http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/drought/ Drought news and research. Learn about past droughts and predictions for drought. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/drought/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114815.htm The time of day matters to forest trees dealing with drought, according to a new article. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143255.htm Breakthrough research done earlier this year by a plant cell biologist has greatly accelerated scientists' knowledge on how plants and crops can survive difficult environmental conditions like drought. In drought conditions certain receptor proteins in plants perceive ABA, causing them to inhibit an enzyme called a phosphatase. The receptor protein is at the top of a signaling pathway in plants, functioning like a boss relaying orders to the team below that then executes particular decisions in the cell. Now recent published studies show how those orders are relayed at the molecular level. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112113421.htm Continued improvement of climate forecasts is resulting in better information about what rainfall may look like months in advance. A researcher has now developed an innovative water management framework that would take advantage of these forecasts to plan for droughts or excess rain in order to make the most efficient use of an area's water resources. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112113421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121115.htm Scientists have discovered that the key to plants' responses to drought lies in the structure of a protein called PYR1 and how it interacts with the plant hormone abscisic acid. Their study could open up new approaches to increasing crops' resistance to water shortage. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140929.htm The cowpea or black-eyed pea, as it is more commonly known, is a New Year's tradition for good luck. But disease and particularly aphids, which can wreck a crop within a few a days, are especially bad luck for the cowpea, according to scientists. Several new lines of cowpeas with genes that are aphid-resistant and less susceptible to disease are currently being tested. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141400.htm Biologists have solved the structure of a critical molecule that helps plants survive during droughts. Understanding the inner workings of this molecule may help scientists design new ways to protect crops against prolonged dry periods, potentially improving crop yields worldwide, aiding biofuels production on marginal lands and mitigating drought's human and economic costs. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016094049.htm Once-in-a-lifetime floods in the Philippines, India's delayed monsoon, and extensive drought in Australia are taking their toll on this year's rice crops, demonstrating the vulnerability of rice to extreme weather. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016094049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164104.htm A 2005-2007 dry spell in the southeastern United States destroyed billions of dollars of crops, drained municipal reservoirs and sparked legal wars among a half-dozen states -- but the havoc came not from exceptional dryness but booming population and bad planning, says a new study. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914173012.htm Research casts doubts on the notion that El Niño has been getting stronger because of global warming and raises interesting questions about the relationship between El Niño and a severe flu pandemic 91 years ago. The findings are based on analysis of the 1918 El Niño, which the new research shows to be one of the strongest of the 20th century. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914173012.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101239.htm New analysis shows that the water scarcity being experienced in southeast Australia started up to 15 years ago. The finding follows the first ever national and comprehensive analysis of 30 years of on-ground and satellite observations of Australia's water resources. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090830100514.htm Bluegrass hybrids ideal for pasture and for lawns could be developed faster using recently developed genetic markers. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090830100514.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820082101.htm Urban workers could suffer most from climate change as the cost of food drives them into poverty, according to a new study that quantifies the effects of climate on the world's poor populations. Researchers examined the potential economic influence of adverse climate events, such as heat waves, drought and heavy rains, on those in 16 developing countries. Urban workers in Bangladesh, Mexico and Zambia were found to be the most at risk. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820082101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142851.htm Scientists have found that methane emission by plants could be a bigger problem in global warming than previously thought. They say an uncounted-for source of greenhouse gas could promote global warming. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163555.htm As the West warms, a drier Colorado River system could see as much as a one-in-two chance of fully depleting all of its reservoir storage by mid-century assuming current management practices continue on course, according to a new study. Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720102014.htm Two new sister lines of rice are defying rice's reputation as a thirsty crop as they demonstrate their improved productivity in drought-prone regions of India and the Philippines. Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720102014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707201216.htm Long-term declines of elephants, giraffe, impala and other animals in Kenya are occurring at the same rates within the country's national parks as outside of these protected areas, according to a study released this week. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707201216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624093311.htm Global warming will likely mean more unpredictable weather, scientists say, and a new study pins down, possibly for the first time, how drought conditions in an area's fall and winter may effect tornado activity the following spring. Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624093311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090530172427.htm Using new data and reconstructions of the "Dust Bowl" drought in America during the 1930s, climatologists have shown for the first time a three-dimensional picture of the atmospheric circulation that led to the drought. This will enable climate models to be evaluated and further improved. The scientists hope this work will make it possible to predict future periods of drought more accurately. Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090530172427.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529112528.htm Climate change can have devastating effects on endangered species, but new mathematical models may be able to aid conservation of a population of bighorn sheep. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529112528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526171815.htm NASA researchers are using satellite data to deliver a kind of space-based humanitarian assistance. They are cultivating the most accurate estimates of soil moisture -- the main determinant of crop yield changes -- and improving global forecasts of how well food will grow at a time when the world is confronting shortages. Thu, 28 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526171815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416144520.htm Some droughts lasted centuries in the past, and a warming planet may make future droughts more devastating. A new study of lake sediments in Ghana suggests that severe droughts lasting several decades, even centuries, were the norm in West Africa over the past 3,000 years. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416144520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090413180535.htm Widespread die-off of pinyon pine across the southwestern United States during future droughts will occur at least five times faster if climate warms by 4 degrees Celsius, even if future droughts are no worse than droughts of the past century, scientists have discovered. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090413180535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401181236.htm Much of Texas' wheat may be grazed as a part of a dual-use crop. But many fields are still prepared using conventional tillage, which may not efficiently capture rainfall -- a key to economic success in a semi-arid environment, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist. Dr. Paul DeLaune, environmental soil scientist at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon, said tillage operations can increase soil compaction, thereby increasing runoff. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401181236.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311111013.htm On March 14, 2008, a tornado swept through downtown Atlanta, its 130 mile-per-hour winds ripping holes in the roof of the Georgia Dome, blowing out office windows, and trashing parts of Centennial Olympic Park. It was an event so rare in an urban landscape that researchers immediately began to examine NASA satellite data and historical archives to see what weather and climatological ingredients may have combined to brew such a storm. Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311111013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305141625.htm The Amazon is surprisingly sensitive to drought, according to new research conducted throughout the world's largest tropical forest. The 30-year study provides the first solid evidence that drought causes massive carbon loss in tropical forests, mainly through killing trees. Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305141625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121122826.htm Global grain markets are facing breaking point according to new research into the agricultural stability of China. Experts predict that if China's recent urbanization trends continue, and the country imports just 5 percent more of its grain, the entire world's grain export would be swallowed whole. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121122826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119094856.htm Like most sub-Saharan African countries, Niger faces problems meeting its water needs. As part of ESA’s TIGER initiative, satellite data are being used to identify underground water resources in the drought-prone country. Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119094856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108095425.htm When extremes of drought and flood come in rapid succession, the extent of damage to vegetation may depend in part on the sequence of those events, according to a new study. Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108095425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217192739.htm Scientists have reconstructed the pattern of droughts in Spain between 1506 and 1900 on the basis of ceremonial records held at the Cathedral of Toledo, in order to observe how droughts have varied over the past 500 years. Short-term meteorological data and tree growth rings have also been used to supplement the records of ceremonies. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217192739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081227230140.htm Greenhouse gases play an important role in North American climate, but differences in regional ocean temperatures may hold a key to predicting future U.S. regional climate changes, according to a new NOAA-led scientific assessment. Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081227230140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208180339.htm In the rainforests of equatorial Asia, a link between drought and deforestation is fueling global warming, finds an international study. Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208180339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120162847.htm New research has yielded a way to double the output of rice crops in some of the world's poorest, most distressed areas. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120162847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081112075037.htm Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence is an effective way of determining how well plants can cope with low-water conditions. The technique allows a quantitative and precise determination of viability in intact, drought-stressed plants. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081112075037.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081105083540.htm Extreme weather events have a greater effect on flora than previously presumed. A one-month drought postpones the time of flowering of grassland and heathland plants in Central Europe by an average of 4 days. With this a so-called 100-year drought event equates to approximately a decade of global warming. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081105083540.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929133725.htm Recent modeling results show that the depth of the water table, which results from lateral water flow at the surface and subsurface, determines the relative susceptibility of regions to changes in temperature and precipitation. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080929133725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916143856.htm New research could help breeders to develop pea varieties able to withstand drought stress and climate change. The research also shows that the composition of crops is likely to change with the climate. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916143856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911103910.htm Technology under development could offer new hope to farmers in drought-affected and marginal areas by enabling crops to grow using salty groundwater. Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911103910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825201731.htm Imagine adding a thermometer to Google Earth. That's the vision of Agricultural Research Service scientists Martha Anderson and Bill Kustas, who see the need for high-resolution thermal infrared imaging tools -- such as those aboard the aging Landsat satellites -- as vital to monitoring earth's health. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825201731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825175041.htm At the end of the day, drought tolerance in corn has to equate to good yields and good quality, not just good looks, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist. Corn breeders are working with crosses between temperate and tropically adapted varieties of corn to find a drought-tolerant plant that performs well under reduced irrigation. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825175041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819092017.htm A stalagmite in a West Virginia cave has yielded the most detailed geological record to date on climate cycles in eastern North America over the past 7,000 years. The new study confirms that during periods when Earth received less solar radiation, the Atlantic Ocean cooled, icebergs increased and precipitation fell, creating a series of century-long droughts. Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819092017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811200337.htm Old female elephants and perhaps their memories of distant, life-sustaining sources of food and water may be the key to survival during the worst of times. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811200337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806113316.htm Ecologist are studying how woody vines, or lianas, are affecting tropical forests and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Through a comprehensive community-level study on liana-tree interactions in Panama, researchers are untangling how lianas survive -- and whether they are really threatening trees. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806113316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710103907.htm This year, the world has been hit by both food and energy crises. However, few commentators specifically mention the declining availability of water needed to grow crops. Unless we change the way we use water and increase water productivity, we will not have enough water to feed a growing population, experts warn. Current global water usage for food production is 7,500 cubic kilometers per year. By 2030 over 2000 more cubic kilometers of fresh water will be needed to feed the world. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710103907.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528101708.htm A new report finds that climate change is already affecting U.S. water resources, agriculture, land resources, and biodiversity, and will continue to do so. A list of 12 major results of global warming on the U.S. includes the invasion by exotic grass species into arid lands will result from climate change, causing an increased fire frequency. The growing season has increased by 10 to 14 days over the last 19 years across the temperate latitudes. Species' distributions have also shifted. Wed, 28 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528101708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm The Amazon rainforest, so crucial to the Earth's climate system, is coming under threat from cleaner air say prominent climate scientists. The new study identifies a link between reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from burning coal and increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical north Atlantic, resulting in a heightened risk of drought in the Amazon rainforest. Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430152030.htm Climate scientists using computer models to simulate the 1930s Dust Bowl on the US Great Plains have found that dust raised by farmers probably amplified and spread a natural drop in rainfall, turning an ordinary drying cycle into an agricultural collapse. The researcher say the study raises concern that current pressures on farmland from population growth and climate change could worsen current food crises by leading to similar events in other regions. Sun, 04 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430152030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328091347.htm The American West is heating up more rapidly than the rest of the world, according to a new analysis of the most recent federal government temperature figures. The news is especially bad for some of the nation’s fastest growing cities, which receive water from the drought-stricken Colorado River. The average temperature rise in the Southwest’s largest river basin was more than double the average global increase, likely spelling even more parched conditions. Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328091347.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326081114.htm A six-year study of Amazonian small farmers and their responses to climate change shows the farmers are vulnerable to natural catastrophes and risky land use practices. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326081114.htm