Paper finds ‘finds Midwest US droughts were less frequent & less extreme during 20th century compared to past 3100 years & linked to solar activity — Geophysical Research Letters
'Authors find the precipitation proxy 'record of the past ∼3100 years reveals droughts of greater severity & duration than during 20th century occurred repeatedly, especially prior to 300 AD. Drought variability was anomalously low during 20th century; ∼90% of variability values during last 3100 years were greater than 20th-century avg.' Authors also find droughts were linked to natural changes in Pacific Decadal Oscillation [PDO] & to solar activity'