RILS scholar finds causes for wild weather swings from drought to flooding

A collaborative study by Dr WANG Shuo, Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Associate Professor in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), Ms QING Yamin, PolyU doctoral student, and researchers from the University of Texas and Columbia University found that wild weather swings from severe drought to heavy rains are becoming more common with climate change, based on analysis of climate data during the 1980–2020 period. The team also discovered “land-based feedback loops”, which explain how the movement of moisture from humid regions to dry regions increases the chance of downpours after drought. These results can be used to increase the accuracy of climate prediction models and help communities to better prepare for swings between drought and flooding.

The study has been published in Communications Earth & Environment: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00922-2