Drought Monitoring Based on Remote Sensing in a Grain-Producing Region in the Cerrado–Amazon Transition, Brazil

Drought is a natural disaster that affects a country’s economy and food security. The monitoring of droughts assists in planning assertive actions to mitigate the resulting environmental and economic impacts. This work aimed to evaluate the performance of the standardized precipitation index (SPI) using rainfall data estimated by orbital remote sensing in the monitoring of meteorological drought in the Cerrado–Amazon transition region, Brazil. Historical series from 34 rain gauge stations, in addition to indirect measurements of monthly precipitation obtained by remote sensing using the products CHIRPS-2.0, PERSIANN-CDR, PERSIANN-CCS, PERSIANN, GPM-3IMERGMv6, and GPM-3IMERGDLv6, were used in this study. Drought events detected by SPI were related to a reduction in soybean production. The SPI calculated from the historical rain series estimated by remote sensing allowed monitoring droughts, enabling a high detailing of the spatial variability of droughts in the region, mainly during the soybean development cycle. Indirect precipitation measures associated with SPI that have adequate performance for detecting droughts in the study region were PERSIANN-CCS (January), CHIRPS-2.0 (February and November), and GPM-3IMERGMv6 (March, September, and December). The SPI and the use of precipitation data estimated by remote sensing are effective for characterizing and monitoring meteorological drought in the study region.

Download Full-text

Meteorological and hydrological drought from 1987 to 2017 in Doce River Basin, Southeastern Brazil

RBRH ◽

10.1590/2318-0331.252020190181 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Elaisa Teixeira de Jesus ◽

Jhones da Silva Amorim ◽

Rubens Junqueira ◽

Marcelo Ribeiro Viola ◽

Carlos Rogério de Mello

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Rain Gauge ◽

Hydrological Drought ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Historical Series ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Doce River

ABSTRACT Meteorological drought is a natural hazard characterized as below-average precipitation from expected or normal that can affect various economic sectors, and lead to period with inadequate streamflow for established uses of the water (hydrological drought). We aimed to apply the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI) to identify the occurrence and the intensity of droughts in Doce River Basin (DRB), Southeastern Brazil. For this purpose, 71 rain gauge stations and one streamflow station were selected with 30-year monthly historical series (1987 to 2017). The SPI and SSI were calculated for the hydrological year (October-September) and the seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter). SPI mapping was performed by geostatistical procedures. Pearson's coefficient was calculated to analyze the influence of meteorological on hydrological drought. The main meteorological drought events, observed in the hydrological years of 1994/95, 2000/01, and a recent and consecutive period of four hydrological years (2013-2017), were mainly influenced by events in spring and summer and, to a lesser extent, in fall. It was observed the influence of the meteorological drought on the hydrological drought on an annual and seasonal scale, except winter, where low precipitation does not influence in the streamflow.

Download Full-text

ANALYSIS OF METEOROLOGICAL DATA AND DROUGHT IN THE LOWER NORTHERN PART OF THAILAND

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN INDUSTRY ◽

10.17762/itii.v9i2.371 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 467-476

Author(s):

Daniel Derajew Demmsie, Et. al.

Keyword(s):

Drought Index ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Rain Gauge ◽

Northern Region ◽

Environmental Conservation ◽

Annual Rainfall ◽

Dry Conditions ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index

The study areas include Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan and Khamphang Phet. The meteorological data between 1986 and 2015, was collected from the meteorological rain gauge stations situated in the Lower Northern part of Thailand. This study involves the analysis of the meteorological data and drought trends in the northern region of Thailand from 1986 to 2015. The study used the Meteorological Drought Monitor software (MDM) to analyze the drought trends through the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). From this analysis, we then presented the results through graphs representing the trends in meteorological parameters and drought index. The results showed that, the annual rainfall measurement of the regions analyzed continues to reduce consistently as the temperature increase. The drought trends in these provinces observed to considerably lean towards dry conditions. Nakhon Sawan, for instance, experienced extreme drought in 1977(SPI =-2.5) and moderate wetness in 2013. Kampheang Phet recorded moderately wet conditions (SPI =1.5) in 2013 and 2014 years, and near normal conditions (SPI = -1.1) in 1996. Lastly, Phitsanulok was majorly comprised of moderately dry and severely dry, especially for 2015(SPI =-22). From the findings, awareness should be created to foster the need for environmental conservation, besides to improve environmental protection and the levels of precipitation.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA v7) in drought monitoring over southwest Iran

Climate Research ◽

10.3354/cr01622 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 82 ◽

pp. 55-73

Author(s):

M Montazeri ◽

MSK Kiany ◽

SA Masoodian

Keyword(s):

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Drought Monitoring ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Study Region ◽

Tropical Rainfall ◽

Southwestern Iran ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Quantitative Precipitation Estimates

Characterizing the errors in satellite-based precipitation estimations for drought monitoring is of great importance, as these estimations provide both spatially and temporally complete records. The aim of this study was to evaluate satellite-based quantitative precipitation estimates to monitor meteorological drought in southwestern Iran. The reliability of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Version 7 products (3B42 and 3B43) in estimating the standardized precipitation index (SPI) was evaluated against a ground-based gridded precipitation dataset at 0.25° spatial resolution for 1998-2016. The analysis conducted for the SPI at various time scales revealed that both products (3B42 and 3B43) are capable of capturing the spatial and temporal behavior of drought events over the study region, with the best performance at SPI6. 3B43 is also more efficient in the identification of shorter severe drought events compared to 3B42. The findings suggest that both satellite products, particularly 3B43, are suitable to be used directly for SPI computation in the region for drought monitoring and early warning in terms of the accuracy and the spatial and temporal resolutions they provide.

Download Full-text

Spatial patterns of European droughts under a moderate emission scenario

Advances in Science and Research ◽

10.5194/asr-12-179-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 179-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

J. Spinoni ◽

G. Naumann ◽

J. Vogt

Keyword(s):

Spatial Patterns ◽

Potential Evapotranspiration ◽

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Mediterranean Area ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Monthly Precipitation ◽

Precipitation Increase ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Near Future

Abstract. Meteorological drought is generally defined as a prolonged deficiency of precipitation and is considered one of the most relevant natural hazards as the related impacts can involve many different sectors. In this study, we investigated the spatial patterns of European droughts for the periods 1981–2010, 2041–2070, and 2071–2100, focusing on the projections under a moderate emissions scenario. To do that, we used the outputs of the KNMI-RACMO2 model, which belongs to the A1B family and whose spatial resolution is 0.25° × 0.25°. By means of monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET), we computed the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) at the 12-month accumulation scale. Thereafter, we separately obtained drought frequency, duration, severity, and intensity for the whole of Europe, excluding Iceland. According to both indicators, the spatial drought patterns are projected to follow what recently characterized Europe: southern Europe, who experienced many severe drought events in the last decades, is likely to be involved by longer, more frequent, severe, and intense droughts in the near future (2041–2070) and even more in the far future (2071–2100). This tendency is more evident using the SPEI, which also depends on temperature and consequently reflects the expected warming that will be highest for the Mediterranean area in Europe. On the other side, less severe and fewer drought events are likely to occur in northern Europe. This tendency is more evident using the SPI, because the precipitation increase is projected to outbalance the temperature (and PET) rise in particular in Scandinavia. Regarding the mid-latitudes, the SPEI-based analyses point at more frequent drought events, while the SPI-based ones point at less frequent events in these regions.

Download Full-text

Meteorological Drought Assessment in Sharjah, UAE Using Drought Indices

International Journal of Environmental Science and Development ◽

10.18178/ijesd.2022.13.1.1366 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 16-20

Author(s):

Mhamd S. Oyounalsoud ◽

◽

Arwa Najah ◽

Abdullah G. Yilmaz ◽

Mohamed Abdallah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United Arab Emirates ◽

Crop Production ◽

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Extended Period ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Distribution Functions ◽

Drought Indices ◽

Monthly Precipitation ◽

Drought Assessment ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index

Drought is a natural disaster that significantly affects environmental and socio-economic conditions. It occurs when there is a period of below average precipitation in a region, and it results in water supply shortages affecting various sectors and life adversely. Droughts impact the ecosystems, crop production, and erode livelihoods. Monitoring drought is essential especially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the scarcity of rainfall for an extended period of time. In this study, drought is assessed in Sharjah UAE using monthly precipitation and average temperature data recorded for 35 years (1981-2015) at the Sharjah International Airport. The standardized precipitation Index (SPI), and the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) are selected to predict future droughts in the region. SPI and RDI are fitted to the statistical distribution functions (gamma and lognormal) in an annual time scale and then, a trend analysis of index values is carried out using Mann-Kendal test. The correlation between SPI and RDI indices was found to be high where both showed high drought frequencies and a tendency to get drier over time, thus indicating the need of appropriate drought management and monitoring.

Download Full-text

Assessing droughts using meteorological drought indices in Victoria, Australia

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.2014.105 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 463-476 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Siti Nazahiyah Rahmat ◽

Niranjali Jayasuriya ◽

Muhammed Bhuiyan

Keyword(s):

Urban Communities ◽

Potential Evapotranspiration ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Drought Indices ◽

Monthly Precipitation ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index

Droughts adversely impact rural and urban communities, industry, primary production and, thus, a country's economy. Drought monitoring is directed to detecting the onset, persistence and severity of the drought. In this study, meteorological drought indices such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) and deciles were assessed to investigate how well these indices reflect drought conditions in Victoria, Australia. The Theory of Runs was also used to identify the drought deficit. The study uses 55 years (1955–2010) of monthly precipitation and reference evapotranspiration data for five selected meteorological stations in Victoria, Australia. Results show that drought characterization using SPI and RDI provides a standardized classification of severity thus exhibiting advantages over deciles. As RDI considers both rainfall and potential evapotranspiration in calculations, it could be sensitive to climatic variability. For characterizing agricultural droughts, the application of the RDI is recommended. The use of the SPI was shown to be satisfactory for assessing and monitoring meteorological droughts. The SPI was also successful in detecting the onset and the end of historical droughts for the selected events.

Download Full-text

Baseline Probabilities for the Seasonal Prediction of Meteorological Drought

Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology ◽

10.1175/jamc-d-11-0132.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 51 (7) ◽

pp. 1222-1237 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Bradfield Lyon ◽

Michael A. Bell ◽

Michael K. Tippett ◽

Arun Kumar ◽

Martin P. Hoerling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Cycle ◽

Serial Correlation ◽

Climate Model ◽

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Seasonal Prediction ◽

Monthly Precipitation ◽

Predictive Skill ◽

Drought Indicators ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index

AbstractThe inherent persistence characteristics of various drought indicators are quantified to extract predictive information that can improve drought early warning. Predictive skill is evaluated as a function of the seasonal cycle for regions within North America. The study serves to establish a set of baseline probabilities for drought across multiple indicators amenable to direct comparison with drought indicator forecast probabilities obtained when incorporating dynamical climate model forecasts. The emphasis is on the standardized precipitation index (SPI), but the method can easily be applied to any other meteorological drought indicator, and some additional examples are provided. Monte Carlo resampling of observational data generates two sets of synthetic time series of monthly precipitation that include, and exclude, the annual cycle while removing serial correlation. For the case of no seasonality, the autocorrelation (AC) of the SPI (and seasonal precipitation percentiles, moving monthly averages of precipitation) decays linearly with increasing lag. It is shown that seasonality in the variance of accumulated precipitation serves to enhance or diminish the persistence characteristics (AC) of the SPI and related drought indicators, and the seasonal cycle can thereby provide an appreciable source of drought predictability at regional scales. The AC is used to obtain a parametric probability density function of the future state of the SPI that is based solely on its inherent persistence characteristics. In addition, a method is presented for determining the optimal persistence of the SPI for the case of no serial correlation in precipitation (again, the baseline case). The optimized, baseline probabilities are being incorporated into Internet-based tools for the display of current and forecast drought conditions in near–real time.

Download Full-text

Characterizing Germany’s 2018 drought in the context of wet and dry spells since 1901

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1037 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mathilde Erfurt ◽

Rüdiger Glaser ◽

Kerstin Stahl

Keyword(s):

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Precipitation Data ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Study Region ◽

Precipitation Patterns ◽

Dry Spells ◽

Daily Precipitation Data ◽

Dry Conditions ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index

In 2018, large areas of central and northern Europe were affected by an extreme drought. The water deficit propagated through the hydrologic cycle causing precipitation, soil moisture and, towards the end of 2018, streamflow and groundwater deficits. In Germany many socio-economic sectors were severely affected by the drought, e.g. the forestry sector has still not recovered. Main drivers for drought propagation are precipitation deficits. However, the natural variability of dry and wet precipitation patterns over time and space make characterization of droughts and predictions of impacts still challenging.This study investigates German meteorological drought characteristics within general wet and dry spells since 1901 using station based daily precipitation data. Daily, monthly and seasonal aggregated indices such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) were used to characterize duration, severity and spatial extent of the 2018 drought. These characteristics were then compared with events of extreme droughts since 1901. Even though the meteorological drought of 2018 was extreme considering only precipitation data, we found comparable extremes in the past, for instance 1949 or 1964. However, based on what we observe in the SPI-12, clusters of extreme dry years in the 20th century were often followed by clusters of above average wet years, probably leading to a reduction of impacts in the following years. Since 2003, however, dry patterns predominate. Even though annual precipitation amounts are predicted to increase slightly in the study region this analysis shows the importance of analyzing sub annual as well as multi-year characteristics of precipitation patterns.Including both wet and dry conditions when characterizing the severity of current drought events may improve our understanding of extreme meteorological drought events causing severe and long lasting impacts.

Download Full-text

Developing Objective Operational Definitions for Monitoring Drought

Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology ◽

10.1175/2009jamc2088.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 1217-1229 ◽

Cited By ~ 88

Author(s):

Steven M. Quiring

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Meteorological Drought ◽

Severity Index ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Drought Severity ◽

Specific Method ◽

The Standardized Precipitation Index ◽

Spatially Variant ◽

Objective Methodology

Abstract Drought is a complex phenomenon that is difficult to accurately describe because its definition is both spatially variant and context dependent. Decision makers in local, state, and federal agencies commonly use operational drought definitions that are based on specific drought index thresholds to trigger water conservation measures and determine levels of drought assistance. Unfortunately, many state drought plans utilize operational drought definitions that are derived subjectively and therefore may not be appropriate for triggering drought responses. This paper presents an objective methodology for establishing operational drought definitions. The advantages of this methodology are demonstrated by calculating meteorological drought thresholds for the Palmer drought severity index, the standardized precipitation index, and percent of normal precipitation using both station and climate division data from Texas. Results indicate that using subjectively derived operational drought definitions may lead to over- or underestimating true drought severity. Therefore, it is more appropriate to use an objective location-specific method for defining operational drought thresholds.

Download Full-text