Detecting flash drought events to inform adaptive water management

Gabriela, Gesualdo; Antonia, Hadjimichael

doi:10.57931/2500386

Title: Detecting flash drought events to inform adaptive water management

Dataset
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Abstract

Abstract: Flash droughts are characterized by a rapid onset of drought conditions, a common feature among various indicators of these events. The lack of a standardized definition and indicator makes flash droughts particularly challenging to predict and manage. We test six state-of-the-art flash drought indicators using 41 years of daily data across all Hydrological Unit Code 4 (HUC4) regions in the contiguous United States. Our results show substantial disagreements among indicators, suggesting that the detection of a flash drought event strongly depends on the choice of indicator. From the perspective of informing management and operations, an open challenge remains: which flash drought indicator should be used to trigger operational adaptations? To this end, we propose a methodological framework that informs adaptive actions by regionally assessing the level of agreement between different indicators. The regional differences in hydroclimatic conditions are expected to be reflected in the level of agreement between indicators. To better inform adaptive actions, the framework will also consider the impacted sectoral water uses and their varying response times. The insights gained from this study improve the understanding of how these different flash drought indicators capture the different aspects of regional differences and impacted sectors. Furthermore, this information can supportmore »« less

Authors:

;

Pennsylvania State University; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pennsylvania State University

Publication Date:: Tue Jan 14 23:00:00 EST 2025

Research Org.:: MultiSector Dynamics - Living, Intuitive, Value-adding, Environment

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Subject:: Flash drought; climate resilience; water management

OSTI Identifier:: 2500386

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.57931/2500386

Citation Formats


                    Gabriela, Gesualdo, and Antonia, Hadjimichael. Detecting flash drought events to inform adaptive water management.  United States: N. p., 2025. 
        Web.  doi:10.57931/2500386.

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                    Gabriela, Gesualdo, & Antonia, Hadjimichael. Detecting flash drought events to inform adaptive water management.  United States.  doi:https://doi.org/10.57931/2500386

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                    Gabriela, Gesualdo, and Antonia, Hadjimichael. 2025.  
"Detecting flash drought events to inform adaptive water management".  United States.  doi:https://doi.org/10.57931/2500386.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2500386. Pub date:Tue Jan 14 23:00:00 EST 2025

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@article{osti_2500386,

  title        = {Detecting flash drought events to inform adaptive water management},

  author       = {Gabriela, Gesualdo and Antonia, Hadjimichael},

  abstractNote = {Abstract: Flash droughts are characterized by a rapid onset of drought conditions, a common feature among various indicators of these events. The lack of a standardized definition and indicator makes flash droughts particularly challenging to predict and manage. We test six state-of-the-art flash drought indicators using 41 years of daily data across all Hydrological Unit Code 4 (HUC4) regions in the contiguous United States. Our results show substantial disagreements among indicators, suggesting that the detection of a flash drought event strongly depends on the choice of indicator. From the perspective of informing management and operations, an open challenge remains: which flash drought indicator should be used to trigger operational adaptations? To this end, we propose a methodological framework that informs adaptive actions by regionally assessing the level of agreement between different indicators. The regional differences in hydroclimatic conditions are expected to be reflected in the level of agreement between indicators. To better inform adaptive actions, the framework will also consider the impacted sectoral water uses and their varying response times. The insights gained from this study improve the understanding of how these different flash drought indicators capture the different aspects of regional differences and impacted sectors. Furthermore, this information can support more targeted adaptive actions to mitigate adverse impacts through improved preparedness and response strategies.},

  doi          = {10.57931/2500386},

  journal      = {},

  number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Jan 14 23:00:00 EST 2025},

  month        = {Tue Jan 14 23:00:00 EST 2025}

}

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.57931/2500386

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