Droughts, floods, wildfires... We look at the latest research on Hydroclimate Whiplash, a new climate risk in which extreme weather events alternate in a short time, exacerbating natural disasters.

Droughts, floods, wildfires... We look at the latest research on Hydroclimate Whiplash, a new climate risk in which extreme weather events alternate in a short time, exacerbating natural disasters.

The same atmospheric conditions that cause droughts can also produce extreme rainfall. Marc Alessi explains the whiplash.

Where and when water is available is a pivotal control on environments. Changes in water availability are frequently invoked to explain past changes i…

Stable hydrogen isotopic compositions (δ2H) of freshwater lake waters during historical periods provide crucial evidence for understanding the evolution of past regional hydroclimate. However, the majority of existing proxies suffer considerable uncertainties in quantitative reconstruction of lake w

Democratizing hydroclimate science broadens research participation and aligns knowledge production with local policy and community needs Institutional reforms can strengthen research systems by s...

Glacier hydroclimate archives show information loss driven by glacier melt and locally influenced by changes in precipitation, according to a study analyzing δ18O and δ2H isotopes in meltwater from 61...

Despite comparable hydroclimate, the two wet phases recorded distinct N-cycling regimes δ15N enrichment likely reflects intensified anaerobic N-loss, possibly aided by regional human–animal activ...

Variations in Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) exert a profound influence on the temperature and hydroclimate of the densely populated surrounding continents of Africa, Asia, and Australia1,2. Thus, clarifying the drivers of Indian Ocean SST variability across all timescales is critical for society. On interannual (3–8 year) timescales, Indian Ocean SSTs are characterised by two distinct modes of variability: the Indian Ocean Basin Mode (IOBM) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)3,4, both of which are influenced by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific5. The IOBM manifests as a basin-wide SST response that matures in March–May following the peak (December–February) of ENSO. Dynamically, the weakening of the Pacific Walker circulation (PWC, Fig. 1b) during El Niño induces anomalous descent over the Maritime Continent region, which enhances surface heat fluxes into the Indian Oceans, manifesting as basin-wide warming (IOBM warming, Fig. 1a) in the following season6. The IOD is characterised by changes to the strength of the zonal SST gradient and, through the Bjerknes feedback, the strength of the overlying Indian Ocean Walker circulation (IWC). During a positive IOD event, anomalous easterly winds in the equatorial Indian Ocean develop in July–November further enhancing seasonal cooling off the coast...

Tall trees are generally associated with high-biomass forests. This is particularly true for forests dominated by Sequoia sempervirens (hereafter redwood), the world's tallest tree species. Extreme de...

Tall trees are generally associated with high-biomass forests. This is particularly true for forests dominated by Sequoia sempervirens (hereafter redwood), the world's tallest tree species.

During the Last Glacial Maximum and until about 15 ka BP (before present 1950), the GIS extended to the outer shelf, and all presently ice-free areas in southern Greenland were glaciated31. Rising temperatures at the Younger Dryas–Holocene transition (~11.6 ka BP) led to a fast retreat of the GIS from the outer coast towards its present extent with maximum recession rates of up to 100 m/yr32,33. However, the exact deglaciation timing of the Narsarsuaq-Narsaq-Qaqortog region is still under debate. Radiocarbon dates from basal lake sediments suggest that the GIS reached its present-day dimension (Fig. 1) between 10.6 and 9.5 ka BP15,18. A more recent study based on 10Be surface exposure ages indicates an earlier deglaciation of South Greenland at 11.1 ± 0.2 to 10.6 ± 0.5 ka BP21. The oldest radiocarbon age in our sediment core GeoB25206-2 at 1011 cm depth is ~11.3 ka BP (Supplementary Data 1). Large dark-grey patches, which appear before ~11.3 ka BP (Supplementary Fig. 1), are probably caused by iron-sulphide formation during sub- or anoxic bottom-water conditions. The interval (from 1011 cm down to the core base) is also marked by low amounts of Ice-Rafted Debris (IRD) and low signs of bioturbation (Fig. 2 and...

Southern South Africa houses some key archaeological sites, which document the behavioural and technological development of Homo sapiens. During Marin…

YouTube video by NSF NCAR Research Applications Laboratory

Abstract. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is expected to weaken or even collapse under anthropogenic climate change. Given the importance of the AMOC in the present-day climate,...

Under future climate warming, surface water availability (precipitation minus evapotranspiration, P–E) over the drylands of East and Central Asia shows a pronounced contrasting response by the late 21st century relative to the historical reference period. East Asian drylands, as the core of Northwest China’s warming and wetting trend, tend to become wetter with increased P–E, while adjacent Central Asian drylands undergo drying with reduced P–E. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we analyze CMIP6 simulations combined with LFMIP‐pdLC experiments to disentangle the feedback effects associated with soil moisture (SM) and non‐SM processes. Our results demonstrate that this opposing hydroclimatic pattern is predominantly controlled by non‐SM feedbacks. In East Asia, a strengthened East Asian summer monsoon circulation substantially enhances precipitation, whose increase exceeds the concurrent rise in evapotranspiration. In Central Asia, westerly‐related rainfall increases only modestly, while amplified evapotranspiration driven by elevated vapor pressure deficits dominates the moisture budget. SM feedback acts as a damping factor that modulates both thermodynamic and dynamic components of the moisture budget, thereby partially offsetting non‐SM effects and alleviating the regional imbalance in P–E distribution. These findings advance the mechanistic understanding of dryland hydroclimate change and provide a scientific basis for regionally differentiated water resource planning and adaptation under future warming.