Teleconnections of global compound hot and dry events: a climate network perspective

When weather and climate events occur concurrently in various locations, their combined impacts pose significant threats to connected socio-economic systems. Compound dry and hot events have become major natural disasters that affect production and daily life under global warming. However, the patterns of synchronized compound dry and hot events remain unclear. This study uses temperature data and drought indices to identify compound dry and hot events and adopts the climate network approach to explore their spatial synchronization patterns and temporal change. The findings indicate a significant increase in global compound dry and hot events, with a notable expansion in the extent of their spatial synchronization. However, there is no significant trend in the average distance of synchronization. Spatial synchronization of compound dry and hot events exhibits heterogeneity, with hotspots in Central and Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Central South America. Additionally, some regions exhibit teleconnections of compound hot and dry events, such as the Western United States and Southern Europe. These insights could support adaptation and risk management for compound dry and hot events under climate change.