1. Global distribution, trends, and drivers of flash drought occurrence.
- Author
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Christian JI, Basara JB, Hunt ED, Otkin JA, Furtado JC, Mishra V, Xiao X, and Randall RM
- Subjects
- Brazil, China, Climate Change, Humans, India, Russia, United States, Water Resources, Agriculture, Ecosystem, Environment, Hydrology
- Abstract
Flash drought is characterized by a period of rapid drought intensification with impacts on agriculture, water resources, ecosystems, and the human environment. Addressing these challenges requires a fundamental understanding of flash drought occurrence. This study identifies global hotspots for flash drought from 1980-2015 via anomalies in evaporative stress and the standardized evaporative stress ratio. Flash drought hotspots exist over Brazil, the Sahel, the Great Rift Valley, and India, with notable local hotspots over the central United States, southwestern Russia, and northeastern China. Six of the fifteen study regions experienced a statistically significant increase in flash drought during 1980-2015. In contrast, three study regions witnessed a significant decline in flash drought frequency. Finally, the results illustrate that multiple pathways of research are needed to further our understanding of the regional drivers of flash drought and the complex interactions between flash drought and socioeconomic impacts., (© 2021. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2021
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