drought Archives - State of the Planet

evapotranspiration map

Space Station Instrument Provides Newly Detailed Look at Plants’ Drought Resistance

Plants in the same groups often show similar drought resistance independent of the climate in which they grow.

by |April 14, 2022

Megadrought in Southwest Is Now the Worst in at Least 1,200 Years, Study Confirms

The continuation of dry conditions across a wide region has broken records going back to the year 800. Researchers believe climate change is largely to blame.

by |February 14, 2022

Simultaneous Droughts Could Threaten Global Food Security, Says Study

In a world where many countries depend on agricultural imports, warming climate increases the odds that multiple important crops could fail.

by |February 9, 2022

Climate Change May Have Huge Impacts on Staple Crops Within 10 Years, Says NASA

The study projects that wheat will do better in temperate regions, but corn production could plummet in warmer ones. Some crops may decline in nutritional value.

by |November 1, 2021

Increased Heat-Drought Combinations Could Damage Crops Globally, Says Study

Staple crops may see magnified adverse effects when warming climate drives away soil moisture.

by |September 20, 2021

A 1,000 Year Drought is Hitting the West. Could Desalination Be a Solution?

Filtering salt out of water is used in many parts of the world that deal with severe drought, but it can come with its own set of problems.

by |August 26, 2021

Warfare, Not Climate, Is Driving Resurgent Hunger in Africa, Says Study

A 2009-2018 analysis of 14 countries teases out the factors behind reversals in food security. Conflict, not drought, is behind much of it.

by |August 12, 2021
three hydroclimate maps

Europe’s ‘Great Famine’ Years Were Some of the Soggiest in Centuries

Unrelenting rains led to a miserable famine in Europe from 1315-1317. Just how wet was it? A new study reveals that the beginning of the famine included some of the wettest years in the last 700 years.

by |September 22, 2020
A giant sandstorm pummels northern South Sudan

Double Trouble: The Importance of Thinking About Compound Risk

Compound risk — when multiple risks occur simultaneously, or one after another — was the topic of a recent discussion as part of the Resilience Media Project, a part of the Initiative on Communication and Sustainability at the Earth Institute.

by |August 11, 2020

As Temperatures Rise, More California Forests Will Burn

Park Williams and Richard Seager, climate experts at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, discuss why California wildfires are expected to expand and intensify with climate change.

by |September 4, 2019