Droughts are harder to predict than previously realized

A new study from USC shows that unreliable El Niño cycles make it difficult to predict droughts in the western United States. The researchers found that Earth's dynamic atmosphere has a much larger influence on dry seasons than sea surface temperatures. The study findings have implications for water management, agriculture, and urban planning. In recent decades, droughts have caused major crop losses and have claimed many lives.  The western region of the U.S. is expected to experience more frequent droughts as a result of climate change, as …