aridification

[ uh-rid-uh-fi-key-shuhn ]

noun

, Ecology.

1. the long-term process by which a humid region becomes increasingly dry, chiefly as an effect of climate change and often in combination with human interference with the ecology. Compare desertification ( ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of aridification¹

First recorded in 1900–05; arid + -i- + -fication

Example Sentences

“The degree of aridification and intensification of droughts in the region depends on the extent of anthropogenic warming,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

From Los Angeles Times

The latest study is thorough and adds to previous research documenting how human-caused warming is driving what scientists describe as hot drought and aridification in the West, said Brad Udall, a climate scientist at Colorado State University.

From Los Angeles Times

Scientists and policy experts widely agree that adapting to aridification driven by climate change in the western U.S. will require major changes in how limited water supplies are managed for farms, cities and the environment.

From Los Angeles Times

This was driven by the aridification of the Nile basin, with the 'Green Sahara' of the African Humid Period transforming into the present-day hyper-arid Sahara Desert.

From Science Daily

“Investments in water recycling and reuse are key to stretching limited water supplies, making systems more resilient to the effects of aridification in the American West,” U.S.

From Los Angeles Times