The droughts will become common in areas of the countries that are currently rarely affected, and for prolonged seasons, the researchers say. And the droughts could be worse during the summer months, a time when agriculture is most vulnerable to them, bringing food shortages and wildfires to the region, the study suggests.
"We know that the monsoon is strengthening at the moment and know that areas that receive rain will get more," says Nerilie Abram at the Australian National University in Canberra, "but we don’t know the knock-on effects."
By looking at 6500-year-old fossil corals in Indonesia, Abram and her colleagues found that strong monsoons – which bring more warm, moist air and rain to India than usual – have historically been associated with cool sea temperatures on the other side of the Indian Ocean, close to the western coast of Indonesia.
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photo by Chrissam42