PCIC science brief: The evolution of snowmelt and drought
Date
2017-10
Authors
Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC)
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC)
Abstract
Two articles recently published in the peer reviewed literature examine how the rate of snowmelt may change as the Earth's climate changes, and how droughts can evolve and move over time. Publishing in Nature Climate Change, Musselman et al. (2017) examine the effect that global warming may have on snowmelt. They find that the portion of snow melt occurring at moderate and high melt rates in Western North America is projected to decrease, while the portion occurring at low melt rates is projected to increase. Total meltwater volume is projected to decrease. In recent research published in Geophysical Research Letters, Herrera-Estrada et al. (2017) explore how droughts evolve in space and time across six continents. They find that clusters of droughts can travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers across each continent. In addition, the authors find that longer-lasting droughts tend to travel farther, as well as be more severe.
Description
Keywords
UN SDG 13: Climate Action, #science brief, Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC)