A shocking new study published in Science reveals that mega droughts severe, long-lasting dry spells are increasing at an alarming rate, expanding by 50,000 square kilometers (12 million acres) each year. These extreme droughts are depleting water sources, devastating agriculture, and fueling wildfires worldwide.
Scientists have compiled the first-ever global catalog of megadroughts since 1980, ranking them by severity. “We found that these multiyear droughts are growing in size, intensity, and impact,” said Pascal Buri, a glaciologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and one of the study’s authors.
The study began with droughts in Chile, which has faced a water crisis since 2010. However, researchers soon expanded their focus and discovered droughts lasting more than two years across the world. Using advanced climate data and satellite imagery, they identified over 13,000 megadroughts between 1980 and 2018.
Major events included droughts in the western U.S. (2008-2014), Australia (2017-2019), and Mongolia (2000-2011). Surprisingly, a lesser-known but devastating drought hit the Congo Basin from 2010 to 2018, spanning an area half the size of Alaska.
Every Year, A Drought the Size of Switzerland
Lead researcher Liangzhi Chen from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL highlighted the staggering rate of increase. “The trend is around 50,000 square kilometers per year. Every year, we add a multiyear drought the size of Switzerland.”
Scientists also discovered that different landscapes respond differently to megadroughts. Grasslands showed the most significant decline in vegetation, while tropical forests appeared more resilient. However, long-term droughts still threaten even the most robust ecosystems.
The study ranks the 2008-2014 drought in southwestern North America as the most severe in recent decades. Meanwhile, Chile’s ongoing 15-year drought, though devastating, did not even make the top 10 due to its relatively small geographic footprint.
As climate change continues, scientists fear that droughts will grow even longer and more intense. “At some point, if these droughts keep going, the system will break,” warned Francesca Pellicciotti, a glaciologist at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria. “Vegetation will die, aquifers won’t be replenished, and water resources will collapse.”
With record-breaking heatwaves and shifting climate patterns in the 2020s, experts stress the urgency of preparing for a drier, more water-scarce future. “We don’t yet know how long it takes for ecosystems to recover,” Pellicciotti said. “But what’s clear is that megadroughts are here to stay.”