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Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems
Published on: June 30, 2020
Evidence of anthropogenic impacts on global drought frequency, duration, and intensity
Felicia Chiang1, Omid Mazdiyasni2, Amir AghaKouchak2,3
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. felicia.h.chiang@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Most climate change detection and attribution studies have focused on mean or extreme temperature or precipitation, neglecting to explore long-term changes in drought characteristics. Here we provide evidence that anthropogenic forcing has impacted interrelated meteorological drought characteristics. Using SPI and SPEI indices generated from an ensemble of 9 CMIP6 models (using 3 realizations per model), we show that the presence of anthropogenic forcing has increased the drought frequency, maximum drought duration, and maximum drought intensity experienced in large parts of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Using individual greenhouse gas and anthropogenic aerosol forcings, we also highlight that regional balances between the two major forcings have contributed to the drying patterns detected in our results. Overall, we provide a comprehensive characterization of the influence of anthropogenic forcing on drought characteristics, providing important perspectives on the role of forcings in driving changes in drought events.
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