Spatiotemporal variability of drought on a short–medium time scale in the Calabria Region (Southern Italy)

The study analyses spatial and temporal patterns of drought in an area with a wide range of precipitation characteristics (the Calabria region in southern Italy) during the period 1921?C2007. The short-time (2, 3 and 6?months) Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) was estimated to analyse drought especially from the agricultural point of view. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the SPI to assess the spatial variability of drought. During the period of observation, moderate to severe drought occurred at a frequency of almost 13?% in wet seasons (autumn and winter). Almost half of the region was affected by drought in the years 1981?C1990 when the area experienced its most severe drought. Although the spatial patterns of drought estimated by PCA were logical and consistent with precipitation distribution, very complex patterns were observed for all the time scales looked at. The high fragmentation of the maps obtained makes them of limited value, and caution is recommended in classifying the region into homogeneous areas.     

Drought episodes over Greece as simulated by dynamical and statistical downscaling approaches

Drought over the Greek region is characterized by a strong seasonal cycle and large spatial variability. Dry spells longer than 10 consecutive days mainly characterize the duration and the intensity of Greek drought. Moreover, an increasing trend of the frequency of drought episodes has been observed, especially during the last 20 years of the 20th century. Moreover, the most recent regional circulation models (RCMs) present discrepancies compared to observed precipitation, while they are able to reproduce the main patterns of atmospheric circulation. In this study, both a statistical and a dynamical downscaling approach are used to quantify drought episodes over Greece by simulating the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for different time steps (3, 6, and 12 months). A statistical downscaling technique based on artificial neural network is employed for the estimation of SPI over Greece, while this drought index is also estimated using the RCM precipitation for the time period of 1961–1990. Overall, it was found that the drought characteristics (intensity, duration, and spatial extent) were well reproduced by the regional climate models for long term drought indices (SPI12) while ANN simulations are better for the short-term drought indices (SPI3).

     

基于SPI的1961－2020年昌吉地区作物生长季气象干旱时空特征研究

基于昌吉地区7个气象站1961－2020年降水量资料，计算昌吉地区作物生长季标准化降水指数（SPI-7）。运用趋势分析法、M-K突变检验法和小波分析法探究了昌吉地区作物生长季SPI-7指数的年际和年代变化特征；在此基础上分析了作物生长季干旱的站次比和干旱强度的年际变化,并结合该区实际发生的旱灾对SPI进行了验证。结果表明：1961—2020年昌吉地区作物生长季标准化降水指数以0.08/10 a的速率呈微弱的正趋势（变湿），在年代变化趋势中呈现出变干-变湿-变干的变化波动, 1981年标准化降水指数由低到高突变；干旱强度呈增加趋势，干旱发生的区域面积有轻微减少的趋势；干旱强度在全区范围内主要为轻旱和中旱等级，并表现为全域性干旱和区域性干旱；空间分布上看干旱率最高区域在东部地区，轻旱主要集中在东部，中旱、重旱和特旱集中在西部地区，干旱强度大的区域大致分布在西部地区；在周期性变化方面，SPI指数存在着6年、9年、16年周期震荡；历史旱灾与SPI指数干旱评价结果吻合率较高，SPI指数在昌吉地区作物生长季的干旱监测与分析中具有较好的实用性。     

Variations in Vegetation Net Primary Production in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China, from 1982 to 1999

Vegetation net primary production (NPP) derived from a carbon model (Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach, CASA) and its interannual change in the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau were investigated in this study using 1982–1999 time series data sets of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and paired ground-based information on vegetation, climate, soil, and solar radiation. The 18-year averaged annual NPP over the plateau was 125 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, decreasing from the southeast to the northwest, consistent with precipitation and temperature patterns. Total annual NPP was estimated between 0.183 and 0.244 Pg C over the 18 years, with an average of 0.212 Pg C (1 Pg = 10¹⁵ g). Two distinct periods (1982–1990 and 1991–1999) of NPP variation were observed, separated by a sharp reduction during 1990–1991. From 1982 to 1990, annual NPP did not show a significant trend, while from 1991 to 1999 a marked increase of 0.007 Pg C yr⁻² was observed. NPP trends for most vegetation types resembled that of the whole plateau. The largest annual NPP increase during 1991–1999 appeared in alpine meadows, accounting for 32.3% of the increment of the whole region. Changes in solar radiation and temperature significantly influenced NPP variation, suggesting that solar radiation may be one of the major factors associated with changes in NPP.     

Application of relative drought indices in assessing climate-change impacts on drought conditions in Czechia

The common versions (referred to as self-calibrated here) of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) are calibrated and then applied to the same weather series. Therefore, the distribution of the index values is about the same for any weather series. We introduce here the relative SPI and PDSI, abbreviated as rSPI and rPDSI. These are calibrated using a reference weather series as a first step, which is then applied to the tested series. The reference series may result from either a different station to allow for the inter-station comparison or from a different period to allow for climate-change impact assessments. The PDSI and 1–24 month aggregations of the SPI are used here. In the first part, the relationships between the self-calibrated and relative indices are studied. The relative drought indices are then used to assess drought conditions for 45 Czech stations under present (1961–2000) and future (2060–2099) climates. In the present climate experiment, the drought indices are calibrated by using the reference station weather series. Of all drought indices, the PDSI exhibits the widest spectrum of drought conditions across Czechia, in part because it depends not only on precipitation (as does the SPI) but also on temperature. In our climate-change impact experiments, the future climate is represented by modifying the observed series according to scenarios based on five Global Climate Models (GCMs). Changes in the SPI-based drought risk closely follow the modeled changes in precipitation, which is predicted to decrease in summer and increase in both winter and spring. Changes in the PDSI indicate an increased drought risk at all stations under all climate-change scenarios, which relates to temperature increases predicted by all of the GCMs throughout the whole year. As drought depends on both precipitation and temperature, we conclude that the PDSI is more appropriate (when compared to the SPI) for use in assessing the potential impact of climate change on future droughts.     

Combining the standardized precipitation index and climatic water deficit in characterizing droughts: a case study in Romania

This paper characterizes droughts in Romania using the approach of both the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and climatic water deficit (WD). The values of the main climatic factors (rainfall, temperature, reference evapotranspiration, etc.) were obtained from 192 weather stations in various regions of Romania. Penman–Monteith reference evapotranspiration (ET_o-PM) was used to calculate WD as the difference between precipitation (P) and ET_o-PM. SPI was calculated from precipitation values. There is a clear difference between drought and aridity. Drought occurrence determines higher WD values for plains and plateaus and lower climatic excess water (EW) values for high mountains in Romania, depending on the aridity of the specific region considered and drought severity. WD calculated as mean values for both normal conditions and, for all locations studied, various types of drought was correlated with mean annual precipitation and temperature, respectively. The combined approach of WD and SPI was mainly carried out for periods of 1 year, but such studies could also be done for shorter periods like months, quarters, or growing season. The most arid regions did not necessarily coincide with areas of the most severe drought, as there were no correlations between WD and SPI and no altitude-based SPI zones around the Carpathian Mountains, as is the case for other climate characteristics, soils and vegetation. Water resource problems arise where both SPI values characterize extremely droughty periods and WD values are greatly below ?200 mm/year. This combined use of SPI and WD characterizes the dryness of a region better than one factor alone and should be used for better management of water in agriculture in Romania and also other countries with similar climate characteristics.     

基于SPI指数的当前及未来中国东北地区干旱时空演变特征分析

基于降水量历史观测数据和气候模式预估数据,采用标准化降水量指数(Standandized Precipitation Index,SPI)识别干旱事件,从干旱发生的频率和强度特征分析其危险性,研究东北地区当前及未来不同气候变化情景下干旱时空变化特征.结果显示:(1)bcc-csm1-1 对东北地区降水的模拟效果较好;(...     

Evolution of drought severity and its impact on corn in the Republic of Moldova

Droughts in Moldova were evaluated using meteorological data since 1955 and a long time series (1891?C2009). In addition, yields for corn (Zea mays L.), a crop widely grown in Moldova, were used to demonstrate drought impact. The main aim is to propose use of the S _i (S _i-a and S _i-m) drought index while discussing its potential use in studying the evolution of drought severity in Moldova. Also, a new multi-scalar drought index, the standardized precipitation?Cevapotranspiration index (SPEI), is tested for the first time in identifying drought variability in Moldova while comparing it with the commonly used standardized precipitation index (SPI). S _i-m, SPI, SPEI, and S _i-a indices show an increasing tendency toward more intensive and prolonged severely dry and extremely dry summer months. Drought frequency increased through six decades, which included long dry periods in the 1990s and 2000s. Moreover, the evolution of summer evapotranspiration recorded a positive and significant trend (+3.3?mm/year, R ²?=?0.46; p????0.05) between 1955 and 2009. A yield model based on the S _i-a agricultural index and historic corn yields explained 43% of observed variability in corn production when drought occurred in May, July, and August. Increasing severity of the 20-year drought during the critical part of the growing season is raising corn yield losses, as net losses have so far exceeded net gains.     

The day-to-day monitoring of the 2011 severe drought in China

Dry/wet condition has a large interannual variability. Decision-makers need to know the onset, duration, and intensity of drought, and require droughts be monitored at a daily to weekly scale. However, previous tools cannot monitor drought well at this short timescale. The Palmer Drought Severity Index has been found dissatisfactory in monitoring because of its complexity and numerous limitations. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) always asks for a timescale, and precipitation is averaged over the period of the scale. Because of this, the SPI cannot be used for short scales, e.g., several days, and what it tells is the overall drought situation of the period. The weighted average of precipitation (WAP) developed by Lu (Geophys Res Lett 36:L12707, 2009) overcomes the deficiency of the SPI; it does not require a timescale, and can provide the drought (and flood) extent of each day. Therefore, the WAP can monitor drought at scales from daily to weekly, monthly, and any longer scale, and is really “flexible and versatile for all timescales”. In this study, the standardized WAP (SWAP) is used to monitor the 2011 drought over China. Drought swept the country during the year from north to south and from east to west. In spring, a once-in-a-fifty-year drought occurred over the Yangtze River basin and the southern region, causing serious shortage of drinking water for people and livestock, as well as tremendous losses in agriculture and the shipping industry. Results show that the SWAP, with its monthly mean plots, can well reproduce the seasonal shift of the 2011 drought across the country. The animation of daily plots demonstrates that the SWAP would have been able to monitor the day-to-day variation of the spring drought around the Yangtze River basin. It can provide the details of the drought, such as when the drought emerged over the region, how long it maintained there (though drought area may move back and forth with extension and contraction of the area), and when the drought relieved over the basin.     

新疆塔城地区1961—2021年季节性干旱演变特征

利用塔城地区9个国家气象观测站1961—2021年逐月降水资料,基于标准化降水量指数(SPI)运用最小二乘法和Mann-Kendall检验等方法分析塔城地区干旱时空分布特征。结果表明：(1)年尺度上,塔城地区干旱发生频率为30.37%,轻旱发生最多,中旱次之；2/3站点SPI呈显著增大趋势,年站次比和干旱强度呈显著减小趋势,干旱程度有所减轻,在1987年之后塔城干旱程度整体偏轻。(2)季节尺度上,夏、秋、冬季在1980年代中期发生干旱减轻的突变,且秋季和冬季分别在2002年和1997年达到显著。(3)在影响范围方面,各季以局域性和全域性干旱为主,全域性干旱发生频率介于20～30%之间；在干旱强度方面,各季轻度干旱发生频率最高,中度以上干旱发生频率介于33～38%之间。(4)近60a塔城地区季节性干旱呈现影响范围缩小,强度减弱的变化趋势,尤其是冬季干旱站次比和干旱强度分别以-7.79%.(10a)-1^和-0.11.(10a)-1^的倾向率显著减小,干旱减轻趋势在四季中最为显著。     

基于多尺度SPI的中国南方大旱监测

用标准化降水指数(SPI)对2003年南方大旱发生、发展、持续、缓解进行全过程监测。2002年12月—2003年5月中国西南地区东部以及华南南部两广交界一带发生冬春连旱,其中西南地区东部冬旱最为严重,华南南部一带春旱最为严重。入夏以来南方大范围地区6—12月逐月均表现亏水,尤以7、8、10月亏水面积最广,强度最大。2003年6—12月长江以南大范围地区持续夏秋冬三季连旱,旱情极为严重,局部地区出现极端干旱,而长江以北则持续偏涝。2003年3月—2004年2月全年属于典型的"南旱北涝"型分布。基于多尺度SPI进一步统计南方地区1951—2007年历史上严重的夏秋冬季连旱事件。结果表明1980s以前发生过3次,分别是1956、1967、1978年,每11 a出现一次;1980s以后仅2003年发生1次。而这4次连旱的强度却是一次高于一次。     

Calibration of weather radar using region probability matching method (RPMM)

In this paper, spatiotemporal variability of drought in Xilingol grassland during pasture growing season (from April to September) was investigated, using 52 years (1961–2012) of precipitation data recorded at 14 rain gauge stations in the study area. The Standardized Precipitation Index was used to compute the severity of drought. The Mann-Kendall test, the linear trend, and the sequential Mann-Kendall test were applied to standardized precipitation index (SPI) time series. The results indicate that drought has become increasingly serious on the region scale during pasture growing season, and the rate of SPI decreases ranged from ?0.112 to ?0.013 per decade. As for the MK test, most of the stations, the Z value range is from ?1.081 to ?0.005 and Kendall’s τ varies from ?0.104 to ?0.024. Meanwhile, drought is increased obviously from the northwest to the southeast region. Meanwhile, the occurrence probability of each severity class, times for reaching different drought class from any drought severity state, and residence times in each drought class have been obtained with Markov chain. Furthermore, the drought severities during pasture growing season in 2013–2016 are predicted depending on the weighted Markov chain. The results may provide a scientific basis for preventing and mitigating drought disaster.     

Differential regional responses in drought length, intensity and timing to recent climate changes in a Mediterranean forested ecosystem

The Mediterranean area is one of the regions of the world where GCMs agree the most on precipitation changes due to climate change. In this study we aim to assess the impact of recent climate change on drought features of Mediterranean ecosystems in Southern France. Regional climatic trends for the 1971–2006 period are compared to drought trends based on a water balance model accounting for soil properties, vegetation structure and functioning. Drought, defined here as periods when soil water potentials drop below ??0.5 MPa, is described in terms of intensity, duration and timing, which are integrative of both climate variability and site conditions. Temporal trends in precipitation, temperature and solar radiation lead altogether to drier and warmer conditions over the region but with a high spatial heterogeneity; for similar climatic trends, a significant increase in drought intensity was detected in the wettest areas of the region, whereas drought intensity in the driest areas did not change. Indeed, in the wettest areas, we observed an earlier onset of drought by about 1 month, but a constant end of drought. In the driest areas of the region, we observed the same earlier onset of drought but combined with an earlier end of drought, thus leading to a shift of the dry season without increasing its duration. The definition of drought features both in terms of intensity but also of seasonal timing appears relevant to capture historical or forecasted changes in ecosystem functioning. Studies concerning climate change impacts on forested ecosystems should be interpreted with caution when using climate proxies alone.     

2017年春夏呼伦贝尔草原干旱过程多种监测指数对比分析

以2017年春夏季呼伦贝尔草原干旱过程为研究对象,利用呼伦贝尔草原范围内6个气象站的气温、降水数据和MODIS NDVI数据,分析对比2017年4—9月多种气象干旱指数（Pa30、SPI30、SPEI30、CI、MCI）与植被状态指数（VCI）的监测情况。结果表明：只考虑单一降水的气象干旱指数（Pa30、SPI30）在4月波动较大,且此类指数无法反映出高温等其他气象条件对干旱发展的影响。综合气象干旱指数(CI、MCI)由于引入多时间尺度干旱进行计算,旱情缓解时轻旱等级持续的时间过长,且草原植被在降水增加后的恢复速度较快,造成干旱缓解期间植被与监测结果差异较大。MCI与同期和前1期VCI的相关性最好,CI和SPEI30与前1期和前2期VCI的相关性较好,而只考虑单一降水的气象干旱指数与VCI的相关性普遍偏差。植被对SPEI30的响应时间更长,更适宜草原生态干旱的早期预警使用。     

Impacts of increased variability in precipitation and air temperature on net primary productivity of the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling analysis

We analyzed interannual variability (IAV) of precipitation and air temperature over a 40-year period (1969–2008) for 11 sites along a precipitation gradient on the Tibetan Plateau. The observed IAV for both precipitation and air temperature decreases with increasing mean annual precipitation. Using Biome-BGC, a process-based ecosystem model, we simulated net primary production (NPP) along this gradient and find that the IAV of NPP is positively correlated to the IAV of precipitation and temperature. Following projected climate change scenarios for the Tibetan Plateau, our simulations suggest that with increasing IAV of precipitation and temperature, the IAV of NPP will also increase and that climate thresholds exist that, if surpassed, lead to ecosystem die-off. The impacts of these changes on ecosystem processes and climate-vegetation feedbacks on the rapidly warming Tibetan Plateau are potentially quite significant.     

干旱指标研究进展及中美两国国家级干旱监测

分析比较了国内外常用的一些干旱指数如降水量距平、标准化降水指数及PDSI等的原理和计算方法。对美国和中国国家级干旱监测业务的发展与现状进行了综述,并详细地介绍了两国干旱监测业务流程、监测方法、产品内容及各自的干旱等级规定、影响评估及预警情况等。     

An assessment of Canadian prairie drought: past, present, and future

Within Canada, the Canadian Prairies are particularly drought-prone mainly due to their location in the lee of the western cordillera and distance from large moisture sources. Although previous studies examined the occurrence of Canadian Prairie droughts during instrumental, pre-instrumental and to a lesser extent, future periods, none have specifically focused on all time three scales. Using two different drought indicators, namely the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), this investigation assesses the variability of summer drought duration and intensity over a core region of the Prairies during (a) the pre-instrumental record extending back several centuries (inferred from tree rings), (b) the instrumental record (1901–2005), and (c) the twenty-first century using statistically downscaled climate variables from several Atmosphere–Ocean Global climate models with multiple emission scenarios. Results reveal that observed twentieth century droughts were relatively mild when compared to pre-settlement on the Prairies, but these periods are likely to return (and even worsen) in the future due to the anticipated warming during the course of the twenty-first century. However, future drought projections are distinctly different between the two indices. All PDSI-related model runs show greater drought frequency and severity mainly due to increasing temperatures. Conversely, the precipitation-based SPI indicates no significant changes to future summer drought frequency although there tends to be a higher persistence of multi-year droughts in central and southern portions of Canadian Prairies. These findings therefore stress the importance of considering anticipated warming trends when assessing future regional-scale drought, especially given the uncertainties and lack of consistency in future precipitation signals among climate models. This study can be considered an initial step toward quantifying and understanding Canadian Prairie drought occurrence and severity over several centuries as determined from paleo, instrumental, and climate model data sources.     

Sensitivity of carbon budget to historical climate variability and atmospheric CO2 concentration in temperate grassland ecosystems in China

Chinese temperate grasslands play an important role in the terrestrial carbon cycle. Based on the parameterization and validation of Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM, Version 5.0), we analyzed the carbon budgets of Chinese temperate grasslands and their responses to historical atmospheric CO₂ concentration and climate variability during 1951–2007. The results indicated that Chinese temperate grassland acted as a slight carbon sink with annual mean value of 7.3 T?g C, ranging from -80.5 to 79.6 T?g C yr^-1. Our sensitivity experiments further revealed that precipitation variability was the primary factor for decreasing carbon storage. CO₂ fertilization may increase the carbon storage (1.4 %) but cannot offset the proportion caused by climate variability (-15.3 %). Impacts of CO₂ concentration, temperature and precipitation variability on Chinese temperate grassland cannot be simply explained by the sum of the individual effects. Interactions among them increased total carbon storage of 56.6 T?g C which 14.2 T?g C was stored in vegetation and 42.4 T?g C was stored in soil. Besides, different grassland types had different responses to climate change and CO₂ concentration. NPP and R_H of the desert and forest steppes were more sensitive to precipitation variability than temperature variability while the typical steppe responded to temperature variability more sensitively than the desert and forest steppes.     

On the potential application of land surface models for drought monitoring in China

The potential of using land surface models (LSMs) to monitor near-real-time drought has not been fully assessed in China yet. In this study, we analyze the performance of such a system with a land surface model (LSM) named the Australian Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange model (CABLE). The meteorological forcing datasets based on reanalysis products and corrected by observational data have been extended to near-real time for semi-operational trial. CABLE-simulated soil moisture (SM) anomalies are used to characterize drought spatial and temporal evolutions. One outstanding feature in our analysis is that with the same meteorological data, we have calculated a range of drought indices including Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). We have assessed the similarity among these indices against observed SM over a number of regions in China. While precipitation is the dominant factor in the drought development, relationships between precipitation, evaporation, and soil moisture anomalies vary significantly under different climate regimes, resulting in different characteristics of droughts in China. The LSM-based trial system is further evaluated for the 1997/1998 drought in northern China and 2009/2010 drought in southwestern China. The system can capture the severities and temporal and spatial evolutions of these drought events well. The advantage of using a LSM-based drought monitoring system is further demonstrated by its potential to monitor other consequences of drought impacts in a more physically consistent manner.     

Trends in carbon sink along the Belt and Road in the future under high emission scenario

Over the past three decades, the drawdown of atmospheric CO₂ in vegetation and soil has fueled net ecosystem production (NEP). Here, a global land-surface model (CABLE) is used to estimate the trend in NEP and its response to atmospheric CO₂, climate change, biological nitrogen (N) fixation, and N deposition under future conditions from 2031 to 2100 in the Belt and Road region. The trend of NEP simulated by CABLE decreases from 0.015 Pg carbon (C) yr^?2 under present conditions (1936–2005) to ?0.023 Pg C yr^?2 under future conditions. In contrast, the trend in NEP of the CMIP6 ensemble changes from 0.014 Pg C yr^?2 under present conditions to ?0.009 Pg C yr^?2 under future conditions. This suggests that the trend in the C sink for the Belt and Road region will likely decline in the future. The significant difference in the NEP trend between present and future conditions is mainly caused by the difference in the impact of climate change on NEP. Considering the responses of soil respiration (RH) or net primary production (NPP) to surface air temperature, the trend in surface air temperature changes from0.01°C yr^?1 under present conditions to 0.05°C yr^?1 under future conditions. CABLE simulates a greater response of RH to surface temperature than that of NPP under future conditions, which causes a decreasing trend in NEP. In addition, the greater decreasing trend in NEP under future conditions indicates that the C–climate–N interaction at the regional scale should be considered. It is important to estimate the direction and magnitude of C sinks under the C neutrality target.摘要目前, 在区域尺度, NEP趋势变化的强度和影响机制还存在很大的不确定性. 针对这一问题, 我们选取了一带一路覆盖的区域为研究对象, 基于全球陆面模式 (CABLE)和第六次国际耦合模式比较计划 (CMIP6), 评估了历史和未来NEP趋势的变化, 分析了影响的机制. 从过去到未来, CABLE结果表明NEP的趋势从 0.015 Pg C yr^?2 减少到 –0.023 Pg C yr^?2; CMIP6结果为从0.014 Pg C yr^?2转变为–0.009 Pg C yr^?2. 气候变化是引起这一变化的主因. 我们的研究结果强调了碳-气候-氮相互作用的重要性, 这对碳中和目标下碳汇潜力的准确估算尤为重要.