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.
Seasonal models are predicting an El Niño climate pattern that could be the strongest on record, bringing with it more extreme weather.
Environment
May 9, 2026
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Malaysia is resorting to cloud seeding to bring much-needed rain to the country's "rice bowl" north, where a drought has delayed planting of the staple crop and raised supply fears.
Environment
May 8, 2026
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The European Union's climate monitor said Friday that ocean temperatures are edging toward record highs as conditions shift toward a potentially powerful El Niño weather pattern.
Environment
May 8, 2026
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Around two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest could shift into degraded forest or savanna-like ecosystems at 1.5–1.9°C of global warming if deforestation increases to roughly 22–28% of the Amazon, according to a new study from ...
Earth Sciences
May 6, 2026
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15
Already reeling from the effects of conflict in the Middle East, Asia is now facing the prospect of strong El Niño conditions that could spike energy demand, sap hydropower, and damage crops.
Environment
May 5, 2026
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In August of 2020, the Grizzly Creek fire burned more than 30,000 acres around Interstate 70 in Colorado's Glenwood Canyon. The following summer, several rainstorms swept across the area and sent devastating debris flows, ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 30, 2026
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Firefighters are battling two destructive blazes in the southern part of the state as drought grips the U.S. Southeast. An extreme drought that has gripped the Southeast for months helped fuel two large, destructive, human-caused ...
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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A new study led by the University of Oxford and ETH Zurich reveals that a key part of the climate system—the large-scale wind patterns that determine where rain falls—can be underestimated by current climate models, helping ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 29, 2026
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Antonio has spent the past seven years running toward fires that most others run from. A firefighter in the Brazilian Amazon since 2019, he works inside the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, one of the most biodiverse places ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 27, 2026
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14
Even after fires, severe droughts, and windstorms, the vegetation in degraded Amazonian forests demonstrates a high capacity for regeneration, including tree species. However, recovery occurs under new ecological conditions, ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 24, 2026
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