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.
Information, like water, is in short supply in the Colorado River Basin as seven states blew past the Trump administration's deadline for an agreement.
Environment
Nov 12, 2025
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Negotiators for seven Western states are under mounting pressure to reach an agreement outlining how they plan to share the Colorado River's dwindling water.
Environment
Nov 10, 2025
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A new University of California San Diego study uncovers a hidden driver of global crop vulnerability: the origin of rainfall itself.
Ecology
Nov 8, 2025
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During a severe drought and heat wave in 2023, Amazonian lakes reached their highest recorded temperatures. Water temperatures in some areas climbed to an astonishing 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and resulted ...
California often swings between climate extremes—from powerful storms to punishing droughts. As climate change drives more intense and frequent dry and wet cycles, pressure on California's water supplies grows.
Environment
Nov 5, 2025
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The entire state of Utah remains under some level of drought designation—part of a decades-long megadrought affecting the Western United States. Hotter, drier weather along with decades of fuel buildup from fire suppression ...
Ecology
Nov 5, 2025
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As the world's climate warms and droughts and water shortages are becoming more common, farmers are struggling to produce enough food. Farmers continue to adapt, but there are ways for you to help, too.
Agriculture
Nov 4, 2025
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It matters where the rain that irrigates your food comes from.
Earth Sciences
Nov 3, 2025
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A research team led by Prof. Wang Li from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found that ecosystems with more complete ecological succession and longer existence exhibit ...
Environment
Oct 31, 2025
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Young umbrella acacia trees in Africa survive severe drought by putting their natural processes into overdrive when water is in short supply, prioritizing continued growth over water conservation, new research shows.
Plants & Animals
Oct 30, 2025
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