A weak La Niña is expected to further dry out southwestern and Gulf Coast states.
drought
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Switching to Drought-Tolerant Plants Could Alter Urban Climates
In Los Angeles, replacing lawns with native plants that need less water could lead to hotter days and cooler nights.
Posted inNews
Subterranean Caverns Hold Clues to Past Droughts
Cave formations offer highly resolved paleoclimate data that scientists plan to use to reconstruct California's ancient patterns of drought.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Monster El Niño Not Enough to Quench California Drought
New research shows that the Sierra Nevada snowpack will likely not recover from the current drought until 2019.
Posted inNews
El Niño Will Increase Atmospheric Carbon to Historic Levels
Tropical fires and drought-stricken ecosystems that normally serve as sinks will release carbon, contributing to high atmospheric concentrations through 2016 and beyond.
Posted inScience Updates
Forecasting India's Water Future
The NORINDIA project sheds light on how climate change could affect monsoons, droughts, and glaciers in northern India.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Soil Crusts Play a Dual Role in Desertification
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?
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.