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Temporal and Spatial Propagation Characteristics of the Meteorological, Agricultural and Hydrological Drought System in Different Climatic Conditions within the Framework of the Watershed Water Cycle
Li, Y.; Huang, Y.; Li, Y.; Zhang, H.; Deng, Q.; Fan, J.; Wang, X. Temporal and Spatial Propagation Characteristics of the Meteorological, Agricultural and Hydrological Drought System in Different Climatic Conditions within the Framework of the Watershed Water Cycle. Water2023, 15, 3911.
Li, Y.; Huang, Y.; Li, Y.; Zhang, H.; Deng, Q.; Fan, J.; Wang, X. Temporal and Spatial Propagation Characteristics of the Meteorological, Agricultural and Hydrological Drought System in Different Climatic Conditions within the Framework of the Watershed Water Cycle. Water 2023, 15, 3911.
Li, Y.; Huang, Y.; Li, Y.; Zhang, H.; Deng, Q.; Fan, J.; Wang, X. Temporal and Spatial Propagation Characteristics of the Meteorological, Agricultural and Hydrological Drought System in Different Climatic Conditions within the Framework of the Watershed Water Cycle. Water2023, 15, 3911.
Li, Y.; Huang, Y.; Li, Y.; Zhang, H.; Deng, Q.; Fan, J.; Wang, X. Temporal and Spatial Propagation Characteristics of the Meteorological, Agricultural and Hydrological Drought System in Different Climatic Conditions within the Framework of the Watershed Water Cycle. Water 2023, 15, 3911.
Abstract
The investigation of the spatiotemporal propagation characteristics of the "meteorological-agricultural-hydrological" drought system, under diverse climatic conditions, is crucial for the development of a robust drought warning system and the effective implementation of proactive drought prevention and resilience strategies. To achieve this, the current study utilizes the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to simulate key components of the watershed water cycle, such as evaporation, surface water, soil water, and groundwater. Specifically, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), the Standardized Soil Moisture Index (SSMI), and the Nonlinear Joint Hydrological Drought Index (NJHDI) are employed to characterize meteorological drought, agricultural drought, and hydrological drought, respectively. By analyzing the correlation between these types of drought, the propagation characteristics of the "meteorological-agricultural-hydrological" drought system are elucidated using the rigorous strongest correlation coefficient method. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is chosen as the case study for this research. Results showed that (1) The propagation time from meteorological to agricultural drought exhibited distinct seasonal characteristics, with durations of 5-6 months in spring, 2-3 months in summer, 3-5 months in autumn, and 6-8 months in winter. Compared to 1961-1990, the propagation time increased in spring and summer but decreased in autumn and winter during 1991-2010 for most YRB regions. (2) The agricultural to hydrological drought propagation showed no clear seasonal differences but increased over time. Specifically, zone C (arid/semi-arid with moderate temperatures) had shorter propagation time of 1-5 months, while zones B (transitional plateau to mid-latitude) and E (semi-arid/semi-humid temperate continental climate) experienced longer propagation time of 7-12 months. (3) Despite the extended timescales, agricultural-hydrological drought correlation was weaker than meteorological-agricultural linkage. This is because meteorological deficits directly reduce soil moisture, rapidly inducing agricultural drought. However, groundwater sustaining baseflow during agricultural drought delays streamflow deficits, prolonging the agricultural-hydrological propagation time.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Water Science and Technology
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
