Ling et al. (2026) Advancing the understanding of drought propagation in glacierized catchments by accounting for meltwater and catchment control in a newly introduced bi-stage framework

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-04-07
• Authors: Yunan Ling, Yue Huang, X. L. Pan, Xiaofei Wang, Tie Liu, Chanjuan Zan, Zhengyang Li, Xi Chen, Philippe De Mayer, Amaury Frankl
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135461

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
• University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Department of Geography, Ghent University
• Sino-Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-information
• College of Geoinformatics, Zhejiang University of Technology
• School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University
• China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, CAS-HEC

Short Summary

This study developed a novel bi-stage drought propagation analysis framework (BDPF) to investigate the complex process of meteorological to hydrological drought in glacierized catchments, revealing that meltwater mitigates drought severity while catchment controls tend to amplify it.

Objective

• To develop a bi-stage drought propagation analysis framework (BDPF) that accounts for meltwater and catchment control to better understand the propagation of meteorological drought to hydrological drought in glacierized catchments.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Glacierized catchments
• Temporal Scale: 1982 to 2013 (32 years), with analysis at both intra-annual and inter-annual scales.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Bi-stage drought propagation analysis framework (BDPF), run theory for drought event identification, and the concept of recharge drought. The Standardized Glacierized Catchment Recharge Index (SGI) is also a key component.
• Data sources: Hydrological and meteorological data for glacierized catchments from 1982 to 2013.

Main Results

• The newly introduced BDPF outperformed traditional frameworks in terms of drought event matching and interpretability.
• The framework successfully captured drought propagation dynamics at the intra-annual scale.
• Meltwater release was found to reduce the drought propagation rate, duration, and severity in glacierized catchments.
• Glaciers exerted a more pronounced effect on drought propagation at the inter-annual scale, while catchment snow dynamics had a greater impact at the intra-annual scale.
• Catchment control, particularly due to the limited capacity of baseflow to buffer drought, tended to amplify drought signals, leading to more prolonged and severe hydrological droughts.

Contributions

• Introduction of a novel bi-stage drought propagation analysis framework (BDPF) that explicitly incorporates the effects of meltwater release and catchment controls.
• Establishment of the concept of "recharge drought" as an intermediate state, enhancing the understanding of drought propagation in glacierized environments.
• Quantification of the distinct roles of meltwater and catchment characteristics in modulating drought propagation rate, duration, and severity.
• Provides a theoretical foundation for developing improved early drought warning systems and adaptive water resource management strategies in cold-climate regions.

Funding

• Not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Ling2026Advancing,
  author = {Ling, Yunan and Huang, Yue and Pan, X. L. and Wang, Xiaofei and Liu, Tie and Zan, Chanjuan and Li, Zhengyang and Chen, Xi and Mayer, Philippe De and Frankl, Amaury},
  title = {Advancing the understanding of drought propagation in glacierized catchments by accounting for meltwater and catchment control in a newly introduced bi-stage framework},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135461},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135461}
}