Accelerated Hydrological Wet-to-Dry Transitions and Their Driving Mechanisms over Africa

Abstract. Abrupt wet-to-dry (W2D) events represent a damaging natural disaster, exerting more far-reaching impacts on the environment and society than single extreme events. While sub-seasonal and interannual precipitation whiplash have recently been analyzed, hydrological W2D transitions, especially at smaller time scales such as sub-monthly, have yet to be examined. In this study, we quantify changes in the characteristics of hydrological W2D transitions based on soil moisture in Africa and identify the drivers behind these changes. The results show that the total W2D transition has accelerated markedly: transition speed increased by 19 % and duration shortened by 10 % from 1981 to 2024. The area averaged proportion of rapid W2D events to total W2D events has increased from 52 % during 1981–2000 to 58 % during 2001–2024. The spatial extent of rapid W2D transitions has increased significantly. On average, 13 % of the continent has experienced rapid W2D transition in the 1980s, increasing to 17 % after 2010. These findings suggest a general shift from slow to rapid hydrological W2D transitions on a sub-monthly timescale. We further find that the speeding up of W2D transition onset is driven by greater precipitation deficits, higher temperature, and higher evaporative demand during the transition onset period. Overall, the shift from slow to rapid W2D transitions reduces the predictability of hydrological volatility regimes, which has adverse impacts on agriculture, ecological stability, and water resources management.