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.
Thousands crowded into emergency shelters in France and Spain on Sunday after wildfires drove more than 300,000 people to flee their homes and vacation accommodations.
Environment
Jul 26, 2026
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The most severe droughts in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean arose when multiple natural climate cycles coincided, according to a new study from Stockholm University published in Science Advances. The findings shed new light ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 24, 2026
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Europe's wildfire crisis forced more than 80,000 people to flee for safety Friday, as vacationers boarded boats to escape fires on a French peninsula and Spanish officials ordered mass evacuations in towns near Madrid.
Environment
Jul 24, 2026
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If the Colorado River Basin is the lifeblood of the American Southwest, keeping the region's agricultural, ecological and economic systems thriving, Colorado's West Slope River basins could be considered the heart. Together, ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 23, 2026
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A heat wave lasting four months, followed by water shortages and crop failures. This is England in the 13th century, not the 21st. What is often called the Medieval Warm Period saw elevated temperatures in many parts of the ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 23, 2026
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In cases of extreme drought, soil organic carbon does not improve crop yields, Colorado State University research has found. The finding contradicts the commonly held belief that soil organic carbon benefits yields most during ...
Ecology
Jul 23, 2026
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Human-caused climate change has intensified a drought across Europe, with extreme heat rather than low rainfall driving the exceptionally dry conditions, a team of international scientists said Thursday.
Environment
Jul 23, 2026
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In a new study, researchers at Leipzig University have identified a major cause of the unusually severe summer soil drying and rising temperatures across Europe. They found that much of the trend can be attributed to changes ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 22, 2026
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A major new study led by Swansea University has shown that upstream river management, rather than local rainfall, is the primary driver of one of the world's most important wetlands. According to the research published in ...
Environment
Jul 22, 2026
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13
The mountain jewelflower inhabits a wide swath of California and Oregon, from summer-scorched foothills to high mountains where snow falls during winter. But it is already suffering from climate change, with plants in the ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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