Drought News

April 18, 2024

Top Headlines

Apr. 16, 2024 — Plants with multiple sets of chromosomes, known as polyploids, are salt-tolerant or drought-resistant and often achieve higher yields. However, newly formed polyploid plants are often sterile or have reduced fertility and are unsuitable for breeding ...

Genetic Underpinnings of Environmental Stress Identified in Model Plant

Apr. 11, 2024 — Researchers have identified 14 genes that thale cress -- a plant commonly used in genetic investigations since its genome is well documented -- express more when responding to five specific stressors, as well as eight genes that the plant ...

Australia on Track for Unprecedented, Decades-Long Megadroughts

Apr. 2, 2024 — Australia could soon see megadroughts that last for more than 20 years, according to new modelling. The researchers' bleak findings are before factoring in human impact on the climate since the Industrial Revolution. According to the scientists, the ...

Diverse Habitats Help Salmon Weather Unpredictable Climate Changes

Mar. 14, 2024 — Restored salmon habitat should resemble financial portfolios, offering fish diverse options for feeding and survival so that they can weather various conditions as the climate changes, a new study ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:21am EDT

Scientist Helps Link Climate Change to Madagascar's Megadrought

Apr. 9, 2024 — A team reveals a clear link between human-driven climate change and the years-long drought currently gripping southern ...

Groundbreaking Research in Groundwater's Role in Ecosystem Sustainability

Apr. 3, 2024 — Until now, groundwater -- a critical water resource around the globe, especially in dry regions -- has been largely unstudied in its importance and role in sustaining ecosystems. New groundbreaking ...

Maize Genes Control Little Helpers in the Soil

Mar. 21, 2024 — Tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi help to promote the health and function of plant roots. It is commonly assumed that the composition of these microbes is dependent on the properties of the ...

Simple Trick Could Improve Accuracy of Plant Genetics Research

Mar. 13, 2024 — Researchers have published a simple trick that improves the accuracy of techniques that help us understand how external variables -- such as temperature -- affect gene activity in ...

Early Life Adversity Leaves Long-Term Signatures in Baboon DNA

Mar. 6, 2024 — Early experiences in an animal's life can have a significant impact on its capacity to thrive, even years or decades later, and DNA methylation may help record their effects. In a study of 256 wild ...

Study Finds Drought Fuels Invasive Species After Wildfires

Feb. 28, 2024 — Scientists uncover the intricate dance between drought, wildfires and invasive species in Southern California's coastal sage scrub ...

Scientists Assemble a Richer Picture of the Plight and Resilience of the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog

Feb. 26, 2024 — Up to only a few inches in length, with a lemon-hued belly, the foothill yellow-legged frog may seem unassuming. But its range once stretched from ...

Controlling Root Growth Direction Could Help Save Crops and Mitigate Climate Change

Feb. 14, 2024 — Scientists have determined how the well-known plant hormone ethylene is crucial in controlling the angle at which roots grow. The findings can be ...

Is the Amazon Forest Approaching a Tipping Point?

Feb. 14, 2024 — Global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon, pushing it towards partial or total collapse. New research has identified the ...

A New, Rigorous Assessment of OpenET Accuracy for Supporting Satellite-Based Water Management

Jan. 16, 2024 — Sustainable water management is an increasing concern in arid regions around the world, and scientists and regulators are turning to remote sensing ...

Study Quantifies How Aquifer Depletion Threatens Crop Yields

Jan. 15, 2024 — Three decades of data have informed a new Nebraska-led study that shows how the depletion of groundwater -- the same that many farmers rely on for irrigation -- can threaten food production amid ...

New Rice Lines for Africa Offer Virus Protection

Jan. 12, 2024 — The so-called Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (for short: RYMV) is responsible for high crop losses in Africa, particularly among small-scale farmers. A research team has now produced rice lines that are ...

'Carbon Vault' Peat Suffers Greatly from Drought

Jan. 10, 2024 — Peatlands are affected more by drought than expected. This is concerning, as these ecosystems are an important ally in the fight against climate change. Following long periods of drought, peat is ...

Global Study of Extreme Drought Impacts on Grasslands and Shrublands

Jan. 8, 2024 — A global study shows that the effects of extreme drought -- which is expected to increase in frequency with climate change -- has been greatly underestimated for grasslands and shrublands. The ...

Genetic Diversity of Wild North American Grapes Mapped

Dec. 19, 2023 — Wild North American grapes are now less of a mystery after researchers decoded and catalogued the genetic diversity of nine species of this valuable wine ...

Understanding Atmospheric Flash Droughts in the Caribbean

Dec. 15, 2023 — The word 'drought' typically conjures images of parched soil, dust-swept prairies, depleted reservoirs, and dry creek beds, all the result of weeks or seasons of persistently dry ...

Trees in Wetter Regions More Sensitive to Drought

Dec. 13, 2023 — This holiday season brings surprising news about your Christmas tree. Scientists just discovered that globally, trees growing in wetter regions are more sensitive to drought. That means if your tree ...

Money to Burn: Wealthy, White Neighborhoods Losing Their Heat Shields

Nov. 30, 2023 — White, wealthy neighborhoods in the LA area -- and likely around the world -- are about to start feeling the same heat that has plagued poorer, Hispanic neighborhoods for generations. A new study ...

The Waxy Surface Protecting Plants Might Hold the Key to Developing Stronger Crops

Nov. 30, 2023 — Researchers have discovered that the waxy protective barrier around plants might play a role in sending chemical signals to other plants and ...

600 Years of Tree Rings Reveal Climate Risks in California

Nov. 29, 2023 — The San Joaquin Valley in California has experienced vast variability in climate extremes, with droughts and floods that were more severe and lasted longer than what has been seen in the modern ...

Researchers Puncture 100-Year-Old Theory of Odd Little 'Water Balloons'

Nov. 22, 2023 — Quinoa and many other extremely resilient plants are covered with strange balloon-like 'bladders' that for 127 years were believed to be responsible for protecting them from drought and ...

Wildfire, Drought Cause $11.2 Billion in Damage to Private Timberland in Three Pacific States, Study Finds

Nov. 13, 2023 — Wildfires and drought have led to $11.2 billion in damages to privately held timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades, a new Oregon State University study ...

The Kids Aren't Alright: Saplings Reveal How Changing Climate May Undermine Forests

Nov. 3, 2023 — Researchers studied how young trees respond to a hotter, drier climate. Their findings can help shape forest management policy and our understanding of how landscapes will ...

Adding Crushed Rock to Farmland Pulls Carbon out of the Air

Oct. 24, 2023 — Adding crushed volcanic rock to farmland can pull carbon dioxide out of the air. In a field test, scientists found that the process works even in dry ...

Drought Conditions Expose Rivers to Hotter Water Temperatures

Oct. 18, 2023 — A new study reveals how reduced water flows and rising atmospheric temperatures are set to heat our rivers -- creating major challenges for aquatic life, ecosystems, and ...

How to Help Save Plants from Extinction

Oct. 17, 2023 — Now is the time to identify the conditions that cause plants to die. Doing so will allow us to better protect plants by choosing conservation targets more strategically, botanists ...

Wildfires Threaten Environmental Gains in Climate-Crucial Amazon

Oct. 16, 2023 — Despite steps toward decreasing deforestation, uncontrolled wildfires are threatening environmental gains in Brazilian Amazonia, one of the world's most critical carbon sinks and a region of ...

Ancient Maya Reservoirs Offer Lessons for Today's Water Crises

Oct. 9, 2023 — Ancient Maya reservoirs, which used aquatic plants to filter and clean the water, 'can serve as archetypes for natural, sustainable water systems to address future water needs.' The Maya ...

We Could Sequester CO2 by 'Re-Greening' Arid Lands, Plant Scientists Say

Sep. 21, 2023 — Reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere will take more than cutting emissions -- we will also need to capture and store the excessive volumes of already-emitted carbon. A team of plant scientists argue ...

How Climate Warming Could Disrupt a Deep-Rooted Relationship

Sep. 21, 2023 — Trees depend on fungi for their well-being. As climate change and global warming cause higher temperatures and amplified drought, little is known about how these important fungi will respond. To ...