Hydrological drought characterization considering onset, maximum streamflow deficit, and termination

Wu，Jiefeng1,2; Wang，Guoqing3; Chen，Xiaohong4; Yuan，Xing1,2; Yao，Huaxia5; Chen，Xingwei6; Lan，Tian7; Zheng，Yanhui8; AghaKouchak，Amir9

2024-02-01

10.1016/j.advwatres.2023.104613

Advances in Water Resources   影响因子和分区

0309-1708

Duration and severity are two key characteristics commonly used for analyzing hydrological drought (HD); however, without considering important HD time nodes (i.e., drought onset, maximum streamflow deficit, and termination), drought monitoring and characterization remain inaccurate. For example, any HD index can identify the duration and severity of certain drought events. However, the onset and termination times of drought events identified may vary significantly among different types of drought indices. This discrepancy presents an obstacle within the realm of drought forecasting and management. The methods of fixed drought threshold (FDT) and variable drought threshold (VDT), which apply an absolute and relative threshold for drought definition, respectively, are commonly used to identify HD. We studied the difference and applicability of the FDT and VDT methods for different thresholds (i.e., streamflow percentiles Q, Q, Q, Q, and Q) based on monthly streamflow records of 219 watersheds in the United States, with a focus on the drought onset, maximum streamflow deficit, and termination. The results show that, while the average HD durations and severities identified by FDT and VDT were in broad agreement, the key time nodes of HD evolution were completely different between two methods, especially in watersheds with larger streamflow variability within a year. The FDT and VDT methods were determined to be suitable for watersheds with lower seasonal flow variability based on the key time nodes of HD evolution. However, the FDT method seems to be more appropriate for watersheds with notable seasonal variations in streamflow, when compared to the VDT method. Our results indicated that HD identification by only considering the commonly used drought features (duration, severity) leads to inaccurate drought characterization. It is necessary to improve HD identification and characterization by considering drought onset, maximum streamflow deficit, and termination.

Characterization Evolution Hydrological drought Threshold Time nodes

SCI ; EI

英语

其他

ENGINEERING

2-s2.0-85182017666

Scopus

1.Key Laboratory of Hydrometeorological Disaster Mechanism and Warning of Ministry of Water Resources,Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology,Nanjing,China
2.School of Hydrology and Water Resources,Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology,Nanjing,China
3.The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention,Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute,Nanjing,China
4.Center for Water Resources and Environment,Sun Yat-sen University,Guangzhou,China
5.Inland Water Unit,Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch,Ontario Ministry of Environment,Conservation and Parks,Dorset,Canada
6.College of Geographical Sciences,Fujian Normal University,Fuzhou,China
7.School of Water and Environment,Chang'an University,Xi'an,China
8.School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China
9.Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,University of California,Irvine,United States

Wu，Jiefeng,Wang，Guoqing,Chen，Xiaohong,et al. Hydrological drought characterization considering onset, maximum streamflow deficit, and termination[J]. Advances in Water Resources,2024,184.

Wu，Jiefeng.,Wang，Guoqing.,Chen，Xiaohong.,Yuan，Xing.,Yao，Huaxia.,...&AghaKouchak，Amir.(2024).Hydrological drought characterization considering onset, maximum streamflow deficit, and termination.Advances in Water Resources,184.

Wu，Jiefeng,et al."Hydrological drought characterization considering onset, maximum streamflow deficit, and termination".Advances in Water Resources 184(2024).