by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
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Caribbean islands are particularly prone to flash drought<\/strong>, the phenomenon of sudden water shortage that is made increasingly common by climate change<\/a>. Preventing and measuring this kind of event, however, requires the use of a peculiar method based on a new indicator, a U.S. study<\/a> says.<\/p>\n “The tropics have extremely intense solar radiation, so atmospheric processes tend to be expedited,” Craig Ramseyer<\/strong>, a professor at the same polytechnic institute and co-author of the study with colleague Paul Miller<\/strong> of the Department of Oceanography at Louisiana State University, said in a note published by Virginia Tech. “Despite often receiving daily rainfall, island ecosystems are particularly vulnerable<\/strong> to drought conditions.”<\/p>\n