Abstract
Accurate identification of drought events, supported by reliable and consistent spatiotemporal data, is essential for the development of efficient management and mitigation plans. The objectives of this study are twofold. First, we evaluate a wide range of global precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) products versus in-situ observations for the period of 2001–2016 to identify the best-performing ones for drought assessment. Second, we assess the drought impact on groundwater storage and agricultural yield using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). The impact of drought on groundwater and agricultural yield was examined by investigating the association between SPI and SPEI with the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data, total crop production (CP), and total wheat production (WP). The results showed that the most severe and prolonged droughts occurred primarily in northwest highlands, northeastern regions, and southern regions, with SPI values indicating more intense drought events than SPEI values. While the SPEI index was found to be more suitable for assessing long-term drought severity, the SPI index was more sensitive to short-term precipitation deficits. Groundwater storage changes were found to be highly associated with SPEI/SPI at longer time scales. Furthermore, the results indicate that the strongest association between drought and yield loss occurs at the 9-month time scale. However, SPI exhibits a higher association with crop yield compared to SPEI. These findings can contribute to the development of drought management and response strategies.
Published Version
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