Analysis of drought propagation using hydrometeorological data: from meteorological drought to agricultural drought

Abstract

Drought is a complex phenomenon caused by various factors which can be classified into natural and anthropogenic causes. In Korea, the natural drought typically occurs when the high pressure of the Pacific Ocean develops rapidly or becomes stronger than usual in summer, resulting in a short-lived monsoon season. Drought also can be classified into meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and socioeconomic drought depending on the development process and consequences. Each type of droughts can influence the other drought types directly or indirectly. Drought propagation refers a phenomenon that changes from meteorological drought to agricultural or hydrological drought. In this study, the occurrence and patterns of drought propagation are evaluated. The relationship between meteorological and agricultural droughts was assessed using hydrometeorological data. We classified the types of drought into five categories to evaluate the occurrence and characteristics of drought propagation. As results, we found drought propagation did not occur or delayed until three months, depending on the type of drought. The further generalized relationship of drought propagation is expected to be used for predicting agricultural drought from the preceding meteorological drought.