At grassland sites worldwide, including the Midwest and Great Plains, scientists simulated extreme drought conditions. The study provides a far-reaching and systematic look at the effects of drought severity.

Both the length and intensity of drought can work together to have cumulative, negative effects on grasslands, according to a new global study published in Science.

An international group of scientists ran the same drought study across six continents, including sites in Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Texas. They imposed extreme drought conditions for four years in a row to find out what these conditions do to a diverse array of grasslands and shrublands.

“With changing climate, particularly atmospheric warming, we're expecting to see more extreme events such as droughts, but those

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