A new study from UKCEH scientists shows that extreme soil moisture droughts in the UK – those lasting 90 days or more - are expected to occur more frequently under climate change.
A new study from UKCEH scientists shows that extreme soil moisture droughts in the UK – those lasting 90 days or more - are expected to occur more frequently under climate change. This could have severe implications for farming, water availability and food security.
The research published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that while such severe droughts occurred around once every 16 years in the recent past, they might happen as often as once every three years by the 2060s and 2070s. Even in the current decade and 2030s, they could occur as frequently as once every five or six years. These very low soil moisture levels will mostly occur in summer periods, between June and September in 2020s and 2030s. However, by the 2060s and 2070s, they are expected to extend from May to right through to November, with June through October being especially high risk.
Read More: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Photo Credit: Couleur via Pixabay
