Increased droughts and floods in Asia

A group of scientists from Pakistan, the US, Switzerland and Singapore have announced that the droughts and subsequent devastating floods are caused by the intensification of the hydrological cycle due to climate change.

Geophysical Research Letters notes that the researchers studied tree rings in the Hindu Kush mountains, which provide natural evidence of the duration and intensity of past climatic conditions. These episodes have helped to reconstruct the annual precipitation pattern in the Kabul River Basin over four centuries, including 1637-2018.

It has become clear to researchers that in recent decades there have been stronger, shorter but more frequent droughts interspersed with periods of heavy rains. Droughts and periods of precipitation are components of natural hydroclimatic variability. But in a warmer climate, the speed and intensity of these phenomena are likely to increase dramatically, as is now observed in Central Asia.

Short periods of drought followed by long waves became more frequent, periods of heavy rains became more frequent.

From the results of the study, it became clear that changes in the hydrological cycle pose a serious threat to water security in Central Asia.

Source: Linta. EN