A separate study, published in October in the journal Science Advances, concluded that climate change is increasing the risk of megadroughts — droughts that last more than 35 years — in the U.S.

The idea that climate change can lead to both wet and dry extremes is not as contradictory as it might sound. That’s because a warmer atmosphere also evaporates moisture from soil and plants at a higher rate, said Cornell earth and atmospheric sciences professor Toby Ault, the lead author of the megadrought study. The rainfall from sudden, extreme downpours can’t completely offset that moisture loss since soil has only a limited capacity to absorb water during such storms, as the U.S. Geological Survey notes.

“In a changing climate, we expect extremes to get, well, more extreme,” Ault told HuffPost.

To alleviate these dire forecasts, action must be taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, Ault and Prein agreed. More robust infrastructure that is suited to a stormier future would also be wise.

The former approach, Prein argued, could ultimately prove less expensive and more effective. But the clock is ticking — many scientists warn that extreme weather events are already becoming more common.

“If we cannot avoid this, it will mean we will be living in a world much more prone to something like flash fooding,” Prein said. “We’d have to invest tremendous amounts of infrastructure and resources to build up our resilience, which is much more expensive than to act now and try to avoid going along this path.”

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Joseph Erbentraut covers promising innovations and challenges in the areas of food and water. In addition, Erbentraut explores the evolving ways Americans are identifying and defining themselves. Follow Erbentraut on Twitter at @robojojo. Tips? Email joseph.erbentraut@huffingtonpost.com.

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