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30 results
The role of climate change and La Niña in the ongoing Somalia drought: A rapid analysis
The analysis concludes that the 2016 drought in Somalia and Somaliland was primarily driven by natural variability and La Niña rather than climate change. While the autumn rains failed in both regions—representing a once-a-century event in Somaliland—climate change had a small effect on these dry extremes. La Niña increased the probability of a dry season and accounted for approximately one third of the precipitation deficit, though it was not well-predicted by seasonal forecast models.
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Document type: Executive summary
Somalia drought 2016-2017
The analysis concludes that climate change had a small effect on the 2016 autumn drought in Somalia and Somaliland, with no significant trend in observed rainfall. However, a strong La Niña event significantly increased drought risks and explained approximately one third of the precipitation deficit. The severe food insecurity resulting from the drought was primarily driven by high human vulnerability caused by decades of conflict and political upheaval rather than meteorological factors alone.
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Document type: Research paper
Kenya Drought 2016
The 2016 drought in Kenya was primarily driven by sea-surface temperature patterns, specifically La Niña, rather than human-induced climate change. While climate change did not significantly increase the likelihood of the rainfall deficit, it did lead to hotter temperatures that exacerbated the drought's impact. The event was less severe than the 2010-11 drought but still triggered a national emergency, affecting millions of people in arid and semi-arid lands.
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Document type: Research paper
The drought in Kenya, 2016–2017
The 2016–2017 drought in Kenya, declared a national emergency in February 2017, was primarily driven by sea surface temperature patterns, specifically La Niña. While attribution analysis found no strong climate change signal in rainfall trends, it concluded that temperatures during the drought were hotter than they would have been without human-induced climate change. The drought severely impacted 23 counties, leaving up to 4 million people in need of food aid by April 2017, though it was less extreme than the 2010–2011 event.
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Document type: Research paper
Biodiversidad, ecosistemas de humedal y riesgo de inundación: Implicaciones de la expansión hidroeléctrica en la cuenca del río Magdalena
The document evaluates the impact of planned hydroelectric expansion in Colombia's Magdalena River basin on the Mompox Depression, one of the world's largest wetland systems. Using an enhanced Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model, the study finds that while new dams may not prevent extreme floods, they could significantly alter seasonal and low flows, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services. It also warns that reducing connectivity through flood-control structures like dikes could increase peak flow magnitudes downstream, potentially raising flood risks for urban areas like Barranquilla.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Biodiversity, wetland ecosystems and flood risks: Implications of hydropower expansion on the Magdalena River
The document examines how increasing the Degree of Regulation (DOR) through hydropower dams in the Magdalena River Basin affects the Mompos Depression. While current regulation is low, the addition of 30 planned projects could increase the DOR from 5% to 30%, significantly altering seasonal and low flows critical for biodiversity. The analysis finds that these dams would not protect against extreme floods, as safety releases during peak flows are necessary, and that reducing lateral connectivity via levees could increase peak flows downstream in cities like Barranquilla.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Paleotempestology of the Caribbean region: a multi-proxy, multi-site study of the spatial and temporal variability of Caribbean hurricane activity (CRN2050)
The project uses proxy data—including coral, stalagmites, tree-rings, and coastal lagoon sediments—to analyze past Caribbean hurricane activity and its relationship with sea surface temperatures and climate patterns. Initial findings indicate that higher hurricane activity before AD 1550 and after 1750 correlates with warmer sea surfaces, with peaks occurring during the Medieval period (AD 900-1100) and since 1980. The study also highlights the role of the Intra-Americas Low-Level Jet (IALLJ) in affecting storm strength and notes significant population vulnerability along the U.S. coast.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate change increased heavy rainfall, hitting vulnerable communities in Eastern Northeast Brazil
The report investigates the May 2022 extreme rainfall event in Eastern Northeast Brazil, which caused 133 deaths and displaced over 25,000 people. Observational analysis indicates that 7-day and 15-day rainfall events of this magnitude are exceptionally rare in the current climate, with return periods of approximately 1-in-500 and 1-in-1000 years, respectively. While climate models exhibited systematic errors in precipitation magnitudes for this specific event, the authors conclude that human-caused climate change is at least partially responsible for increasing the likelihood and intensity of such rainfall. The study further highlights that structural vulnerabilities, including unplanned urbanisation in low-income neighbourhoods and an infrastructure deficit, significantly exacerbated the disaster's impact.
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Document type: Research paper
Climate change likely increased extreme monsoon rainfall, flooding highly vulnerable communities in Pakistan
The report investigates the 2022 Pakistan floods, focusing on two event definitions: 60-day maximum rainfall in the Indus basin and 5-day maximum rainfall in Sindh and Balochistan. While observational trends suggest that a 1.2°C warmer climate increased 5-day rainfall intensity by about 75% and 60-day rainfall by 50%, the authors refrain from a precise quantitative attribution due to high rainfall variability and climate model limitations. However, models project that a further 0.8°C of warming (reaching 2°C above pre-industrial levels) will significantly increase the intensity and probability of short-duration extreme rainfall. The study also highlights that the disaster's scale was exacerbated by outdated river management, high poverty, and gender-based vulnerabilities.
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Document type: Research paper
Vulnerability and high temperatures exacerbate impacts of ongoing drought in Central South America
The study finds that while the 2022 drought in Central South America was primarily driven by natural variability and La Niña conditions, human-induced climate change exacerbated the event by increasing temperatures, which reduced water availability through higher evapotranspiration. The drought caused severe agricultural losses in Argentina, including a projected 25-50% decrease in soy yields and a significant drop in wheat production, while limiting potable water access for over 75,000 people in Uruguay.
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Document type: Research paper