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Climate change and aerosol pollution made drought inevitable in the US Southwest: Study

US SOUTHWEST, JUL 9 – A study attributes decreased precipitation and inevitable drought in the US Southwest to human-caused climate change and aerosol pollution, projecting continued dry conditions as temperatures rise.

  • On July 9, 2025, Lehner and colleagues published a study in Nature Geoscience showing climate change and aerosols have made drought inevitable in the US Southwest.
  • The study links the long-term decline in Southwest precipitation since about 1980 to human-caused climate change and increased aerosol emissions affecting weather patterns.
  • Researchers used observations and CMIP6 simulations to develop a framework revealing aerosol forcing drives drying trends by altering solar radiation and atmospheric circulation.
  • Lehner explained that climate change has a stronger impact on precipitation than earlier estimates suggested, and the study forecasts that ongoing warming will likely cause drought to persist.
  • The findings provide new tools to help Southwest water managers plan despite warming temperatures that will gradually offset air quality improvements reducing aerosols.
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Phys.org broke the news in United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
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