Ecological drought in the North Central United States

Drought is a normal feature in the North Central and Great Plains of the United States. Yet, as the region continues to warm and the impacts of climate change are more widespread, the threat of ecological drought has the potential to result in major social and ecological impacts. The Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers (CSCs) and their managing organization, the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center at the U.S. Geological Survey, have chosen the emerging climate science field of Ecological Drought as a research focus area. This newsletter highlights the outcomes of a two-day workshop held at the North Central CSC in Fort Collins, Colorado, as part of a series of meetings at each of the nation's eight CSCs. These workshops are aimed at collating our existing knowledge of the ecological impacts, resistance, and recovery from drought.

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