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.
When water is below normal levels in Latin America, it's not just farmers and consumers who suffer. A new study finds that air pollution spikes, and thousands of people die prematurely as a result.
Earth Sciences
Aug 27, 2025
0
60
Unlike hurricanes and floods, which arrive suddenly and tend to dominate headlines with dramatic images of wrecked homes and submerged towns, droughts are often overlooked by media, governments and markets because they unfold ...
Environment
Aug 27, 2025
0
19
Droughts are increasingly recognized as environmental crises with far-reaching consequences, not just on water availability, but on agriculture, the economy, public health, and society. While current drought monitoring systems ...
Environment
Aug 23, 2025
0
60
New research from Purdue University reveals how moisture influences atmospheric blocking, a phenomenon that often drives heat waves, droughts, cold outbreaks and floods, helping solve a mystery in climate science and improving ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 21, 2025
0
94
The progression of leaf coloring from green to the reds, oranges, and yellows of the fall season can be a spectacular sight to behold, but this process is also an important part of a plant's developmental cycle.
Drought and long, hot summer days are sucking Western Colorado's rivers dry, parching farm fields and fueling the massive wildfires proliferating across the region.
Environment
Aug 18, 2025
0
31
The aridity index is an invaluable tool used for estimating how dry (or how humid) a location is based on the precipitation and evapotranspiration occurring in the area. It is useful for predicting the severity of droughts, ...
For small-scale farmers up against floods, droughts and other dramatic climate events, diversifying income sources can mean financial safety—a lifeline as crop-growing conditions destabilize. But in Nepal, where natural hazards ...
Agriculture
Aug 14, 2025
0
20
A new wave of climate research is sounding a stark warning: Human activity may be driving drought more intensely—and more directly—than previously understood.
Earth Sciences
Aug 13, 2025
0
104
From its olive groves to its coastal cities, the Mediterranean depends on a delicate balance of rain and sun, but climate change is tipping the scales.
Earth Sciences
Aug 12, 2025
0
37
