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- Title
Comparing Agriculture‐Related Characteristics of Flash and Normal Drought Reveals Heterogeneous Crop Response.
- Authors
Ho, Sarah; Buras, Allan; Tuo, Ye
- Abstract
Despite rapid progress in the burgeoning field of flash drought research, few studies directly compare the differences in characteristics between flash drought (commonly understood as quick, rapid‐onset drought) and drought traditionally defined as slow‐moving (henceforth normal drought), particularly over agricultural regions where drought effects may be economically the most disastrous. In this study, flash and normal drought events are identified using reanalysis of soil moisture in the data‐rich agricultural region of the California Central Valley for investigation of characteristics related to agriculture. In particular, we investigate the relative duration of pixels in drought events, the correlation of drought intensity with vegetation condition, the impact of aridity on vegetation response and drought, and the differences in the different characteristics between rainfed and irrigated agriculture. Overall, we found considerable differences between flash and normal drought, particularly in their spatial distributions and behavior in relation to aridity. Flash droughts even indicate a counterintuitive improvement in vegetation condition in the northern, more humid regions, likely due to the release of growth limiting factors (e.g., below‐optimum temperature and radiation) associated with drought. Results also indicate improvements in vegetation conditions during normal drought for irrigated land over rainfed, highlighting the importance of irrigation as a drought protection strategy in agriculture. Plain Language Summary: Flash droughts are droughts that, in contrast to traditionally understood droughts, develop suddenly and rapidly. This can be particularly dangerous for agriculture, since crops can be affected by sudden changes in plant available water. This study identifies differences in drought characteristics over the Central Valley agricultural region of California, such as length of time in drought and effects on vegetation, with considerations for local climate and irrigation. Overall, flash drought shows clear spatial trends that vary with local climate, with some regions showing a benefit to plant health during flash droughts, and irrigated regions performing slightly better. This highlights the importance of irrigation as an adaptation strategy against drought. Key Points: Flash droughts exhibit significantly different spatial distributions and trends in characteristics than normal droughtsAridity can provide useful clues about vegetation condition and irrigation's effectiveness during droughtFlash drought conditions (temperature and radiation) may alleviate plant growth limitations in cooler climates, improving vegetation condition
- Subjects
CENTRAL Valley (Calif. : Valley); DROUGHTS; DROUGHT management; IRRIGATION farming; DRY farming; SPATIAL behavior; PLANT-water relationships; SOIL moisture
- Publication
Water Resources Research, 2023, Vol 59, Issue 11, p1
- ISSN
0043-1397
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2023WR034994