[ad_1]
HONG KONG, April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hong Kong and other southern parts of Mainland China are known to be vulnerable to typhoons, rainstorms and floods. But a new study by researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has shown a growing risk of flash droughts that has been overlooked; these droughts are also developing at a faster rate in the region and the rest of the world amid climate change.
The PolyU study, published in Nature Communicationsfound that southeast China – the region spanning from the Yangtze River Delta to Hainan province – is at a higher risk of experiencing more rapid drying, with an increase in the proportion of flash droughts developed within five days by as much as 18.67 per cent during 2000 – 2020. Ordinary droughts usually take five to six months or an even longer time to develop to full strength.
Dr WANG Shuo, Assistant Professor of PolyU’s Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, who led the research, said the nature of flash droughts, characterised by rapid onset in less than a month and a fast depletion of water availability, means there are …
Full story available on Benzinga.com
[ad_2]
Source link
