Droughts are usually blamed on a lack of rain, but a team led by researchers at the School of Geography and the Environment has shown that there’s something else at work: the atmosphere itself is demanding more water out of the soil, rivers, and plants.
Atmospheric Evaporative Demand (AED) acts like an invisible sponge, soaking up moisture faster than it can be replaced, which can increase water stress, particularly for plants. As the world gets hotter because of climate change, AED is rising — and it’s causing more severe drought events even in wet regions.
The new study - 'Warming accelerates global drought severity', published in Nature - takes a close look at how much AED is responsible for the worsening droughts happening all around us. CONTINUE READING