LOS ANGELES - There’s a global helium shortage and it’s affecting not just party supply stores, but everything from aerospace to the medical field.

The Bureau of Land Management operates and maintains a helium storage reservoir, enrichment plant and pipeline system near Amarillo, Texas. It supplies more than 40 percent of domestic demand for the element.

The USGS report also noted that 14 plants in the United States provided about 1.4 billion cubic feet of helium for domestic use, with about 30 percent of that helium being used for MRIs. Helium is also used for weather and research balloons, welding, fiber optics, leak detection and defense, aerospace and energy programs.

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