To fully understand why droughts begin, persist and end, we need to answer the question: where does Australia’s rainfall come from? It may seem basic, but the answer isn’t so simple.
Restoring former prairies that have been plowed under for farming delivers land, wildlife and climate benefits. But a new study finds that the weather plays a surprising role.
Noam David, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ; H. Oliver Gao, Cornell University, and Yanyan Liu, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
The findings suggest that farmers will benefit from more accurate crop yield monitoring.
Five capital city water storages fell over summer, and some appear to be facing dramatic long-term declines. Late drenching rains fell on southeastern Australia, but some unlucky centres missed out.
Both drought and violence drove many Syrians out of their homes; even if the war ends, the continuing difficulty of farming will make it hard for them to return.