The relationship between precipitation heterogeneity and meteorological drought/flood in China

In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal characteristics of precipitation heterogeneity and meteorological drought/flood in China based on the precipitation-concentration degree (PCD) and the integrated meteorological drought index. We also studied the corresponding relationship between precipitation heterogeneity and meteorological drought/flood in China by using Spearman correlation analysis and canonical correlation analysis. The results show that: (1) The severity of meteorological drought/flood exhibited a spatial pattern of gradual change from Northwest to Southeast China. (2) With a higher PCD and a delayed precipitation-concentration period (PCP), the drought severity was higher but the flood severity was lower. In contrast, with a lower PCD and an early PCP, the drought severity was lower and the flood severity was higher. (3) The correlation between meteorological drought/flood and PCD was significant. The higher the PCD, the longer the duration of drought and more frequently, the droughts occurred, and vice versa. It is concluded that PCD and PCP were significantly correlated with meteorological drought/flood in China.