Dr. Wang assisted in the study of sudden shifts from drought to flood
Dr. Shuo WANG, Associate Professor of LSGI, collaborated with the international researchers in the study of climate change in many parts of the world.
Through analysis on climate data from 1980 to 2020, the study demonstrates the positive relationship between the severity of climate change and the occurrence of wild weather swings from drought to downpours. Based on the above finding, the scientists further investigated in the cause of such sudden change in weather, and discovered the “land-based feedback loops”. This concept explains how the movement of moisture from humid regions to dry regions increases the opportunity of downpours after drought, facilizing to the accuracy of predictive climate models.
“Climate change is fueling back-to-back droughts and floods which have caused widespread devastation, resulting in loss of life and damages to property, infrastructure, and the environment,” Dr Wang said. “Our findings provide insights into the development of early warning systems for mitigating the impacts of rapid dry-wet transitions.”
The study has been published in Communications Earth & Environment.
Online coverages:
Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin
