A drought is an extended period of significantly below average precipitation in a region. There are several reasons why they happen.
Severe droughts occur commonly in the interior and towards the western coast of continents, particularly Africa and Australia. However, they can occur anywhere, and with different levels of severity.
Drought is an abnormally long period of dry weather because there is a severe lack of water in an environment over an extended period of time. For a drought to happen, it means that rainfall has fallen below the average necessary to water crops and/or livestock, and to refill dams for months at a time. When moisture near the ground rises into the colder areas of the upper atmosphere rain clouds form. High pressure in the atmosphere causes air to rise instead of falling, resulting in dry, sunny weather. When high pressure cannot be displaced by low-pressure for an extended period of time, the result is drought.
Lack of rain may be a result of the El Nino phenomenon, which brings dry conditions to some parts of the world for sometimes as long as several years at a time. This is why the southern continents of Africa and Australia are particularly prone.
Desertification is a vicious cycle which increases drought-like conditions, and makes it increasingly difficult for the land to recover. Desertification may occur as a result of man's intervention in the environment, particularly activities such as deforestation and cutting down trees, over-grazing of stock animals, or farming unsuitable crops for a region (e.g. rice, which has to have large amounts of water pumped to it).
Some recent droughts are believed to have happened because of global warming.
The world's longest drought lasted 400 years from 1571 until 1971 in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest place on Earth.
How an unusually prolonged drought might affect a biological community?Drought conditions increase soil erosion, damage plants, impair water quality, and diminish biological health. Drought also makes areas more prone to invasion of harmful species and insect infestation.
drought drought
a drought
The absence of rain for a long period of time is sometimes referred to as a drought. A drought can cause the lost of crops and even can create a desert.
where does drought happen the most and why?
a drought can happen anywhere with little water such asesert or even in the praries
Yes there is drought in the horn of Africa.
There will be drought!
if a drought gets worse then you will be limited on your water
in the west
a drought happens in a place where rain does not fall for a long period of time.
We ran out of Nigers.
Drought.
a drought
--novasoal-- in the west or florida.
gtyh