In June 2024, southern China experienced record-breaking heavy rainfall, resulting in devastating societal and economic impacts. The underlying cause of this extreme event remained unclear until this study, published in Science Bulletin, provided new insights. Based on analyses from numerical simulations using an Earth System Model (ESM), an international team of scientists identified excessive spring land heating over the Tibetan Plateau as the primary factor driving the catastrophic June 2024 rainfall in southern China.

New, groundbreaking research shows how, at a local scale, agricultural research and development led to improved crop varieties that resulted in global benefits to the environment and food system sustainability. The Purdue University study appears in the latest issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“At the global level, we see a reduction in cropland use from these technology improvements leading to gains in terrestrial carbon stock and avoided loss of threatened plant and animal species,” reported the team led by Purdue’s Uris Baldos, research associate professor of agricultural economics.