Earth’s growing thirst is making droughts worse, Southampton scientists discover

Earth’s atmosphere is becoming thirstier according to climate experts which is making droughts more extreme.

New research from the University of Southampton discovered that our planet’s growing demand for water has made droughts worldwide around 40 per cent more severe.

Droughts are usually blamed on a lack of rain, however, scientists found the atmosphere itself is demanding more water out of the soil, rivers, and plants.

This occurrence, known as Atmospheric Evaporative Demand (AED), acts like an invisible sponge said Southampton’s Professor of Hydrology and Remote Sensing Justin Sheffield who co-authored the study.

He added: “It soaks up moisture faster than it can be replaced which can increase water stress, particularly for plants.

“As the world gets hotter from climate change, AED is rising which is causing more severe droughts even in wet regions.”

The research, which was published in the Nature journal, was a collaboration between academics at Southampton and other universities worldwide.

Until now, scientists knew AED was important but had not measured its global impact using real-world observations. This made it harder to predict and prepare for droughts.

The new study used data covering more than 100 years and tracked how the demand increased while determining how much worse it has made droughts.

It found that wet regions are affected by more severe droughts because the atmosphere is demanding more water from the land, not just because of less rainfall.

The extent of land under more severe drought conditions jumped by 74 per cent in the last five years, largely driven by the atmosphere’s growing thirst.

The findings change how we think about drought, said Prof Sheffield.

He added: “It shows that it is not just rainfall that matters — how much water the atmosphere demands is just as important.

“As the planet warms, AED will likely keep rising, drying out landscapes faster than rain can keep up, increasing plant water stress and impacting plant carbon uptake.

“We will need to study how farmers, cities, and ecosystems can adapt to a world where the atmosphere constantly demands more moisture.”

Read the study at www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09047-2 .