Evaporative Demand Increase Means Less Water Supplies, Drier Vegetation, Higher Fire Risk
NIDIS-funded study finds evaporative demand surging across the US, especially in the Rio Grande and Lower Colorado River basins.
|
|
While temperature changes across the U.S. of 1-2 degrees over the past 40 years are well established, changes in atmospheric evaporative demand - defined as the amount of water that could be transferred from the land surface to the atmosphere - are not as well quantified. This study, led by the Desert Research Institute with funding from NIDIS, addressed this gap and found that evaporative demand is increasing across nearly all of the U.S., especially in the Rio Grande and Lower Colorado River basins. Higher evaporative demands means less water supplies, drier soils and vegetation, and higher fire risk. Increased evaporative demand will be an essential consideration for land and water management planning going forward. In addition to NIDIS funding, this collaborative interagency research was supported by the NOAA California-Nevada Climate Applications Program (a NOAA RISA), NASA Applied Sciences Water Resources Program, U.S. Geological Survey Landsat Science Team, and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. |
|
How Much Heat, Drought Is Too Much for Earth's Forests?
A new study published in Nature Communications has compiled a global database of climate-induced forest die-off events, from 1970-2018, across 675 locations. After analyzing the climate conditions at each location during each event, researchers found a common 'hotter-drought fingerprint' for Earth's forests, a term that describes the combination of higher temperatures and more frequent droughts for a lethal set of climate conditions. Under further warming, this hotter-drought fingerprint will appear more frequently -- the authors conclude that limiting Earth's warming will determine survivability for many of Earth's forests. Learn more >
|
|
USDA To Compensate Drought-Stricken Ranchers for Above-Normal Costs to Haul Livestock to Forage
Due to the persistent drought conditions in the West, the USDA is offering additional relief through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to help ranchers cover above-normal costs of hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres. This policy enhancement complements previously announced ELAP compensation for hauling feed to livestock. Learn more >
|
|
Tribal Climate Resilience Request for Proposals
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience has announced their 2022 Annual Awards Program Request for Proposals. This fiscal year, the Branch will release approximately $46 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and FY2022 annual appropriations. An informational FAQ webinar will be hosted by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals Tribes and Climate Change Program on the funding opportunity, scheduled for Monday, April 25. Learn more >
|
|
FEATURED MAPS + DATA
NOAA's Evaporative Demand Drought Index
|
|
As studies on evaporative demand like the one highlighted in this Dry Times show why it will be a key drought metric going forward, especially with a changing climate, indicators like the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) will become even more important. The EDDI, by NOAA's Physical Sciences Laboratory, is an experimental drought monitoring tool that can serve as an indicator of both rapidly evolving "flash" droughts and sustained droughts. It examines how anomalous the atmospheric evaporative demand (E0; also known as "the thirst of the atmosphere") is for a given location and across a time period of interest. EDDI can offer early warning of agricultural drought, hydrologic drought, and fire-weather risk. The EDDI maps below show projected evaporative demand for 1 and 4 weeks. Learn more >
|
|
NIDIS Drought Alert Emails: Get Local Drought Conditions and Outlooks in Your Inbox |
|
Sign up to get automated email alerts when U.S. Drought Monitor conditions change for your location, or when NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center releases a new drought outlook, predicting whether drought will develop, persist, or improve. Sign up here >
|
|
About NIDIS
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was authorized by Congress in 2006 (Public Law 109-430) with an interagency mandate to develop and provide a national drought early warning information system, by coordinating and integrating drought research, and building upon existing federal, tribal, state, and local partnerships.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
