For the past two decades, the southwestern United States has been desiccated by one of the most severe long-term droughts—or ‘megadroughts’—of the last 1,200 years. And now, scientists say the risk of similar extreme megadroughts and severe single-year droughts will increase in the future as Earth’s temperature continues to rise, according to a new study in Earth’s Future.
The new report describes a December 2020 workshop’s key takeaways and provides a list of priority actions to help both NIDIS and the broader research community advance flash drought research activities and tool development.
Approximately $15 million will be available for about 90 new awards, pending budget appropriations, with most awards funded between $50,000 and $300,000 per year.
The recent webinar provided stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on the current drought status and outlook, as well as the wildland fire potential outlook.
The webinar, funded by NIDIS and hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Water Policy Center, will welcome state and local experts for a panel discussion on how to reduce drought impacts for the most vulnerable sectors.
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.