 million barrels of cement—hardly the effort needed for a naturally dry desert landscape.
Los Angeles County is part of the California Floristic Province, one of approximately 35 to 36 recognized biodiversity hotspots worldwide. The area’s dominant ecosystem is chaparral—dense, evergreen shrubs adapted to Mediterranean climates.
Griffith Park comprises 4,310 acres and is “the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in the United States.”
LA Is Not A Desert lecture will run on Sunday, November 16 at 1 p.m. Lanterman House, 4420 Encinas Drive, in La Cañada Flintridge. For more call (818) 790-1421 or visit https://www.lantermanhouse.org/list-of-events/la-is-not-a-desert-lecture-amanda-smith.