Gesualdo et al. (2025) Beyond one-size-fits-all: a path toward region-specific flash drought monitoring and management

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Environmental Research Water
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-05
• Authors: Gabriela Chiquito Gesualdo, Antonia Hadjimichael
• DOI: 10.1088/3033-4942/ae1bca

Research Groups

Not available in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study compares six flash drought indicators across contiguous US catchments over a 40-year period, revealing significant inconsistencies and limited agreement among them, and concludes that effective monitoring requires region- and sector-specific approaches rather than a universal definition.

Objective

• To compare the performance and consistency of six commonly used flash drought indicators (evaporative, soil moisture, precipitation, and multicriteria-based) across all contiguous US catchments.
• To assess the implications of indicator choice for flash drought detection and management, advocating for region- and sector-specific approaches.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Contiguous US catchments (nationwide).
• Temporal Scale: 40-year period. Case studies for specific events in 2017 (Montana) and 2022 (Connecticut).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable; the study compares six different flash drought indicators (evaporative, soil moisture, precipitation, and multicriteria-based).
• Data sources: Implied from the indicators: data for evaporative demand, soil moisture, and precipitation. The study produced a comprehensive catchment-scale database of flash drought events. Specific data sources (e.g., satellite, observation, reanalysis) are not detailed in the provided text.

Main Results

• Flash drought detection is highly inconsistent across the six indicators, showing substantial variation in the number of identified events.
• Agreement between indicators is limited, even among those based on similar variables, with agreement ranging from 12% to 70%.
• A multi-indicator approach can enhance robustness but risks underdetection if overly strict, while relying on a single indicator may lead to false positives.
• Case studies in Montana (2017) and Connecticut (2022) underscore the necessity of aligning indicators with regional climate conditions and specific water-use sectors.
• Effective flash drought monitoring requires moving beyond one-size-fits-all definitions towards region- and sector-specific approaches, validated against real-world impacts.

Contributions

• Produces the first comprehensive catchment-scale database of flash drought events nationwide, comparing multiple indicators over a 40-year period.
• Quantifies the significant inconsistencies and limited agreement among existing flash drought indicators, highlighting a critical challenge in drought monitoring.
• Emphasizes the importance of context-specific (region- and sector-specific) approaches for flash drought detection and early warning systems.
• Provides a foundational argument for refining flash drought definitions and monitoring strategies to improve adaptive management.

Funding

Not available in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Gesualdo2025Beyond,
  author = {Gesualdo, Gabriela Chiquito and Hadjimichael, Antonia},
  title = {Beyond one-size-fits-all: a path toward region-specific flash drought monitoring and management},
  journal = {Environmental Research Water},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1088/3033-4942/ae1bca},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1088/3033-4942/ae1bca}
}