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.
Heat waves are arriving sooner and becoming hotter, with the United Kingdom recording May 25 as its hottest day in May since tracking began more than a century ago, only for the record to be broken again the next day. While ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 16, 2026
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India will prepare contingency plans to help farmers weather potential low rainfall linked to the El Niño weather system, agriculture officials said Tuesday.
Environment
Jun 16, 2026
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San Juan's once-sparkling rivers have shriveled due to drought, and residents in the rugged, western Argentine province fear that prospective mining projects in the Andes will make matters worse.
Environment
Jun 16, 2026
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Changes in wind patterns play the leading role in influencing often devastating tropical rainfall changes, rather than simply the warming atmosphere holding more moisture, according to new research.
Earth Sciences
Jun 15, 2026
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The phenomenon El Niño has arrived, the U.S. weather agency said Thursday, and scientists expect the pattern, synonymous with droughts, floods and soaring temperatures, will intensify through the end of the year, potentially ...
Environment
Jun 13, 2026
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El Niño, Nature's chaotic climate agent, has formed in a warmed-up Pacific Ocean and is expected to grow to historic strength, meteorologists announced Thursday.
Environment
Jun 11, 2026
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South Asian communities face "serious hazards" from intense rains this season, even though the approaching monsoon is expected to bring lower-than-normal rains overall, risking drought, experts warned Thursday.
Environment
Jun 11, 2026
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8
Global rice production nearly doubled between the 1960s and the 2010s, despite the negative impacts of climate change, according to a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The study found that management ...
Agriculture
Jun 10, 2026
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20
Climate change could make historically rare tropical storms in Southern California produce significantly more precipitation in the next few decades, and when they strike, landslides are likely to become a bigger risk across ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 10, 2026
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63
Human activities have significantly altered the freshwater cycle, threatening its ability to support vital climatic and ecological Earth system processes. A new study led by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 9, 2026
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