Nature Geoscience, Published online: 12 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02125-8

The Western Eurasian Steppe has undergone an abrupt and persistent transition to a hotter and drier summer climate that exceeds the range of natural variability, driven by external climate forcing and amplified by internal variability and land–atmosphere feedbacks, according to observations and Earth system model simulations.