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.
A new study by researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa revealed that the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), a large-scale tropical disturbance that travels eastward through the tropics every 30–60 days, significantly ...
Environment
Apr 9, 2026
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March's persistent unseasonable heat was so intense that the continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, according to federal weather data. And the next year or so looks to ...
Environment
Apr 9, 2026
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When a drought turns into an urban water crisis, a city's first step is often to limit lawn watering and launch a campaign to encourage everyone to conserve. It might raise water-use rates or offer incentives for installing ...
Environment
Apr 8, 2026
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Florida is among the wettest U.S. states, but that doesn't mean it is drought-free. Nearly all of Florida faced at least "moderate" drought, and nearly 80% faced "extreme" conditions in April 2026, according to data from ...
Environment
Apr 7, 2026
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In parts of the Midwest and Great Plains, feathery yellow goldenrod and stands of big bluestem sway alongside Indiangrass and other prairie plants, stretching up to eight feet tall. Now, in the search for ways to help ecosystems ...
Ecology
Apr 7, 2026
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In their current state, climate policies around the world could leave a significant chunk of the global population exposed to simultaneous extreme heat and drought over five times more often by the end of this century than ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 7, 2026
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In Puerto Rico, drought doesn't always arrive slowly. Sometimes, it appears in days. That speed can leave producers scrambling, reservoirs dropping, and communities facing water restrictions before they can react. In a place ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 6, 2026
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Researchers at the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de València have developed an advanced system for seasonal forecasting of meteorological droughts that enables these ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 2, 2026
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Advanced technology can help farmers get to the root of a growing problem—overwatering in an era of increasing drought and water scarcity. A new UC Riverside system can map soil moisture tree by tree, so growers water only ...
Biotechnology
Apr 2, 2026
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With the arrival of spring a few weeks ago, new buds and colors on the trees started to appear. Along with that new growth, a UBC Okanagan researcher has determined that some trees in spring also provide simple, visual clues—raised ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 1, 2026
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