The Earth's landmass is more likely to become wetter than drier as temperatures rise. In a new study, researchers found that concurrent rainfall and heat extremes will become more frequent, severe, and widespread under climate change, more so than dry and hot conditions. When wet and hot conditions occur, heat waves first dry out the soil, reducing its ability to absorb water. Subsequent rainfall has a harder time penetrating the soil and instead runs off the surface, contributing to flooding, landslides, and crop failures. "These compound climate extremes have attracted considerable attention in recent decades because of their disproportionate impact on agriculture, industry, and ecosystems—much more than the extreme events themselves," said Haijiang Wu, a researcher at Northwest A&F University in China and lead author of the study. The research was published in the  Earth's Future. (American Geophysical Union)