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In News
- A study identified rapid drought intensification across India , United States, Brazil, southern Africa, Spain, western Russia and Australia as well.
Flash Drought
- It is the rapid onset or intensification of drought and is set in motion by lower-than-normal rates of precipitation
- Accompanied by abnormally high temperatures, winds, and radiation.
- Together, these changes in weather can rapidly alter the local climate.
- The highest frequency of flash drought occurrence was primarily found within the tropics and subtropics.
- They include a large portion of Brazil, the Sahel, the Great Rift Valley and India.
- With composite flash drought occurrence within the 36-year time period (1980-2015) of analysis.
- Additional areas within the tropics that had lesser, but notable flash drought occurrences included
- central Mexico, the Indochinese Peninsula, and northern Australia.
- In the mid-latitudes, local hotspots of flash drought occurrence (10-20 per cent) exist across
- the central United States, Iberian Peninsula, Asia Minor, southwestern Russia, and northeastern China.
Study published in the Journal Nature Communications
- Selected Regions:
- Study regions are over global hotspots where flash drought occurred in more than 30 per cent of the study years (1980–2015).
- The study identified rapid drought intensification across the United States, Brazil, southern Africa, Spain, western Russia and Australia.
- Key drivers:
- Rapid drought intensification occurs due to
- a critical lack of precipitation and
- increased evaporative demand.
- Rapid drought intensification occurs due to
- In India:
- A majority of the flash drought events occurred during the monsoon season.
- Especially across the central, northwest and northeast regions of the country.
- These regions experience their peak frequency at the beginning of their respective monsoon seasons
- Primarily between May and September from 1980-2015.
- A majority of the flash drought events occurred during the monsoon season.
- In Sahel Region:
- The flash drought likely occurred during May-June, and was associated with increasing climatological rainfall.
- Especially if the onset of Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) induced and monsoon rainfall was delayed or significantly decreased.
- In Amazon:
- Flash drought occurs most often in the dry season (July-September).
- Mainly due to the combined effect of
- increased evaporative demand,
- limited rainfall and
- increased evapotranspiration resulting in rapid soil moisture depletion.
Evaporative demand
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Impact on Agriculture
- Flash droughts can develop in only a few weeks, they create impacts that are difficult to prepare for and mitigate.
- Even when environmental conditions seem unfavourable for rapid drought development.
- A persistent lack of rainfall coupled with hot weather can create flash drought development with its associated impacts.
- Areas under the Flash drought hotspots
- the corn belt across the mid-western United States,
- barley production in the Iberian Peninsula,
- the wheat belt in western Russia,
- wheat production in Asia Minor,
- rice-producing regions in India and the Indo-china Peninsula,
- maize production in northeastern China and
- sorghum production across the Sahel.
- Trends
- About 10-15 percent of areas under cultivation of rice and maize were affected during the monsoon seasons in India between 1951 and 2018.
- Future Implications
- The researchers said that the trend only applies to the 36 year period i.e between 1980–2015 and
- Do not indicate that these trends will extend into the future.
Way Forward and Conclusion
- Limiting Global Warming
- By limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees C, the numbers and frequency of the projected flash droughts may go down.
- Early warning Systems
- Operational meteorological forecasts will help manage irrigation water demands and avoid considerable losses in agriculture.
International Efforts
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Source: DTE
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