Abstract
The results of numerous studies concerning meteorological drought show that there is a considerable impact of this phenomenon on several regions in Europe. On the other hand, statistical trends of dry spell occurrences in some areas of the continent are unclear or even negative. Therefore, further research should be directed towards a better understanding of this hazard, particularly the seasonal changes, in order to elaborate adequate strategies to prevent and mitigate its undesirable effects. The main goal of the work, conducted as part of the research strategy on contemporary climate change, was to confirm the hypothesis of increasing frequency and intensity of droughts during the period of active plant growth and development (May–August) in central Poland in 1961–2020. The prevailing rainfall conditions in this period determine the production and economic effects of agricultural output. The analysis covered a multiannual period, including two separate climate normals: 1961–1990 and 1991–2020. The work is also aimed at detecting relationships between indicators characterizing meteorological drought (the Standardized Precipitation Index—SPI) and agricultural drought (the actual precipitation deficiency—PAdef). It was found that the frequency of meteorological droughts in the studied period amounts to 30.0% (severe and extreme constitute 6.7%). No significant increase in the frequency and intensity of meteorological droughts over time was observed. Relationships between meteorological and agricultural drought indicators were significant, so the SPI can be considered an indicator of plant irrigation needs in the studied area.
Highlights
Meteorological droughts are defined as long periods with little or no rainfall, leading to a significant decrease in water availability at a specific time and in a given area
For the period of active plant growth in central Europe the authors did not recognize any significant trends in the frequency and severity of droughts determined by the standized precipitation index (SPI)
The essential feature of meteorological droughts in central Poland is the irregularity of their occurrence in subsequent years, resulting from the great temporal variability of atmospheric precipitation occurrence
Summary
Meteorological droughts are defined as long periods with little or no rainfall, leading to a significant decrease in water availability at a specific time and in a given area. Definitions of types of droughts and their causes, the current state of knowledge on them, identified gaps and research perspectives for this phenomenon can be found in the work of Hagenlocher et al [1]. As indicated by many sources [2,3,4], the phenomenon of drought is attributed to arid or semiarid climates, and to areas located in the temperate zone consisting of, inter alia, the predominant surface of the European continent [5,6]
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