Abstract
Severe droughts can affect water security even in countries with ample water resources. In addition, droughts are estimated to become more frequent in several regions due to changing climate. Drought affects many socio-economic sectors (e.g., agriculture, water supply, and industry), as it did in 2018 in Finland. Understanding the basin-wide picture is crucial in drought management planning. To identify vulnerable and water stressed areas in Finland, a water use-to-availability analysis was executed with a reference drought. Water stress was analyzed with the Water Depletion Index WDI. The analysis was executed using national water permits and databases. To represent a severe but realistic drought event, we modelled discharges and runoffs from the worst drought of the last century in Finland (1939–1942). The potential for performing similar analyses in data scarce contexts was also tested using estimates from global models as a screening tool. The results show that the South and Southwest of Finland would have problems with water availability during a severe drought. The most vulnerable areas would benefit from drought mitigation measures and management plans. These measures could be incorporated into the EU River Basin Management Plans.
Highlights
We investigate whether water availability would be limited for agriculture, industry, and water supply during a severe drought in Finland, which is famous for its ample water resources
Physical water scarcity is typically distinguished from economic scarcity, where the former counts water availability in terms of every drop available within a region, whereas the latter explicitly assesses whether the socio-economic system is able to mobilize that water for use
The core of the analysis consists of the Water Depletion Index (WDI) results
Summary
We investigate whether water availability would be limited for agriculture, industry, and water supply during a severe drought in Finland, which is famous for its ample water resources. The analysis contributes to the discussion about water scarcity. Water scarcity is a man-made problem resulting from insufficient water availability to meet the demands of water users. Physical water scarcity is typically distinguished from economic scarcity, where the former counts water availability in terms of every drop available within a region, whereas the latter explicitly assesses whether the socio-economic system is able to mobilize that water for use. Physical water scarcity is itself a multi-facetted issue, including water shortage (population-driven scarcity, i.e., low water availability per person) and water stress (demand-driven scarcity, i.e., high water use divided by water availability) [1]. Our analysis focuses on water stress during a severe prolonged drought
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