Breaking News: Drought

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Newswise: Cooler, wetter parts of Pacific Northwest likely to see more fires, new simulations predict
Released: 22-Feb-2024 6:05 PM EST
Cooler, wetter parts of Pacific Northwest likely to see more fires, new simulations predict
Newswise Review

Forests in the coolest, wettest parts of the western Pacific Northwest are likely to see the biggest increases in burn probability, fire size and number of blazes as the climate continues to get warmer and drier, according to new modeling led by an Oregon State University scientist.

19-Feb-2024 5:00 AM EST
Droughts may trigger HIV transmission increase among women in rural sub-Saharan Africa, study finds
University of Bristol

Droughts have the potential to increase the spread of HIV for women living in rural parts of Africa, researchers at the University of Bristol have found.

Newswise: Ocean temperatures helped make 2023 the hottest year ever recorded
Released: 11-Jan-2024 11:05 AM EST
Ocean temperatures helped make 2023 the hottest year ever recorded
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

A multi-national team of scientists (China, USA, New Zealand, Italy, and France) analyze the temperature of the Earth annually.

Newswise: Record heat in 2023 worsened global droughts, floods and wildfires
Released: 11-Jan-2024 8:50 AM EST
Record heat in 2023 worsened global droughts, floods and wildfires
Australian National University

Record heat across the world profoundly impacted the global water cycle in 2023, contributing to severe storms, floods, megadroughts and bushfires, new research from The Australian National University (ANU) shows.

Released: 11-Jan-2024 8:05 AM EST
Microplastics affect soil fungi depending on drought conditions
Wiley

Moisture levels in the soil can impact the effects that microplastic pollution has on soil fungi, according to new research published in Environmental Microbiology.

Newswise: Colorado State researcher leads global study of extreme drought impacts on grasslands and shrublands
Released: 9-Jan-2024 8:05 AM EST
Colorado State researcher leads global study of extreme drought impacts on grasslands and shrublands
Colorado State University

A global study organized and led by Colorado State University scientists 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.

Released: 20-Dec-2023 7:05 PM EST
Drought Shifts the Type of Carbon Emitted by Soil Microbes
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory - EMSL

A team of scientists studied carbon allocation in soils at an artificial tropical rainforest. Their results demonstrated the impact of drought on microbial activity, particularly on how the types of carbon in soil can change, leading to a loss of carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds.

Newswise: image.jpg
Released: 15-Dec-2023 12:05 PM EST
Understanding atmospheric flash droughts in the Caribbean
Virginia Tech

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 atmospheric conditions.

Newswise: Trees are in trouble
Released: 14-Dec-2023 8:05 AM EST
Trees are in trouble
University of California, Santa Barbara

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.

Newswise: USDA selects University of Illinois team to study spring dust storms over Midwestern rural areas
Released: 17-Nov-2023 11:05 AM EST
USDA selects University of Illinois team to study spring dust storms over Midwestern rural areas
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

It made headlines nationwide. An abrupt dust storm blinded drivers on I-55 south of Springfield, Ill., on May 1, causing a massive pileup, ultimately killing eight people and injuring 37.

Newswise: The kids aren't alright: Saplings reveal how changing climate may undermine forests
Released: 3-Nov-2023 6:05 PM EDT
The kids aren't alright: Saplings reveal how changing climate may undermine forests
University of Arizona

As climate scientist Don Falk was hiking through a forest, the old, green pines stretched overhead. But he had the feeling that something was missing. Then his eyes found it: a seedling, brittle and brown, overlooked because of its lifelessness.

Newswise: Rivers May Not Recover From Drought for Years
Released: 11-Oct-2023 5:10 PM EDT
Rivers May Not Recover From Drought for Years
University of California, Riverside

Lack of rainfall is not the only measure of drought. New UC Riverside research shows that despite a series of storms, the impact of drought can persist in streams and rivers for up to 3.5 years.

Newswise: Illinois expert argues Ancient Maya reservoirs offer lessons for today’s water crises
Released: 9-Oct-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Illinois expert argues Ancient Maya reservoirs offer lessons for today’s water crises
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois anthropology professor Lisa Lucero argues in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that 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 built and maintained reservoirs that were in use for more than 1,000 years, providing potable water for thousands to tens of thousands of people in cities during the annual, five-month dry season and in periods of prolonged drought.

Newswise: Soil bacteria prevail despite drought conditions
Released: 28-Sep-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Soil bacteria prevail despite drought conditions
University of Vienna

Recent research uncovers the resilience of certain soil microorganisms in the face of increasing drought conditions. While many bacteria become inactive during dry spells, specific groups persist and even thrive.

Newswise: DOE User Facility Awards Research Funding to 32 Projects
Released: 19-Sep-2023 7:05 PM EDT
DOE User Facility Awards Research Funding to 32 Projects
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory - EMSL

The Department of Energy's Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory has awarded research funding to 32 projects in environmental and biological science.

Released: 13-Sep-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Ohio’s droughts are worse than often recognized, study finds
Ohio State University

A new type of analysis suggests that droughts in Ohio were more severe from 2000 to 2019 than standard measurements have suggested.

Released: 14-Aug-2023 10:45 AM EDT
Death tolls from climate disasters will ‘balloon’ without investment in Africa’s weather stations
University of Cambridge

The climate crisis is increasing the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts and heatwaves, with Africa expected to be among the global regions hit hardest.

Released: 11-Aug-2023 5:20 PM EDT
The health impact of climate change is not adequately recorded: study
Monash University

A Monash University-led study has proposed a solution for the urgent need to capture real-time data on the impact of climate change-related events on human health, healthcare workforces, and healthcare systems at the point of care.

   
Released: 11-Aug-2023 4:50 PM EDT
Soil microbiome, Earth’s ‘living skin’ under threat from climate change
Penn State University

Using a novel method to detect microbial activity in biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, after they are wetted, a Penn State-led research team in a new study uncovered clues that will lead to a better understanding of the role microbes play in forming a living skin over many semi-arid ecosystems around the world.

Released: 10-Aug-2023 2:35 PM EDT
Measuring the Extent of Global Droughts in Unprecedented Detail
University of Bonn

While some parts of the world suffer extreme heat and persistent drought, others are being flooded. Overall, continental water volumes vary so much over time that global sea levels fluctuate significantly too.

Released: 9-Aug-2023 3:45 PM EDT
Then vs. now: Did the Horn of Africa reach a drought tipping point 11,700 years ago?
Utrecht University

‘Wet gets wetter, dry gets drier’. That mantra has been used for decennia to predict how global warming will affect the hydrological cycle in different world regions.

Released: 31-Jul-2023 4:25 PM EDT
Secondary forests more sensitive to drought than primary forests
Lund University

The dry summer of 2018 hit Swedish forests hard - and hardest affected were the managed secondary forests. This according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden.

Newswise: Petrified trees reveal Yellowstone geyser’s ongoing battle with drought
Released: 27-Jul-2023 2:30 PM EDT
Petrified trees reveal Yellowstone geyser’s ongoing battle with drought
American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Steamboat Geyser’s spray slowly fossilizes the trees it lands on – preserving the geyser’s past and providing a glimpse into Steamboat’s uncertain future.

Newswise: Soil microbes help plants cope with drought, but not how scientists thought
Released: 25-Jul-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Soil microbes help plants cope with drought, but not how scientists thought
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

In a multi-generation experiment, researchers from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) found microbes helped plants cope with drought, but not in response to plants’ cries for help. Instead, the environment itself selected for drought-tolerant microbes. And while those hardy microbes were doing their thing, they just happened to make plants more drought-tolerant, too.

Released: 24-Jul-2023 4:55 PM EDT
Colorado River Basin has lost water equal to Lake Mead due to climate change
American Geophysical Union (AGU)

From 2000 to 2021, climate change caused the loss of more than 40 trillion liters (10 trillion gallons) of water in the Colorado River Basin — about equal to the entire storage capacity of Lake Mead — according to a new study that modeled humans’ impact on hydrology in the region.

Newswise: ASU professor says Phoenix is ground zero for study of heat-related illnesses
Released: 24-Jul-2023 1:15 PM EDT
ASU professor says Phoenix is ground zero for study of heat-related illnesses
Arizona State University (ASU)

When it comes to examining health risks associated with extreme heat, Phoenix is ground zero.That’s the conclusion of Pope Moseley, a research professor in Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions.For more than 30 years, Moseley, a lung and intensive care physician, has led National Institutes of Health-funded research groups focused on heat-related illness.

   
Released: 20-Jul-2023 1:00 PM EDT
Desert microbes turn on drought tolerance when needed
King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)

Priming crop plants with a microbe sourced from the roots of desert plants could be a powerful tool to boost crop plant's resilience to drought.

Newswise: Illinois drought and soil moisture conditions worsen in mid-June
Released: 22-Jun-2023 12:50 PM EDT
Illinois drought and soil moisture conditions worsen in mid-June
Prairie Research Institute

Northeastern and central Illinois are now experiencing severe drought, as dry conditions persist across the state in the second week of June, causing soil moisture levels to drop and record-low water levels in some areas of the Illinois River.

Released: 14-Jun-2023 1:15 PM EDT
The heat is on! Don't panic. Get the latest news on heat waves and the dangers of heat in the Extreme Heat channel
Newswise

As we enter the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere and the possibility of extreme heat becomes more common, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the science of heat waves and take measures to protect ourselves from this growing public health threat.

       
30-May-2023 5:00 AM EDT
New Research Suggests Wheat Crops May Be Threatened by Unprecedented Heat and Drought
Tufts University

A recent study led by a researcher at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found that the likelihood of extreme temperatures that could affect crop yields has increased significantly in wheat-producing regions of the U.S. and China.

Released: 1-Jun-2023 6:45 PM EDT
Salton Sea environment detrimental to respiratory health of local children
University of California, Riverside

In the United States, low-income immigrant and minority children often live in environments that have highly polluted air. A study led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, demonstrates this among the Latinx and Purépecha immigrant children and caregivers living along Inland Southern California’s Salton Sea, a highly saline drying lakebed surrounded by agricultural fields.

   
Newswise: Warm and dry climate over China in 2022 with extreme heatwaves and droughts
Released: 26-May-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Warm and dry climate over China in 2022 with extreme heatwaves and droughts
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Weather and climate are important factors affecting economic and social development. In China, the country’s National Climate Center releases an annual climate report that comprehensively covers China’s achievements and progress that year in climate system monitoring, climate impact assessment, and other aspects.

Released: 22-May-2023 4:05 PM EDT
How a drought affects trees depends on what’s been holding them back
University of California, Santa Barbara

Droughts can be good for trees. Certain trees, that is. Contrary to expectation, sometimes a record-breaking drought can increase tree growth. Why and where this happens is the subject of a new paper in Global Change Biology.

Released: 17-May-2023 8:10 PM EDT
High-res Western drought forecasts could be on horizon
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

A new computer modeling technique developed by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) offers the potential to generate months-ahead summertime drought forecasts across the Western United States with the capability of differentiating between dry conditions at locations just a couple of miles apart.

Released: 12-May-2023 3:30 PM EDT
Immigration Nation: Research and Experts
Newswise

Title 42, the United States pandemic rule that had been used to immediately deport hundreds of thousands of migrants who crossed the border illegally over the last three years, has expired. Those migrants will have the opportunity to apply for asylum. President Biden's new rules to replace Title 42 are facing legal challenges. Border crossings have already risen sharply, as many migrants attempt to cross before the measure expires on Thursday night. Some have said they worry about tighter controls and uncertainty ahead. Immigration is once again a major focus of the media as we examine the humanitarian, political, and public health issues migrants must go through.

       
Released: 12-May-2023 3:25 PM EDT
New research links changes in land use to water quality and quantity
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a study in the journal PLOS Water that focuses on the Sudbury-Assabet and Concord watershed in eastern Massachusetts, and which links hydrological changes, including floods, drought and runoff, to changing patterns of land use.

Newswise: Fire Hydrant Hydrophones Find Water Leaks #ASA184
4-May-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Fire Hydrant Hydrophones Find Water Leaks #ASA184
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

Acoustic monitoring is the go-to solution for locating a leak in a large urban pipe network, as the sounds from leaks are unique and travel far in water, but even this method struggles in complex systems. To tackle the problem, Pranav Agrawal and Sriram Narasimhan from UCLA developed algorithms that operate on acoustic signals collected via hydrophones mounted on fire hydrants. In doing so, the team can avoid costly excavation and reposition the devices as needed. Combined with novel probabilistic and machine-learning techniques to analyze the signals and pinpoint leaks, this technology could support water conservation efforts.

Newswise: Nitrogen addition and mowing alter drought resistance and recovery of grassland communities
Released: 4-May-2023 7:35 PM EDT
Nitrogen addition and mowing alter drought resistance and recovery of grassland communities
Science China Press

This study is led by Dr. Zhuwen Xu (School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University). The effects of increased nitrogen input and mowing on the resistance and recovery of temperate grassland experiencing a three-year natural drought (from 2015 to 2017) were investigated based on a five-year field manipulative experiment.

Released: 2-May-2023 5:40 PM EDT
Forced water-use cuts made California more waterwise
University of California, Riverside

After a drought-stricken California lifted a year of mandatory water-use cuts that were effective in 2015 and 2016, urban water use crept back up somewhat, but the overall lasting effect was a more waterwise Golden State, a University of California, Riverside, study has found.

Newswise:Video Embedded solving-drought-providing-consecutive-water-supply-from-advanced-sand-dam
VIDEO
Released: 27-Apr-2023 8:00 AM EDT
Solving drought: providing consecutive water supply from advanced sand dam
National Research Council of Science and Technology

The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology announced the development of Korea’s first sand dam capable of supplying stable water to residents of mountainous highlands during periods of water shortage due to drought. Villagers no longer have to rely on water tank trucks during extreme drought.

Newswise: Prolonged droughts likely spelled the end for Indus megacities
Released: 26-Apr-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Prolonged droughts likely spelled the end for Indus megacities
University of Cambridge

New research involving Cambridge University has found evidence — locked into an ancient stalagmite from a cave in the Himalayas — of a series of severe and lengthy droughts which may have upturned the Bronze Age Indus Civilization.

Newswise: Delving into Earth’s Systems Today to Support the Solutions of Tomorrow
Released: 24-Apr-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Delving into Earth’s Systems Today to Support the Solutions of Tomorrow
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Droughts, thunderstorms, heat waves, and warming oceans. Climate change is harming people, communities, and ecosystems right now. During 2022 alone, there were 18 different weather and climate disaster events that caused more than a billion dollars in damage each. Climate change isn’t a future problem. It is a today problem that will only get worse as long as we continue to produce large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Newswise: How Argonne makes the power grid more reliable and resilient
Released: 21-Apr-2023 4:00 PM EDT
How Argonne makes the power grid more reliable and resilient
Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne National Laboratory helps secure the nation’s energy future through innovative methods of deeply understanding the complexities of the electric power system.

Newswise:Video Embedded live-event-for-april-21-sleeping-pill-reduces-levels-of-alzheimer-s-proteins
VIDEO
Released: 21-Apr-2023 3:10 PM EDT
TRANSCRIPT AND VIDEO AVAILABLE Live Event for April 21: Sleeping pill reduces levels of Alzheimer’s proteins
Newswise

Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

       
Newswise: Decade of Student-Led Efforts Helping to Create a Sustainable Culture on Campus
Released: 21-Apr-2023 1:15 PM EDT
Decade of Student-Led Efforts Helping to Create a Sustainable Culture on Campus
University of Northern Colorado

Hundreds of UNC students have shared the same passion as Caltrider over the years, prompting the development of a Sustainability minor in 1970, a bachelor’s degree in 2011 and the creation of LEAF in 2012, which was originally proposed by students as part of a senior seminar class.

   
Released: 20-Apr-2023 1:10 PM EDT
New Study Finds Shifting Climate Regions Leading to Hotter, Drier Conditions Across Kenya
Saint Louis University

Research published in Regional Environmental Change has shown that as climate zones shift toward hotter and drier conditions, ecological diversity will decline, posing a major threat to terrestrial ecosystems with far-reaching social and ecological impacts.

Released: 13-Apr-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Four major Illinois research institutions form a collaboration to improve urban forest drought resilience
Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne, The Morton Arboretum, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign received a grant from NOAA to assess drought resilience in the urban tree canopy.


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