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Humans may have ‘locked in’ drought-inducing climate pattern: Study
Climate models link human-driven greenhouse gas emissions since the 1950s to a locked negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation phase causing a decades-long megadrought in the Southwest.
- Researchers found that the Pacific Decadal Oscillation has been locked into an extended negative phase since the late 1980s, influencing drought in the western US.
- This shift followed a notable rise in greenhouse gas emissions and aerosol reductions between 1980 and 2014, which pushed the PDO toward its cooler, drought-inducing phase.
- The southwestern US has experienced a historic megadrought for over two decades, with reservoirs like Lakes Mead and Powell reaching record lows amid ongoing water disputes.
- Over 500 climate model simulations indicate human-driven warming has significantly influenced the PDO cycle, leading to what researchers call a “negative, drought-generating trend.”
- Scientists warn that if current greenhouse gas forcing continues, the negative PDO phase and associated drought conditions could persist for decades with major ecological impacts.
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Human emissions drive recent trends in North Pacific climate variations
The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO)—the leading pattern of climate variability driving changes over the North Pacific and surrounding continents—is now thought to be generated by processes internal to the climate system1,2. According to this paradigm, the characteristic, irregular oscillations of the PDO arise from a collection of mechanisms involving ocean and atmosphere interactions in the North and tropical Pacific3–5. Recent variations in …
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution70% Center
Bias Distribution
- 70% of the sources are Center
70% Center
L 20%
C 70%
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