Rain falling on bare soil can form a hard crust that prevents further infiltration. But do these crusts worsen land degradation or help to prevent it?
drought
Posted inResearch Spotlights
California Is the Driest It's Been in 2000 Years
Scientists reconstruct the paleohydrology of Tulare Lake to unravel the region's long-term drought history.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Satellites Reveal a Temporary Carbon Sink over Australia
Satellite measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide provide insights into how droughts and floods influence the carbon cycle on the semiarid continent of Australia.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Satellites Track Chlorophyll Fluorescence to Monitor Drought
New satellite observations show connection between solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and soil moisture—a key mechanism behind drought onset.
Posted inNews
Assessing U.S. Fire Risks Using Soil Moisture Satellite Data
NASA satellite data and models provide information for mapping fire risks nationwide, giving agencies tools for fire response, say scientists at the AGU Fall Meeting.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Insights into the Ongoing California Drought
Real-time research informs real-time decision-making for addressing the California drought.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Drought Changes How Peat Bogs Cycle Mercury and Sulfur
Drought conditions dictate whether atmospherically deposited sulfate stays locked in a peatland or is mobilized to stimulate the bacterial methylation of mercury.
Posted inNews
This Winter's El Niño Might Only Dent Western U.S. Drought
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its winter weather outlook, which predicts a warm and wet winter in California but not enough rain to eliminate the state's pernicious drought.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Global Warming Intensifies Drought Conditions in California
The rise in global temperatures has amplified naturally occurring drought conditions in California and has increased the chance of severe droughts in the future.
Posted inNews
Chinese Cave Inscriptions Tell Woeful Tale of Drought
Researchers use the graffiti to extrapolate future drought risk in central China.