While drought is commonly defined by precipitation and runoff deficits, the study challenges this understanding by proposing a new definition: anthropogenic drought. Within human‐water systems, drought must be defined and understood as the complex and interrelated dynamics of both natural and human‐induced changes, the authors say.
“There has always been natural variability in drought events around the world, but our research shows the clear human influence on drying, specifically from anthropogenic aerosols, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases,” said lead author Felicia Chiang from the University of California, Irvine.
Nine new postdoctoral fellows are commencing cutting-edge research projects that will contribute innovative climate science to the research community as well as NOAA’s mission. These fellows are the new 2021-2023 class of NOAA Climate and Global Change (C&GC) Postdoctoral Fellows, selected by NOAA’s Climate Program Office (CPO) and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).
By investing in development of the open-source Climate Explorer tool, CPO's Communication Education and Engagement division enabled the Forest Service to build a derivative tool for their information needs at a fraction of the cost of developing a new tool. The Climate by Forest tool will allow them to access climate projection data by ecoregion within National Forest System lands.
To learn where action is needed to protect vulnerable populations now and in the future, CPO’s National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) and partners are launching new community-led campaigns that will map the hottest parts of cities in 11 states across the country this summer. The communities include Albuquerque, New Mexico; Atlanta; New York City; Charleston, South Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Raleigh & Durham, North Carolina; San Diego; San Francisco; and parts of New Jersey, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Virginia.
Americans’ health, security and economic wellbeing are tied to climate and weather. Every day, we see communities grappling with environmental challenges due to unusual or extreme events related to climate and weather.