aridification

American  

[uh-rid-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / əˌrɪd ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

Ecology.

1. the long-term process by which a humid region becomes increasingly dry, chiefly as an effect of climate change and often in combination with human interference with the ecology.

---

Etymology

Origin of aridification

First recorded in 1900–05; arid + -i- + -fication

Example Sentences

“The only real path to managing the long-term aridification of the West is a seven-state agreement,” Hickenlooper said.

From Los Angeles Times

Famiglietti said it is set to worsen in many areas, leading to “widespread aridification and desertification.”

From Los Angeles Times

The declines in water supplies have worsened as climate change has intensified drought conditions, driving what scientists describe as the aridification of the Southwest.

From Los Angeles Times

“The degree of aridification and intensification of droughts in the region depends on the extent of anthropogenic warming,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

From Los Angeles Times

The latest study is thorough and adds to previous research documenting how human-caused warming is driving what scientists describe as hot drought and aridification in the West, said Brad Udall, a climate scientist at Colorado State University.

From Los Angeles Times