Topic
Effects of prolonged dry spells on water quantity, distribution and quality, and their downstream ecological consequences.
The canal's water manager reports April-to-August rain running 35.8% below the historical average with no near-term recovery, so schedulers have to treat a lock system whose throughput is set by lake level as a variable into mid-2027.
Reality
New work in Earth's Future turns multi-region drought into the one wheat price input a buyer can count rather than argue about.
Reality
The Panama Canal Authority cuts daily transits from 36 to 34 on Sept. 3 and to 32 on Sept. 15 after a 34% rainfall shortfall. Booked ships keep their slots; everyone else queues or bids.
Reality
Buckled rail, record-low rivers and disrupted power and water are no longer tail risk. NASA's account of May to August 2026 reads like a description of normal service.
Reality
A record-strength El Nino has moved from forecast to administrative emergency in the Central American Dry Corridor. The government says the crisis runs to March or April.
Reality
A Trends in Ecology and Evolution synthesis names the ecological mechanisms that decide whether a shrinking pond concentrates transmission or strands the parasite before it can spread.
Reality