La Niña is only part of the problem. The long-term driver of increasing drought – even in areas getting more rainfall overall – is the rapidly warming climate.
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Articles on Drought
Displaying 1 - 20 of 469 articles
More carbon dioxide in the air doesn’t necessarily mean more growth for trees, and the increasing risk of wildfires and drought has major consequences, as an interactive map shows.
Whoever wins the presidential election will inherit a host of challenges that have persistently tormented previous Somali leaders.
The Colorado River provides water and electricity to 40 million people in the western US, but falling water levels threaten both of those resources.
If the world overshoots its climate targets, drought could cause dryland areas to expand by a quarter and encompass half the Earth’s land area, threatening lives and livelihoods.
Fire season is getting longer, and the result is transforming iconic desert ecosystems. The start to 2022 has been so dire, one governor called for a federal disaster declaration.
Agreements negotiated a century ago to share water on Western rivers among states are showing their age in a time of water scarcity.
Emission of greenhouse gases is on the rise, an indication that the worst lies ahead.
500 million people live in 19 African countries deemed “water insecure”.
South Africa’s dams are overflowing but the country is still facing water supply challenges.
New data has revealed rainfall records from as far back as 1677.
Tasmania’s drying climate is seeing more bushfires ignited by lightning strikes. To protect the state’s World Heritage wilderness, we must use sustainable fire management practices.
Dry, windy conditions have fueled destructive wildfires in Texas, Florida and other states in 2022. Understanding these terms can help people in fire-risk areas prepare.
This score is a massive four points higher than the year prior. But as La Niña subsides, we’ll quickly feel the long-term warming trend again, with bushfires picking back up next season.
The best way to experience a rainforest canopy is by crane - and researchers have made full use of Australia’s first canopy crane.
Several states are experimenting with weather modification to try to generate snow as water supplies shrink. An atmospheric scientist explains the history behind it – and the challenges.
New research suggests 75% of the rainforest has become less resilient to stress since the early 2000s.
New Zealand can expect more days above 25℃, the threshold for heat stress in livestock, and fewer frost days, which will affect crops like kiwifruit that need winter chilling.
The author’s 9-year-old son will likely face about four times as many extreme events in his lifetime as older adults today. An international report explains the impacts already being felt.
For the first time, an IPCC climate report has assessed evidence that weather and climate extremes are already affecting mental health — and are likely to worsen.
Top contributors
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Head of Operational Climate Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
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Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne
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Climate Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
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Climate Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
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Climate scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
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Lecturer, Monash University
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Associate Professor of Physical Geography, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
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Visiting Adjunct Professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
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Associate Director, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
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Senior Research Associate, UNSW Sydney
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
