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.
As climate change causes water scarcity and temperatures to rise, crops around the world are feeling the heat. How can we prevent severe crop losses in these relentlessly sweltering conditions? An international research team ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 5, 2026
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9
A study by La Trobe University researchers has found annual ryegrass, the most damaging weed in Australian grain systems, can adjust its growth and reproduction to survive under drought stress, making it potentially harder ...
Agriculture
Aug 5, 2026
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17
Groundwater pumped to irrigate cannabis crops in California's Emerald Triangle can cause some streams that normally run year-round to dry up entirely during summer, say researchers from Simon Fraser University, the University ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 4, 2026
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94
Wildfires supercharged by drought and intense heat tore through the northwestern U.S. city of Spokane, forcing the evacuation of 65,000 people and reducing hundreds of buildings to cinders as firefighters raced Monday to ...
Environment
Aug 4, 2026
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9
There's something almost comic about the modern British summer ritual: As soon as the mercury climbs, we head to the nearest park, sit cross-legged on scorched grass and hunch over a flimsy foil tray to sear sausages over ...
Environment
Aug 3, 2026
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8
The UK is bouncing from one type of extreme weather to another this year. This is climate whiplash. Caused by changes in the fast-moving body of air high in the atmosphere called the jet stream, climate whiplash has become ...
Environment
Aug 1, 2026
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24
New wildfires fed by strong winds broke out in Greece on Friday, giving firefighters little respite and forcing Civil Protection officials to order the partial evacuation of part of a suburb west of Athens.
Environment
Jul 31, 2026
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9
Scorching summer temperatures have disrupted life for millions of Europeans, but for winegrowers in Italy and France who are harvesting their grapes unusually early, the hot weather offers pros as well as cons.
Environment
Jul 31, 2026
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9
Hundreds of Turkish firefighters battled Thursday to contain wind-fueled wildfires spreading near key tourist regions on the country's Mediterranean coast.
Environment
Jul 31, 2026
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11
Southern Europe is "becoming more flammable," with the number of summer days primed for extreme fire conditions more than doubling since 1981, a new study found Thursday.
Environment
Jul 30, 2026
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