Picturing water scarcity

Looking for a quick distraction during this week of distractions? While not exactly cheerful, this New York Times photography collection of dry, dry places is still very compelling. Pictures from around the world, including the American West, show the results of water scarcity in black and white.

Take a quick break and explore the slideshow -- A Thirsting Planet -- and its associated explanation. The Times describes the images and makes a clear connection to the work of river advocates in the West:

It is a complex and subtle issue that Mr. Delano illustrates with dreamlike black-and-white images that drive home the point that water is running out in many places across the world. He puts his photographs of spreading deserts in Morocco, Yemen, China and Mali side by side with photographs of the American West to show that this is not a distant problem and that America is subject to the same laws of nature.