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.
In Europe, trees are increasingly dying prematurely. A new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) on French forests now shows that it is not only drought but also unusually warm ...
Ecology
Jul 7, 2026
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The summers of 2021 and 2022 were tough seasons for Colorado's Blue Mesa Reservoir. A severe drought gripped much of the western U.S., prompting emergency water releases that brought the reservoir to its lowest level since ...
Environment
Jul 6, 2026
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8
Climate prediction scientists announced in June 2026 that El Niño, a cycle that happens every two to seven years, had formed. It was expected to develop into one of the strongest on record—a "super" El Niño.
Environment
Jul 6, 2026
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Summer came too early to Europe's most important rice-growing region, and weeds are taking over Sharon Angoli's parched paddies in Italy's Pavia province.
Agriculture
Jul 4, 2026
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The giant trees of tropical forests are important allies in the fight against climate change because of their ability to store carbon, yet they are still poorly understood by science. However, a study published in the journal ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2026
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When it comes to drought stress, timing can be the difference between saving a crop and losing it, whether in a greenhouse or in the high-stakes environment of future space missions. In a recent study published in Plant Phenomics, ...
Space Exploration
Jul 1, 2026
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21
A study is reframing a fundamental question in plant evolution: What made trees possible? Researchers from Cal Poly Humboldt, Yale University, the University of Hohenheim in Germany and the Czech Academy of Sciences set out ...
Evolution
Jul 1, 2026
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The effects of individual climate factors on ecosystems are usually considered in isolation. However, in reality, they occur simultaneously and influence each other. Increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere contribute ...
Ecology
Jun 30, 2026
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The burgeoning East Coast broccoli industry is helping lower costs slightly and reduce reliance on the drought-prone West. Those were findings from a new supply chain model study that showed expanding production outside California—the ...
Agriculture
Jun 30, 2026
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7
Across the United States, the sky will be erupting with fireworks on July 4, 2026, and the days around it as America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. Many cities will be hosting spectacular fireworks ...
Environment
Jun 30, 2026
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