Droughts, as a research topic, encompass the characterization, drivers, impacts, and prediction of prolonged periods of abnormally low water availability in the atmosphere, soil, and hydrological systems. Scientific study distinguishes meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and socio-economic droughts, often quantified using indices such as the Standardized Precipitation Index or Palmer Drought Severity Index. Research investigates land–atmosphere feedbacks, large-scale circulation anomalies, soil moisture deficits, vegetation stress, and groundwater depletion, as well as the modulation of drought frequency, duration, and intensity by climate variability and anthropogenic climate change, with implications for water resources management, ecosystem functioning, and risk assessment.
Water reserves are being depleted rapidly in northern Italy, threatening farming as the region's main river dries up, local officials warned Friday.
Environment
Jul 11, 2026
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A "widespread and significant" heat wave is predicted to bring oppressive temperatures to drought-hit western U.S. states over the weekend, with all-time records at risk of falling, the National Weather Service said Friday.
Environment
Jul 11, 2026
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When a record-breaking drought and heat wave swept across China's Yangtze River Basin in 2022, forests across the region faced an extreme test. The event provided a rare opportunity for researchers to test how different forests ...
China and the southern United States were hit last year by some of their worst sand and dust storms in decades, the United Nations said Friday.
Environment
Jul 10, 2026
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Tropical forests draw down and store large quantities of CO₂ from the atmosphere. The Amazon rainforest in South America, for example, stores approximately 123 billion tons of carbon—more than is stored in any other terrestrial ...
Environment
Jul 10, 2026
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As drought strains water supplies across much of the United States, Virginia Tech researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to help policymakers manage growing competition between agriculture ...
Environment
Jul 10, 2026
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To people, salt is a kitchen staple. But to crops, too much of it can be devastating. Across coastal regions and irrigated agricultural land, salt is accumulating in soils, making it harder for plants to absorb water and ...
Ecology
Jul 9, 2026
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The El Nino weather pattern picked up strength over the past month and is highly likely to "rank among the largest" ever recorded when it peaks between October and December, U.S. forecasters said Thursday.
Environment
Jul 9, 2026
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If you visit the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, on the edge of London, you will see a brightly painted skeleton of a dead oak tree. The tree, known as the climate-changed oak, succumbed in the heat wave of 2022. Instead of ...
Ecology
Jul 9, 2026
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13
Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent and severe. The El Niño predicted for 2026–2027 is one such event. These events have caused environmental, economic and social impacts in Brazil, requiring specific ...
Environment
Jul 8, 2026
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