Wednesday May 27, 2026
UC Merced —
After a couple of years of sufficient water, much of California is showing “abnormally dry” conditions in spring 2026, according to the state drought monitor.
And as climate change adds more swings between wet and dry conditions, researchers are working on ways to better identify, predict and manage drought.
Toward that end, a UC Merced team contributed a chapter on “Artificial Intelligence for Multiscale Drought Modeling and Decision Making,” in the new book “Global Drought and Sustainability.”
The book was published by Elsevier, a global academic publishing company, and brings together leading researchers from around the world to examine drought as an increasingly urgent global challenge. “Global Drought and Sustainability” explores the connection between drought and climate change and outlines science-based solutions to improve water resource management, agricultural sustainability and ecosystem resilience.