Climate Shift: An Approach to Its Effects on the Rainfall Regime

Natural climate oscillations can cause extreme events such as floods and droughts. The mid-1970s is known for the occurrence of a global Climate Shift, defined as a short period when both interannual and interdecadal climate oscillations changed phases, which led the climate to a new state. Climate Shift has affected many regions and is considered an unprecedented event. In this chapter, we describe the main research finding related to Climate Shift that affected the precipitation regime in several areas worldwide. This review highlights the importance of future studies of climate variability and climate change to improve water resource management.