articleCommunications Earth & EnvironmentJan 5, 2026GOLD OA

Variations in land-atmosphere coupling during drought-heatwave events

Princeton University · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · +2 more institutions

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Abstract

Droughts and heatwaves are linked through different land-atmosphere coupling pathways. While high temperatures and depleted soil moisture (SM) characterize all drought-heatwave events, latent heat flux (LHF) reveals the dominant forcing mechanism driving these events. Our grid-based analysis of six drought-heatwave events since 2000 shows spatially inhomogeneous land-atmosphere coupling associated with surface flux partitioning. Atmospherically driven regimes, characterized by increased LHF following hot temperature anomalies, accounted for the majority of the 2022 East Asia event (64.8%). Land surface-driven regimes, exhibiting LHF deficits following dry SM anomalies, were most prevalent in the 2023 Central…

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4

Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Predictability
  • Forcing (mathematics)
  • Coupling (piping)
  • Flux (metallurgy)
  • Latent heat
  • Event (particle physics)
  • Moisture
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Life in Land
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