Floods, droughts, then fires: Hydroclimate whiplash is speeding up globally: research

Past hydroclimate extremes in Europe driven by Atlantic jet stream and recurrent weather patterns

The jet stream over the Atlantic–European sector is relevant for weather and climate in Europe. It generates temperature extremes and steers moisture and flood-propelling weather systems to Europe or facilitates the development of atmospheric blocks, which can lead to drought. Ongoing climate change may alter the jet characteristics, affecting weather extremes. However, little is known about the past interannual-to-decadal variability of the jet…

From Torrential Rains to Raging Fires: California’s Accelerating Hydroclimate Whiplash

As California oscillates between drought and deluge, wildfires rage due to “hydroclimate whiplash” driven by global warming. Hydroclimate whiplash—the rapid shifts between extreme wet and dry weather — has already intensified globally due to climate change. This trend is expected to accelerate as the planet continues to warm, according to a research team led by [...]

Saturday Citations: Hydroclimate whiplash in a catastrophic era, cellular coordination, a really old ice core

This week, researchers at the Desert Research Institute reported that lead pollution likely caused widespread IQ declines in ancient Rome. An archaeological study in northern Israel challenged popular wisdom about prehistoric diets, finding that hunter-gatherers relied heavily on starchy plants for nutrition. And geophysicists at ETH Zurich modeled the Earth's lower mantle, finding areas in the planet's interior that appear to be the remains of …

What’s driving the ‘weather whiplash’ that’s fueling the Los Angeles fires

It’s supposed to be the rainy season in Southern California, but the last time Los Angeles measured more than a tenth-inch of rain was eight months ago, after the city logged one of the soggiest periods in its recorded history. Since then, bone-dry conditions have set the stage for the catastrophic wildfires now descending upon the metropolis from multiple directions. This quick cycling between very wet and very dry periods—one example of what s…

California wildfires: Why 'hydroclimate whiplash' to blame for deadly blaze

Imagine that your city experiences its worst drought in decades, only to be suddenly inundated by record-breaking rainfall weeks later. This dramatic swing between weather extremes, known as "hydroclimate whiplash," is becoming increasingly common worldwide. The post California wildfires: Why ‘hydroclimate whiplash’ to blame for deadly blaze appeared first on Study Finds.

Floods, droughts, then fires: Hydroclimate whiplash is speeding up globally

Hydroclimate whiplash -- rapid swings between intensely wet and dangerously dry weather -- has already increased globally due to climate change, with further large increases expected as warming continues, according to a team of researchers.