http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/drought/ Drought news and research. Learn about past droughts and predictions for drought. en-us Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:05:01 EDT Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/drought/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929133725.htm Recent modeling results show that the depth of the water table, which results from lateral water flow at the surface and subsurface, determines the relative susceptibility of regions to changes in temperature and precipitation. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929133725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916143856.htm New research could help breeders to develop pea varieties able to withstand drought stress and climate change. The research also shows that the composition of crops is likely to change with the climate. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916143856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911103910.htm Technology under development could offer new hope to farmers in drought-affected and marginal areas by enabling crops to grow using salty groundwater. Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911103910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825201731.htm Imagine adding a thermometer to Google Earth. That's the vision of Agricultural Research Service scientists Martha Anderson and Bill Kustas, who see the need for high-resolution thermal infrared imaging tools -- such as those aboard the aging Landsat satellites -- as vital to monitoring earth's health. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825201731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825175041.htm At the end of the day, drought tolerance in corn has to equate to good yields and good quality, not just good looks, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist. Corn breeders are working with crosses between temperate and tropically adapted varieties of corn to find a drought-tolerant plant that performs well under reduced irrigation. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825175041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819092017.htm A stalagmite in a West Virginia cave has yielded the most detailed geological record to date on climate cycles in eastern North America over the past 7,000 years. The new study confirms that during periods when Earth received less solar radiation, the Atlantic Ocean cooled, icebergs increased and precipitation fell, creating a series of century-long droughts. Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819092017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811200337.htm Old female elephants and perhaps their memories of distant, life-sustaining sources of food and water may be the key to survival during the worst of times. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811200337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806113316.htm Ecologist are studying how woody vines, or lianas, are affecting tropical forests and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Through a comprehensive community-level study on liana-tree interactions in Panama, researchers are untangling how lianas survive -- and whether they are really threatening trees. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806113316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710103907.htm This year, the world has been hit by both food and energy crises. However, few commentators specifically mention the declining availability of water needed to grow crops. Unless we change the way we use water and increase water productivity, we will not have enough water to feed a growing population, experts warn. Current global water usage for food production is 7,500 cubic kilometers per year. By 2030 over 2000 more cubic kilometers of fresh water will be needed to feed the world. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710103907.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528101708.htm A new report finds that climate change is already affecting U.S. water resources, agriculture, land resources, and biodiversity, and will continue to do so. A list of 12 major results of global warming on the U.S. includes the invasion by exotic grass species into arid lands will result from climate change, causing an increased fire frequency. The growing season has increased by 10 to 14 days over the last 19 years across the temperate latitudes. Species' distributions have also shifted. Wed, 28 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528101708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm The Amazon rainforest, so crucial to the Earth's climate system, is coming under threat from cleaner air say prominent climate scientists. The new study identifies a link between reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from burning coal and increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical north Atlantic, resulting in a heightened risk of drought in the Amazon rainforest. Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430152030.htm Climate scientists using computer models to simulate the 1930s Dust Bowl on the US Great Plains have found that dust raised by farmers probably amplified and spread a natural drop in rainfall, turning an ordinary drying cycle into an agricultural collapse. The researcher say the study raises concern that current pressures on farmland from population growth and climate change could worsen current food crises by leading to similar events in other regions. Sun, 04 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430152030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328091347.htm The American West is heating up more rapidly than the rest of the world, according to a new analysis of the most recent federal government temperature figures. The news is especially bad for some of the nation’s fastest growing cities, which receive water from the drought-stricken Colorado River. The average temperature rise in the Southwest’s largest river basin was more than double the average global increase, likely spelling even more parched conditions. Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328091347.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326081114.htm A six-year study of Amazonian small farmers and their responses to climate change shows the farmers are vulnerable to natural catastrophes and risky land use practices. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326081114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080321140042.htm Major floods striking America's heartland in mid-March offer a preview of the spring seasonal outlook, according to NOAA's National Weather Service. Several factors will contribute to above-average flood conditions, including record rainfall in some states and snow packs, which are melting and causing rivers and streams to crest over their banks. The week of March 15, more than 250 communities in a dozen states are experiencing flood conditions. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080321140042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314175834.htm The average temperature across both the contiguous U.S. and the globe during climatological winter (December 2007-February 2008) was the coolest since 2001, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. In terms of winter precipitation, Pacific storms, bringing heavy precipitation to large parts of the West, produced high snowpack that will provide welcome runoff this spring. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314175834.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310094555.htm Eco-minded drivers in drought-prone states take note: A new study concludes that producing electricity for hybrid and fully electric vehicles could sharply increase water consumption in the United States. Each mile driven with electricity consumes about three times more water than with gasoline, the study found. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310094555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227142653.htm An ability to avoid the plant equivalent of vapor lock and a favorable evolutionary history may explain the unusual drought resistance of junipers, some varieties of which are now spreading rapidly in water-starved regions of the western United States, a new study has found. Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227142653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227102848.htm Biologists have elucidated the mechanism of a plant gene that controls the amount of atmospheric ozone entering a plant's leaves. This finding helps explain why rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may not necessarily lead to greater photosynthetic activity and carbon sequestration by plants as atmospheric ozone pollutants increase. And it provides a new tool for geneticists to design plants with an ability to resist droughts by regulating the opening and closing of their stomata --- the tiny breathing pores in leaves through which gases and water vapor flow during photosynthesis and respiration. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227102848.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220130511.htm They may be considered pests, but beavers can help mitigate the effects of drought. Climate models predict the incidence of drought in parts of North America will increase in frequency and length over the next 100 years, and beaver will likely play an important role in maintaining open water and mitigating the impact. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220130511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212141424.htm There is a 50 percent chance Lake Mead, a key source of water for millions of people in the southwestern United States, will be dry by 2021 if climate changes as expected and future water usage is not curtailed, according to new research. Without Lake Mead and neighboring Lake Powell, the Colorado River system has no buffer to sustain the population of the Southwest through an unusually dry year, or worse, a sustained drought. In such an event, water deliveries would become highly unstable and variable, said research marine physicists and climate scientists. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212141424.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071230211952.htm The year 2007 is on pace to become one of the 10 warmest years for the contiguous U.S., since national records began in 1895. The year was marked by exceptional drought in the U.S. Southeast and the West, which helped fuel another extremely active wildfire season. The year also brought outbreaks of cold air, and killer heat waves and floods. Meanwhile, the global surface temperature for 2007 is expected to be fifth warmest since records began in 1880. Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071230211952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210104022.htm Researchers have found that when residents of the US southeastern states look skyward for rain to alleviate a long-term drought, they should be hoping for a tropical storm over a hurricane for more reasons than one. According to a new study using NASA satellite data, smaller tropical storms do more to alleviate droughts than hurricanes do over the course of a season by bringing greater cumulative rainfall. Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210104022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071108102246.htm The ongoing drought in Australia is having at least one positive spin-off -- fewer carp are being distributed through inland waterways. Biologists are now identifying carp 'hot spots.' Known as the vermin of inland waterways, carp became a major pest in Australia in the 1970s and now make up 80 to 90 percent of the fish in inland NSW. Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071108102246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071027180556.htm The clearing of native vegetation has made recent Australian droughts hotter. Scientists applied the CSIRO Mark 3 climate model, satellite data and a supercomputer, and showed that 150 years of land clearing added significantly to the warming and drying of eastern Australia. Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071027180556.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024103856.htm The catastrophic fires that are sweeping Southern California are consistent with what climate change models have been predicting for years, experts say, and they may be just a prelude to many more such events in the future -- as vegetation grows heavier than usual and then ignites during prolonged drought periods. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024103856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015193426.htm An ecologist has discovered that after ponds dry up through drought in a region, when they revive, the community of species in each pond tends to be very similar to one another, like so many suburban houses made of ticky tacky. Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015193426.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071010131931.htm This winter is predicted to be warmer than the 30-year norm. For the country as a whole, NOAA's heating degree day forecast for December through February projects a 2.8 percent warmer winter than the 30-year normal. In the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic,temperatures are expected to be above average in response to the long-term warming trend. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071010131931.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070923193644.htm Drought-stricken regions of the Amazon forest grew particularly vigorously during the 2005 drought, according to new research. The counterintuitive finding contradicts a prominent global climate model that predicts the Amazon forest would begin to 'brown down' after just a month of drought and eventually collapse as the drought progressed. Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070923193644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070820144517.htm The hot, dry conditions in Indiana may have one bright spot - creating a more fiery display of fall leaves in some parts of the state. But that's not much solace for farmers, gardeners, boaters and fishermen plagued by a weather system that shows no signs of dissipating soon. Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070820144517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070719111414.htm Scientists have developed a new method to anticipate food shortages brought on by drought. They created a model using data from satellite remote sensing of crop growth and food prices. Supply and demand largely dictate food prices, with greater supply leading to lower prices and less supply leading to higher prices. During a food crisis in semi-arid regions like Niger, food shortages are often brought on when lack of rainfall significantly reduces the amount of grain farmers are able to grow. Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070719111414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517152428.htm An epic drought during the mid-1100s dwarfs any drought previously documented for a region that includes areas of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The six-decade-long drought was marked by the absence of very wet years and a 25-year period when Colorado River flow averaged 15 percent below normal. The new tree-ring-based reconstruction documents the year-by-year natural variability of streamflows in the upper Colorado River basin back to A. D. 762. Fri, 18 May 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517152428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070502143743.htm Drought tolerance is a critical determinant of tropical plant distributions, scientists report. In a novel coupling of experimental measurements and observed plant distributions across a tropical landscape, drought tolerance predicted plant distributions at both local and regional scales. This mechanism to explain a common observation will contribute significantly to models of land use and climate change. Thu, 03 May 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070502143743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070423100922.htm Livestock are often a crucial livelihoods asset for communities in Africa, but livestock are vulnerable to drought. Researchers report that counterintuitive measures -- selling livestock -- tested in Ethiopia during droughts supported communities and sustained the livelihoods of livestock farmers. Fri, 27 Apr 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070423100922.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070407152436.htm It came on quickly and then lasted nearly two decades, eventually killing more than one million people and affecting 50 million more. All of this makes the Sahel drought, which first struck West Africa in the late 1960s, the most notorious example of an abrupt climatic shift during the last century. Dramatic as this single event was, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have now uncovered 29 other regions worldwide that endured similarly precipitous climatic changes during the 20th century -- far more than scientists previously thought. Mon, 09 Apr 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070407152436.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070403143622.htm Scientists showed key research of a profound impact of global warming. Although intact forests are fairly resistant to climate change, with partial deforestation the entire landscape could become drier and a domino effect could occur producing a 'tipping point' affecting the whole forest. Wed, 04 Apr 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070403143622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070319091015.htm With critical water shortages looming in some parts of the world, scientists in Italy are reporting that diluted seawater can be used to grow tomatoes and actually results in fruit with significantly higher levels of healthful antioxidant compounds. Tue, 20 Mar 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070319091015.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070218140443.htm The western United States has experienced increasing drought conditions in recent years -- and conditions may worsen if global climate change models are accurate -- yet the country is doing little to prepare for potential catastrophe, say a group of scientists. The U.S. should consider a national drought policy to help achieve sustainable water for drinking, agriculture and fisheries, said the scientists at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070218140443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070213142850.htm NASA scientists may have discovered how a warmer climate in the future could increase droughts in certain parts of the world, including the southwest United States. Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070213142850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070207185737.htm Vast flocks of water birds from across Australia will soon start gathering for a long-awaited feeding and breeding frenzy sparked by flooding in western Queensland. The floods will produce a bird bonanza lasting six to nine months, says UNSW Professor of Environmental Science, Richard Kingsford. Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070207185737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070129140317.htm A vital research program that has already had significant impact on the lives of African farmers will accelerate its work for their benefit through the development and deployment of better drought tolerant maize. Tue, 30 Jan 2007 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070129140317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070108191544.htm Countering Charles Darwin's view that evolution occurs gradually, UC-Irvine scientists have discovered that plants with short life cycles can evolutionally adapt in just a few years to climate change. Mon, 08 Jan 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070108191544.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061128093019.htm Drought-stricken Australia should heed a warning from a new study that shows a series of massive droughts killed giant kangaroos and other "megafauna" in south-east Queensland 40,000 years ago, according to researchers from the Queensland University of Technology. Wed, 29 Nov 2006 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061128093019.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060918085903.htm Odd as it sounds, in some places the smartest way to safeguard the water supply is to let it drain out of the reservoirs and soak into the ground. That's what been discovered in local water shortages in Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico -- all of which could be microcosms of water shortage issues looming throughout the Western US. Mon, 18 Sep 2006 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060918085903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060914180312.htm Droughts are slow, tortuous emergencies that seem to sneak up on us. It doesn't have to be that way, say a climatologist and a political scientist who point to a better way. Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060914180312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060529082300.htm A new tree-ring-based reconstruction of 508 years of Colorado River streamflow confirms that droughts more severe than the 2000-2004 drought occurred before stream gages were installed on the river. The new research also confirms that using stream gage records alone may overestimate the average amount of water in the river because the last 100-year period was wetter than the average for the last five centuries. Mon, 29 May 2006 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060529082300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060517185226.htm Recent water shortages in Rockland County, N.Y., reveal an increasing mismatch between water demand and supply following rapid growth in the Northeast during period of abnormally high precipitation. Thu, 18 May 2006 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060517185226.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060404090133.htm The Canadian prairies are facing an unprecedented water crisis due to a combination of climate warming, increase in human activity and historic drought, says new research by the University of Alberta's Dr. David Schindler, one of the world's leading environmental scientists. Tue, 04 Apr 2006 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060404090133.htm