Drought Research News

April 19, 2024

Top Headlines

New Approach Needed to Save Australia's Non-Perennial Rivers

Apr. 10, 2024 — An extensive review of current research incorporating geomorphology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology and Indigenous knowledges identifies prevailing factors that shape water and energy flows in Australia's non-perennial rivers -- but the review ...

Australia on Track for Unprecedented, Decades-Long Megadroughts

Apr. 2, 2024 — Australia could soon see megadroughts that last for more than 20 years, according to new modelling. The researchers' bleak findings are before factoring in human impact on the climate since the Industrial Revolution. According to the scientists, the ...

Diverse Habitats Help Salmon Weather Unpredictable Climate Changes

Mar. 14, 2024 — Restored salmon habitat should resemble financial portfolios, offering fish diverse options for feeding and survival so that they can weather various conditions as the climate changes, a new study ...

Drought, Soil Desiccation Cracking, and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: An Overlooked Feedback Loop Exacerbating Climate Change

Mar. 13, 2024 — Soil stores 80 percent of carbon on earth, yet with increasing cycles of drought, that crucial reservoir is cracking and breaking down, releasing even more greenhouse gases creating an amplified ...

Latest Headlines

updated 1:23pm EDT

Scientist Helps Link Climate Change to Madagascar's Megadrought

Apr. 9, 2024 — A team reveals a clear link between human-driven climate change and the years-long drought currently gripping southern ...

Groundbreaking Research in Groundwater's Role in Ecosystem Sustainability

Apr. 3, 2024 — Until now, groundwater -- a critical water resource around the globe, especially in dry regions -- has been largely unstudied in its importance and role in sustaining ecosystems. New groundbreaking ...

Droughts in Europe Could Be Avoided With Faster Emissions Cuts

Mar. 25, 2024 — Models suggest summer rainfall in southern Europe could decline by up to 48% by the year 2100 if emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise ...

Maize Genes Control Little Helpers in the Soil

Mar. 21, 2024 — Tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi help to promote the health and function of plant roots. It is commonly assumed that the composition of these microbes is dependent on the properties of the ...

Study Finds Drought Fuels Invasive Species After Wildfires

Feb. 28, 2024 — Scientists uncover the intricate dance between drought, wildfires and invasive species in Southern California's coastal sage scrub ...

How Climate Change Risks Increase at a National Scale as the Level of Global Warming Increases

Feb. 29, 2024 — Researchers have quantified how climate change risks to human and natural systems increase at a national scale as the level of global warming ...

Scientists Assemble a Richer Picture of the Plight and Resilience of the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog

Feb. 26, 2024 — Up to only a few inches in length, with a lemon-hued belly, the foothill yellow-legged frog may seem unassuming. But its range once stretched from ...

New Study Points to More Climate Extremes

Feb. 6, 2024 — A new study has found similarities between long-term climatic changes in South Australia and temperate agricultural areas in Argentina -- highlighting similarities across these Southern Hemisphere ...

Controlling Root Growth Direction Could Help Save Crops and Mitigate Climate Change

Feb. 14, 2024 — Scientists have determined how the well-known plant hormone ethylene is crucial in controlling the angle at which roots grow. The findings can be ...

Is the Amazon Forest Approaching a Tipping Point?

Feb. 14, 2024 — Global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon, pushing it towards partial or total collapse. New research has identified the ...

Paper Provides a Clearer Picture of Severe Hydro Hazards

Jan. 24, 2024 — A new study now provides a global examination of drought-pluvial volatility -- or the tendency to shift from one weather extreme to ...

A New, Rigorous Assessment of OpenET Accuracy for Supporting Satellite-Based Water Management

Jan. 16, 2024 — Sustainable water management is an increasing concern in arid regions around the world, and scientists and regulators are turning to remote sensing tools like OpenET to help track and manage water ...

Study Quantifies How Aquifer Depletion Threatens Crop Yields

Jan. 15, 2024 — Three decades of data have informed a new Nebraska-led study that shows how the depletion of groundwater -- the same that many farmers rely on for irrigation -- can threaten food production amid ...

Record Heat in 2023 Worsened Global Droughts, Floods and Wildfires

Jan. 11, 2024 — Record heat across the world profoundly impacted the global water cycle in 2023, contributing to severe storms, floods, megadroughts and bushfires, new research ...

'Carbon Vault' Peat Suffers Greatly from Drought

Jan. 10, 2024 — Peatlands are affected more by drought than expected. This is concerning, as these ecosystems are an important ally in the fight against climate change. Following long periods of drought, peat is ...

Global Study of Extreme Drought Impacts on Grasslands and Shrublands

Jan. 8, 2024 — A global study shows that the effects of extreme drought -- which is expected to increase in frequency with climate change -- has been greatly underestimated for grasslands and shrublands. The ...

Genetic Diversity of Wild North American Grapes Mapped

Dec. 19, 2023 — Wild North American grapes are now less of a mystery after researchers decoded and catalogued the genetic diversity of nine species of this valuable wine ...

Understanding Atmospheric Flash Droughts in the Caribbean

Dec. 15, 2023 — The word 'drought' typically conjures images of parched soil, dust-swept prairies, depleted reservoirs, and dry creek beds, all the result of weeks or seasons of persistently dry ...

Trees in Wetter Regions More Sensitive to Drought

Dec. 13, 2023 — This holiday season brings surprising news about your Christmas tree. Scientists just discovered that globally, trees growing in wetter regions are more sensitive to drought. That means if your tree ...

How a Drought Led to the Rise of Skateboarding in 1970s California

Dec. 12, 2023 — Why did professional skateboarding arise in southern California in the 1970s? Was it a coincidence, or was it a perfect storm of multiple factors? It's fairly well-known that a drought in ...

'Energy Droughts' in Wind and Solar Can Last Nearly a Week

Dec. 11, 2023 — Understanding the risk of compound energy droughts -- times when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow -- will help grid planners understand where energy storage is needed ...

Strange Burn: New Research Identifies Unique Patterns in Utah Wildfires

Dec. 4, 2023 — Utah's variable topography produces a tremendous range of wildfire behavior, according to new ...

Money to Burn: Wealthy, White Neighborhoods Losing Their Heat Shields

Nov. 30, 2023 — White, wealthy neighborhoods in the LA area -- and likely around the world -- are about to start feeling the same heat that has plagued poorer, Hispanic neighborhoods for generations. A new study ...

The Waxy Surface Protecting Plants Might Hold the Key to Developing Stronger Crops

Nov. 30, 2023 — Researchers have discovered that the waxy protective barrier around plants might play a role in sending chemical signals to other plants and ...

600 Years of Tree Rings Reveal Climate Risks in California

Nov. 29, 2023 — The San Joaquin Valley in California has experienced vast variability in climate extremes, with droughts and floods that were more severe and lasted longer than what has been seen in the modern ...

Researchers Puncture 100-Year-Old Theory of Odd Little 'Water Balloons'

Nov. 22, 2023 — Quinoa and many other extremely resilient plants are covered with strange balloon-like 'bladders' that for 127 years were believed to be responsible for protecting them from drought and ...

Dams Now Run Smarter With AI

Nov. 17, 2023 — Scientists have leveraged artificial intelligence models to enhance dam ...

Wildfire, Drought Cause $11.2 Billion in Damage to Private Timberland in Three Pacific States, Study Finds

Nov. 13, 2023 — Wildfires and drought have led to $11.2 billion in damages to privately held timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades, a new Oregon State University study ...

The Kids Aren't Alright: Saplings Reveal How Changing Climate May Undermine Forests

Nov. 3, 2023 — Researchers studied how young trees respond to a hotter, drier climate. Their findings can help shape forest management policy and our understanding of how landscapes will ...

Adding Crushed Rock to Farmland Pulls Carbon out of the Air

Oct. 24, 2023 — Adding crushed volcanic rock to farmland can pull carbon dioxide out of the air. In a field test, scientists found that the process works even in dry ...