Modern anthropogenic drought in Central Brazil unprecedented during last 700 years

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45469-8
• Publication Date: 2024-02-26T12:02:28Z
• Authors: Nicolas Misailidi...; Plácido Fabrício ...; Francisco William...; Juan Pablo Bernal; Mathias Vuille; Ernesto Tejedor; Matheus Simões Sa...; Marília Harumi Sh...; Angela Ampuero; Wenjing Du; Gilvan Sampaio; Hamilton dos Reis...; José Leandro Campos; Mary Toshie Kayano; James Apaèstegui; Roger R. Fu; Hai Cheng; R. Lawrence Edwards; Victor Chavez Mayta; Danielle da Silva...; Marco Aurélio Zez...; Valdir Felipe Nov...
• Keywords: Biome; Forcing (mathematics); Water balance

Abstract A better understanding of the relative roles internal climate variability and external contributions, from both natural (solar, volcanic) anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing, is important to project future hydrologic changes. Changes in evaporative demand play a central role this context, particularly tropical areas characterized by high precipitation seasonality, such as savannah semi-desertic biomes. Here we present set geochemical proxies speleothems well-ventilated cave located central-eastern Brazil which shows that no longer being met precipitation, leading hydrological deficit. marked change balance Brazil, caused severe warming trend, can be identified, starting 1970s. Our findings show current aridity has analog over last 720 years. detection attribution study indicates trend mostly driven forcing cannot explained factors alone. These results reinforce premise long-term drought subtropics eastern South America will likely further exacerbated given its apparent connection increased emissions.