Articles tagged with Droughts
Wheat yields decline by 4% due to extreme heat and drought, with regions like Russia and China experiencing greater losses. Maize yields also drop by 3%, with North America and Eastern Europe seeing more severe reductions.
A recent study published in New Phytologist has identified a gene that blocks root growth, leading to enhanced drought resistance in plants. Knocking out the RRS1 gene resulted in longer roots and improved water absorption, making it a promising resource for breeding drought-resistant crop varieties.
Researchers from Pusan National University studied compound extreme weather events in northern East Asia and found that a lack of soil moisture led to increased evaporative stress, amplifying heatwaves and triggering compound droughts and heatwaves. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for societal safety.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have discovered a key to improving drought-resistant wheat plants by stimulating longer root growth. By increasing the copies of specific genes, plants can absorb water from deeper supplies, leading to increased biomass and higher grain yield.
Researchers at the University of Barcelona developed user-friendly and inexpensive methods to detect drought stress in plants, enabling effective monitoring and management. The study presents a range of accessible techniques that can be applied with basic laboratory equipment.
A recent study at Baskett Forest found that forests reach an ecosystem wilting point between 2-4 weeks of extreme drought, requiring soaking rainfall to rejuvenate. This concept explains how whole forests respond to drought and is essential for understanding their dynamics under climate change.
A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution found over 74,000 active fires in the Brazilian Amazon during the period, mainly due to recent deforestation. The research also revealed a sharp increase in forest fires on public lands and areas of Indigenous reservations.
Researchers at Cornell University have found that severe drought, lasting three consecutive years, likely accelerated the collapse of the Hittite Empire in ancient Anatolia. The team analyzed tree ring and isotope records to pinpoint this period of severe dryness, which matches the timeline of the empire's disappearance.
A team of Oregon State University researchers found that widespread tree scorch in the Pacific Northwest during the 2021 heat dome was primarily caused by direct exposure to solar radiation and extreme heat. The study challenges previous hypotheses that linked the damage to drought conditions.
A study using tree rings reveals a 400-year trend of increasing droughts and floods in the Kabul River Basin, with severe events becoming more frequent. The research suggests that climate change is intensifying hydrological cycles, leading to devastating consequences for natural resources management.
A recent study found that reversed flow over the Tibetan Plateau led to extreme climate events in subtropical Asia in 2022. Strong descending motion on the eastern side of TP caused persistent heat waves, while strong ascending motion on the western side caused excessive rainfall and flooding.
A recent study found that agricultural droughts in Central Asia will continue to worsen due to human-induced warming and natural climate variability. The researchers used ensemble simulations and observations to project future changes in agricultural droughts across the region, indicating a worsening trend in the coming century.
A new review argues that heat and drought have a significant influence on food security and agricultural production, reducing wheat and maize yields by up to 40% worldwide. The study highlights the need for practical solutions and management to address these challenges.
A new UC Riverside-led study reveals that drought-tolerant trees in urban areas use significantly more water than their natural counterparts. The research found that even 'drought-tolerant' species like eucalyptus and ficus increase their water intake when irrigated.
A new study found that record-breaking snowmelt rates occurred at 24% of all mountain snowpack monitoring sites in the region in April 2021. This rapid snowmelt further compounded drought conditions, leading to reduced hydropower production and water availability across the West.
A new study reveals that changing ocean circulation strengthens precipitation patterns in the Indian Ocean, leading to more intense flood events and droughts. The research suggests a mutual amplification of these effects due to global warming and weakened ocean circulation.
A study by Brown researchers reveals how climate change can impact the Indian Ocean dipole, leading to extreme weather events like megadroughts in East Africa and flooding in Indonesia. The analysis compares long-term climate data with simulations from an advanced climate model.
A new study links drought spells to the intensification of raiding activity by Hunnic peoples, who responded to climate stress by adopting new strategies and changing their social organization. The research suggests that extreme drought in the Carpathian Basin contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Scientists analyze past El Niño events to better understand climate patterns over the past 12,000 years. They found that Eastern Pacific events have increased in frequency, while Central Pacific and Coastal events have decreased, resulting in changes in hydroclimate in the tropical Pacific.
A study by Hokkaido University reveals that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has caused more frequent heavy rainfall in the Mekong Delta, resulting in increased flooding risk. The findings suggest that better weather predictions and preparation can help mitigate the negative effects of floods and droughts in the region.
A University of California Riverside study found that Salton Sea dust triggers lung neutrophil inflammation in mice, with potential implications for asthma sufferers and other terminal lake regions. The research highlights the need for further funding to understand dust-triggered inflammation and its effects on human health.
Scientists have discovered a long-sought plant water loss-regulating sensor, composed of two proteins working together to regulate stomatal movements in response to changing CO2 concentrations. This finding has significant implications for trees, crops, and wildfires, as well as efficient plant water use and CO2 uptake.
Scientists developed a first model to predict canopy water content during drought and heat waves. The model could enable fire danger forecasting models that include vegetation in their calculations, making it easier to predict the spread of fires.
Research shows that the Southwestern North American megadrought caused a significant reduction (~30%) in wave activity after its onset, which may be related to reduced storm generation and altered precipitation patterns. The findings demonstrate that regional changes in the lower atmosphere can impact the upper atmosphere.
West Virginia University researchers, Ember Morrissey and Kinsey Reed, are working with private farms to diversify forage species and improve soil health. The project aims to increase economic gains for farmers while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
A study by researchers at Boyce Thompson Institute has identified genes that can help plant breeders develop fruit crops that can adapt to drought conditions. The research found that water stress triggers physiological disorders and fruit loss, but also has positive effects such as increasing lycopene levels in ripe fruit.
A four-year experiment combined with a 40-year observation in Inner Mongolia found that previous-year extreme droughts can create strong positive legacies for current-year community productivity. The mechanism driving this effect is the coupled increase of annuals and an early less, middle more precipitation pattern.
Researchers warn of impending 35-60 year droughts in western US unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed to limit warming to 2.5 degrees Celsius. Mountain snowpack is shrinking due to global warming, threatening agriculture, ecosystem support, and urban water supplies.
A new study reveals that large parts of Europe are experiencing faster-than-average warming during summer months, leading to worse heatwaves and an increased risk of fires. The climate across the continent has also become drier, particularly in southern Europe.
Researchers have found that plants maintain drought-resistant vascular arrangements by restricting tissue width, revealing a long-standing riddle in botany. The discovery provides insights into how plants evolved to colonize dry land and has potential applications in securing drought resistance in crop breeding programs.
In northern China, about 4,000 years ago, farmers adopted a practice of purposeful water management to grow new grains. The results showed that the majority of wheat samples had isotopic values above an optimal watering threshold, indicating their growth was not limited by water availability.
A study by Linköping University finds that current measurement methods are insufficient for reducing emissions and meeting the Paris Agreement's 2°C target. The researchers highlight the need for cheap and easy-to-use methods to track all types of greenhouse gas emissions at a local level.
A recent study by 70 scientists highlights the devastating effects of climate change on insects, which play critical roles in ecosystems. Gradual warming and extreme events harm insects, affecting their physiology, behavior, and interactions with other species.
A recent study analyzing Amazon Rainforest fires from 2003-2020 reveals that most fires are caused by uncontrolled human use of fire for agriculture and deforestation. The study found that Brazil accounted for an average of 73% of detected fires, with pasturelands and natural grasslands being the main burned areas.
The Congo peatlands, the world's largest tropical peatland complex, are fragile and vulnerable to drought. If modern-day global heating produces droughts in the region, they could release up to 30 billion tonnes of carbon, accelerating climate change.
A researcher swam 1,600 miles along the Danube River to raise awareness about water pollution and its effects on wildlife and human health. He highlighted microplastics, toxic algal blooms, and changes in river chemistry due to climate change.
A long-term study in Southeast Asian seasonally dry tropical forests found that El Niño-induced drought increased seedling mortality. Despite being more drought-tolerant than rainforests, SDTFs experienced higher mortality rates under severe and prolonged drought conditions.
Scientists warn that climate change is at the door and pounding hard due to rising global temperatures, natural disasters, and infectious diseases. The report highlights urgent need to protect nature, eliminate fossil fuel emissions and support socially just climate adaptations.
Researchers found increasing water storage in recent decades, despite declining long rains season, which points to a potential silver lining for climate adaptation. Groundwater may support increasingly food and water insecure rural populations in the Horn of Africa drylands.
Researchers discovered that ABA inhibits stomatal production by phosphorylating the master regulator SPEECHLESS, reducing its levels and leading to decreased stomatal number. This finding could lead to fine-tuning crop plants' drought tolerance through targeted manipulation of the underlying 'code'.
A new study from the University of Illinois reveals how cattle ranchers in Brazil cope with weather shocks. The research found that ranchers make decisions based on rainfall patterns and anticipate extreme dry seasons by selling animals for slaughter or to confinement operations, which can decouple food sources from current weather.
A new study has identified 195 previously unknown nectar plants for the painted lady butterfly, providing a source of food in Southern California. The research suggests that droughts may impact the butterflies' ability to reproduce, but the discovery of these nectar plants offers hope for their survival.
The Great Salt Lake is losing freshwater input to agriculture and urban growth, causing salt concentrations to spike. Like Iran's Lake Urmia, it's reaching levels stressful for brine shrimp and brine flies, which are essential for migratory birds.
A study identified orphan genes in Wild sugarcane that may play a significant role in its stress resistance properties. The researchers believe these genes could be responsible for the species' exceptional resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
A new study finds that even a modest temperature increase of 1.5°C will spell serious consequences in India, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Brazil, and Egypt, with droughts projected to last longer than two years in some countries. Limiting warming to 1.5°C could greatly benefit all six countries, but meeting the Paris Accords is crucial to r...
Researchers at PNNL and UW discover a flow-based method to isolate pure magnesium salt from seawater, skipping energy-intensive purification steps. This approach could revolutionize US domestic magnesium production and enable more efficient processing of seawater.
New research finds that purple needlegrass thrives in areas with sheep grazing, especially during wet weather, creating space for new growth and reducing competition from non-native grasses. The study's findings aim to inform effective management strategies for this long-lived species and its potential role in mitigating climate change.
Research reveals that tree species diversity enhances drought resistance in nearly half of the world's forests, with a greater impact on dry and drought-prone regions. The study suggests that restoring tree species diversity could increase drought resistance by up to 3.2% in global plantation forests.
A new record of past Indian monsoon drought history has been developed using oxygen isotopes in stalagmites, correlating with historical accounts of severe droughts and societal changes. Protracted droughts tend to occur in clusters within decades-long intervals of weaker monsoon rainfall.
The University of Missouri has received a $25 million grant from the USDA to help farmers adapt to climate change through climate-smart practices. The five-year project aims to improve crop and livestock resilience on up to 500,000 acres of Missouri farmland.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute discovered that mirror-image molecules respond differently to drought stress and can be predicted more accurately via their emissions. This finding has significant implications for understanding forest ecosystem responses to climate change.
A new study by Rice University biologist Tom Miller explores the role of fungi in determining the range limits of plants in Texas. The research reveals that fungal partnerships improve drought tolerance and could potentially extend the range of grasses in response to climate change.
Researchers found that climate change has increased the likelihood of flash droughts in southeastern China by 93% in onset speed and 18% in intensity. The study's findings suggest that future flash droughts will be more frequent and severe, making drought adaptation increasingly challenging.
Forests face risks from climate change in three dimensions: carbon storage, biodiversity, and forest loss from disturbances. The study found higher risks in southern boreal forests and drier regions of the Amazon and African tropics.
A new study found that regions with high past temperature variability tend to be less sensitive to current and future climate changes, offering hope for forests' ability to adapt. The research highlights the importance of considering legacy effects of past climate conditions in forest management and climate policy.
A recent study by K-State researchers found that reintroducing bison to grasslands can significantly increase plant diversity. The study revealed that the return of bison led to long-running and resilient increases in grassland biodiversity.
Climate change affects European agriculture in distinct ways across regions, with southern Europe experiencing the highest number of initiatives and adaptations. Northern Europe expects a longer growing season, while central and southern Europe struggle with drought and erratic rainfall.
Researchers will conduct a national survey to identify barriers to adopting price risk management tools and assess perceptions of tool effectiveness. A free mobile application will be developed to provide information needed for making informed decisions, aiming to improve US beef cattle producers' economic sustainability.
Simultaneous extreme heat and drought events have significant consequences on various sectors, including economy, health, and food production. The analysis of eight extreme events in Europe, Australia, and Africa highlights the need for more systematic risk assessments to improve adaptability and resilience.
New research shows that the Amazon rainforest's growth rate is limited by a lack of phosphorus in the soil, which could reduce its ability to store carbon and increase vulnerability to climate change. Phosphorus availability played a critical role in increasing productivity in a recent experiment.