Intensifying Hydroclimate Whiplash From a 3D Perspective

Understanding the consecutive occurrence of hydroclimate whiplash (HCW) extremes is critical for assessing global climate risks. However, most studies have focused on individual points or pixel scales, which fails to reveal the joint evolution of the extreme events over space and time, leading to po...

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Published in:Water resources research Vol. 61; no. 11
Main Authors: Fu, Jianyu, Lu, Yang, Liu, Bingjun, Tan, Xuezhi, Wei, Jia, Tan, Xuejin, Huang, Zeqin, Chen, Xiaohong
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.11.2025
Wiley
Subjects:
Climate change
Datasets
Drought
dry‐wet abrupt alternation
Environmental risk
Evolution
Floods
Global climate
Hydroclimate
hydroclimate whiplash
Hydrology
Pixels
Plant cover
Precipitation
Rain
Vegetation
Velocity
Water
Water shortages
ISSN:0043-1397, 1944-7973
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Understanding the consecutive occurrence of hydroclimate whiplash (HCW) extremes is critical for assessing global climate risks. However, most studies have focused on individual points or pixel scales, which fails to reveal the joint evolution of the extreme events over space and time, leading to potential underestimation. Here, we investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of contiguous HCW extremes globally from 1982 to 2015 from a 3D perspective (latitude × longitude × time). Results show that global HCW extremes have been averagely underestimated by 20% in frequency and nearly half in affected areas using pixel‐level analysis compared to the 3D scanning approach. The contiguous HCW extremes are dominated by drying events with higher transition velocity and frequency, while wet‐dominant HCW extremes have significantly increased in frequency from 1982 to 2015. Spatially, monsoon regions in the Western Pacific exhibit the highest comprehensive magnitude of contiguous HCW extremes with high transition velocity and frequency. Increased precipitation plays a crucial role in the changes of global contiguous HCW extremes, while variations in vegetation coverage also significantly contribute to the intensification of these extremes. Plain Language Summary The consecutive occurrence of hydroclimate whiplash (HCW) extremes, characterized by abrupt transitions between dry and wet conditions, impacts agriculture, ecosystems, and the environment. These events may evolve across both space and time, characterizing a spatiotemporally contiguous propagation pattern that has not been fully understood. Here, we track the full characterization of contiguous HCW extremes from a three‐dimensional (3D) perspective. From 1982 to 2015, 1,194 HCW extremes have been identified worldwide. Dry‐dominant HCW extremes were found to be the most common, but the frequency of wet‐dominant HCW extremes has significantly increased over time. Monsoon regions, particularly in Southeast Asia, experience the most intense and frequent HCW extremes, exhibiting the highest comprehensive magnitude of contiguous HCW extremes. Furthermore, our findings reveal that changes in precipitation variability and increased vegetation coverage significantly connect with the severity of HCW extremes. Our findings highlight the importance of considering both spatial and temporal dimensions in HCW studies and emphasize the need for integrated strategies to mitigate the impacts of contiguous HCW extremes. Key Points The spatiotemporal evolution of contiguous hydroclimate whiplashes is tracked globally by the 3D connected component labeling algorithm Dry‐dominant hydroclimate whiplash events are most frequent globally, but wet‐dominant events have increased significantly in recent decades Monsoon regions, particularly in Southeast Asia suffers the most from severe contiguous hydroclimate whiplashes since the 1980s
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ISSN:0043-1397
1944-7973
DOI:10.1029/2025WR040607