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March 30, 2023

Multidisciplinary team looks to increase the resilience of food systems to climate shocks like drought

Two NDMC-affiliated researchers are part of a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team selected as part of the NSF Convergence Accelerator program focused on applied research and technology development to advance food and nutrition security. The team is working on a proof of concept of how to predict the effects of climate extremes on the food system and will compete for a chance to secure $5 million in additional funding.


February 6, 2023

Study finds states facing worse drought have more comprehensive drought planning

States opt to plan for drought to reduce vulnerability and increase the resilience of their communities, industries and ecosystems. To date, though, there’s been little research on the comprehensiveness and quality of state plans that address drought. A new study from NDMC researchers has helped fill this gap, finding that exposure to drought is in intrinsic driver of planning, regardless of a state’s financial resources.


February 1, 2023

NDMC and World Bank partner on drought monitoring tools for southern Africa

The National Drought Mitigation Center has been working with the World Bank for over 10 years to develop new drought tools that can help countries increase their resilience to drought. Most recently, that work has entailed engaging with national agencies to develop a composite drought indicator for southern Africa.


January 26, 2023

NDMC joins forces with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification to advance global drought resilience agenda

On Jan. 26, 2023, the National Drought Mitigation Center launched a new collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. As drought resilience and preparedness are taking center stage in global efforts to bolster economies and communities against natural disasters, the formalized partnership is particularly timely. Together, the NDMC and UNCCD will work to improve drought risk management tools and utilize the latest science to help reduce the high human, social and economic costs of drought and water scarcity.


January 19, 2023

CMOR helps officials respond to drought in Missouri

Missouri suffered from extreme drought conditions in 2022. The CMOR database of crowdsourced observations helped officials there monitor drought as it intensified last summer and then again in October. CMOR photos not only enable decision makers to track changing conditions and inform drought classification, they’re also essential for identifying, and responding to, drought impacts.


December 15, 2022

Drought workshops focus on agriculture in Alaska

In November, NDMC staff and graduate students co-hosted a pair of workshops in Alaska with the USDA Northwest Climate Hub and University of Alaska-Fairbanks Cooperative Extension. The two events were designed to start a conversation about the unique challenges and needs of agriculture in Alaska and coping strategies for drought.


October 24, 2022

New interactive interface and export tool help users visualize and customize U.S. Drought Monitor maps

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly assessment of the extent and severity of drought in the U.S. A new interface allows users to view Drought Monitor classifications at various spatial scales, overlaid by other relevant information. A related export tool increases the ease with which people can download customized Drought Monitor maps.


October 12, 2022

New research from the National Drought Mitigation Center

Several members of the National Drought Mitigation Center also serve as faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and regularly publish peer-reviewed drought research in academic journals. In recent months, NDMC scientists have published work geared toward both specialty crop producers in the Midwest and local planners.


October 6, 2022

In a summer for the record books, the U.S. hits 106 weeks straight with more than 40% of the Lower 48 in drought

Summer 2022 has been one for the books with heat and rainfall records toppling and intense drought gripping much of the country. The U.S. also hit a sobering record of more than two years straight with over 40% of the Lower 48 in drought.


September 9, 2022

New tool makes U.S. drought impacts searchable by state and drought level

It can be hard to grasp the full human and ecological cost of a drought, so the NDMC has tracked drought impacts since 2005. A new tool from the NDMC helps people sort and filter these impact records by state, drought severity, sector and season.