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.
The Honduran government on Wednesday placed 80% of the country, including the capital, on drought alert as El Niño scorches harvests and causes livestock to die of thirst.
Environment
Aug 20, 2026
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Lake Zurich's water level sank to its lowest level in 75 years on Wednesday, official measurements showed, as a drawn-out drought also took a toll on a range of other major Swiss lakes.
Environment
Aug 19, 2026
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42
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed a new framework for early wildfire detection using real-time modeling that combines multiple datasets with complex remote-sensing capabilities. Understanding real-time wildfire ...
Environment
Aug 19, 2026
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6
A study led by a Montana State University research professor reveals how climate and hydrothermal activity have shaped the vegetation, wildfire and aquatic ecosystem histories of the Yellowstone Plateau over the past 15,000 ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 18, 2026
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10
The summers of recent years have been hot, but not unusual from a meteorological perspective. According to researchers at Leipzig University, though, the next extreme summer would far exceed anything we have experienced so ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 18, 2026
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10
What if the secret to drought-resistant crops isn't how much water plants use, but when they use it? A new study identifies a daily window that could help breeders develop tomatoes that better withstand drought without sacrificing ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 18, 2026
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11
The two largest reservoirs in the United States have fallen to record lows as a severe drought grips the country's West, according to data released over the weekend.
Environment
Aug 18, 2026
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11
Sunflowers are unable to fully recover from drought, new research has found, contradicting previous findings on the plant's ability to reverse drought-induced failure of water-transporting tissues and revealing new insights ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 17, 2026
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28
Water-bombing aircraft and farmers' tractors joined forces Sunday to help firefighters tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildfire, which has scorched vast swaths of a hard-to-reach nature reserve near the German border.
Environment
Aug 16, 2026
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22
Prolonged dry spells or droughts can sometimes reduce aquatic diseases, many of which affect people. Yet other times, water scarcity can counterintuitively lead to an uptick in diseases that depend on water.
Plants & Animals
Aug 16, 2026
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