Tayfur (2026) Drought propagation from meteorological to agricultural to hydrological

Identification

• Journal: Elsevier eBooks
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: G. Tayfur
• DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-443-34205-9.00005-6

Research Groups

Department of Civil Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, Gulbahce Campus, Urla, Izmir, Türkiye

Short Summary

This chapter section introduces the concept of drought propagation, detailing how meteorological droughts can evolve into hydrological and agricultural droughts, and highlights their severe socio-economic and environmental impacts. It emphasizes that not all meteorological droughts necessarily propagate to other types.

Objective

• To explain the concept of drought propagation from meteorological to agricultural and hydrological types, and to outline their severe socio-economic and environmental consequences.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Conceptual, with global examples (e.g., sub-Saharan Africa, United States).
• Temporal Scale: Historical (decades to centuries, e.g., 1980s, 1990s, since late 1800s) and conceptual (short-period to prolonged events).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None.
• Data sources: Literature review and conceptual discussion, citing historical events and economic impact reports (e.g., U.S. weather and climate disaster, 2016).

Main Results

• Droughts typically initiate as meteorological droughts (lack of precipitation) and can propagate to hydrological droughts (lack of surface/subsurface flows) and agricultural droughts (lack of soil moisture, crop decline).
• Not all short-period meteorological droughts propagate to hydrological or agricultural droughts, especially if they follow wet seasons.
• Droughts are among the most severe natural disasters, leading to mass malnutrition, starvation, migration, loss of life, and significant economic fallout (e.g., billions of US dollars per event).
• The frequency of droughts has increased in the last half-century, attributed partly to greenhouse gas emissions.

Contributions

• Provides a foundational understanding and conceptual framework for drought types and their propagation mechanisms.
• Synthesizes existing knowledge on the severe socio-economic and environmental impacts of droughts.
• Establishes the context for further detailed discussion on drought dynamics within the broader chapter.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Tayfur2026Drought,
  author = {Tayfur, G.},
  title = {Drought propagation from meteorological to agricultural to hydrological},
  journal = {Elsevier eBooks},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/b978-0-443-34205-9.00005-6},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-443-34205-9.00005-6}
}