Rahman et al. (2026) Integrating climate, water, and ecosystem perspectives: Synthesis of global drought challenges and pathways to adaptations and resilience

Identification

• Journal: Elsevier eBooks
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: A. S. M. Asifur Rahman, Ali Fares, Abdul M. Choudhury, Ripendra Awal, Anwar A. Adem, Anoop Valiya Veettil
• DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-443-44625-2.00015-1

Research Groups

• Cooperative Agricultural Research Center, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, United States
• Department of Civil Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, United States

Short Summary

This paper synthesizes global drought challenges, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, and explores pathways to adaptation and resilience, finding that drought severity has increased since the late 20th century, with Saudi Arabia experiencing the most significant rise in persistent drought conditions.

Objective

• To synthesize global drought challenges and pathways to adaptation and resilience, integrating climate, water, and ecosystem perspectives, with a focus on arid and semi-arid regions.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with specific analysis on arid and semi-arid regions including Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Nevada, and Australia.
• Temporal Scale: Analysis period from 1901 to 2023, with observations of trends since the late 20th century.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for drought assessment.
• Data sources: SPEIbase dataset.

Main Results

• Drought has intensified since the late 20th century, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.
• Saudi Arabia exhibits the highest increase in persistent drought conditions among the analyzed regions.
• Temperatures in drylands are rising faster than the global average, exacerbating drought risk.
• The Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) is identified as a more reliable measure for drought frequency and severity in warm climates compared to traditional indices.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive synthesis of global drought challenges, integrating climate, water, and ecosystem perspectives.
• Highlights the limitations of traditional drought indices and advocates for the use of SPEI in arid contexts.
• Quantifies the increasing severity and persistence of drought in specific arid regions since the late 20th century.
• Identifies climate change as a key driver exacerbating drought risk in drylands.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Rahman2026Integrating,
  author = {Rahman, A. S. M. Asifur and Fares, Ali and Choudhury, Abdul M. and Awal, Ripendra and Adem, Anwar A. and Veettil, Anoop Valiya},
  title = {Integrating climate, water, and ecosystem perspectives: Synthesis of global drought challenges and pathways to adaptations and resilience},
  journal = {Elsevier eBooks},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/b978-0-443-44625-2.00015-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-443-44625-2.00015-1}
}