Scientists found the storms in the Corn Belt during the summer are becoming weaker and dropping less precipitation.
The United States Corn Belt includes western Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas. The region has dominated corn production in the U.S. since the 1850s, accounting for more than a third of the global supply of corn. It is also the world’s largest source of soybeans. New research led by atmospheric scientist Mingfang Ting from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory reveals that climate change has triggered two changes that threaten the region’s crop production; warming temperatures are both increasing the evaporation of soil moisture and causing summer storms to carry more moisture away from the Midwest. Ting’s study, which she presented last week at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union, forecasts a progressive worsening of this one-two punch over the next decade.
Traditionally the Corn Belt receives most of its rainfall during the summer, which is also the growing season for corn. However, Ting identified a net loss of surface water here, indicating evaporation from the soil and plants is exceeding the net rainfall during those months. She and colleagues took a closer look.
“We didn’t understand why precipitation is decreasing in this specific region, and the models are very robust, showing that, yes, in the future it’s going to decrease. So, we looked into it. And what we find is puzzling. We were thinking this must be circulation-driven or [a result of the] thermodynamics changing… Turns out it’s the storm pattern itself.”
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Image via Columbia University Earth Institute
