Causes and Impacts of the 2016-2019 Southeast Alaska Drought

Southeast Alaska, home to the northernmost temperate rain forest in the world, experienced frequent and cumulatively significant below-normal precipitation starting in autumn 2016, impacting individuals, communities, tribes, and ecosystems. Motivated by the 2016–2019 drought, this NIDIS-funded research effort, led by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP, a NOAA RISA team) and NOAA's Physical Sciences Laboratory, aims to improve our predictive understanding of drought in a changing climate by considering the following questions:

• How did the event evolve and what were its key characteristics?
• To place the event in historical context, how did its key characteristics and drivers compare with prior events?
• How did climate change alter the intensity and duration of the 2016–19 drought?
• How is climate change projected to alter the intensity, frequency, and duration of droughts like 2016–19?
• How did the drought impact society and the environment?

To learn more, view the research profile for this project.