Chen et al. (2026) Understanding hydrological drought recovery patterns in a changing environment: Insights from a non-stationary multivariate analysis

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-04
• Authors: Yeting Chen, Tao Peng, Vijay P. Singh, Ji Liu, Xiaohua Dong, Qingxia Lin, Jiali Guo, Chao Song, Changwen Li, Yinghai Li, Dan Yu, Chong Wei, Yan Huang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136370

Research Groups

• Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security in Yangtze River Basin, Ministry of Water Resources, China
• Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
• State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Short Summary

This study investigates the recovery patterns of hydrological droughts in a changing environment using non-stationary multivariate analysis. The results show that climate change affects the recovery rates of hydrological droughts.

Objective

• Investigate how climate change influences the recovery patterns of hydrological droughts.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental scale, focusing on the Yangtze River Basin in China.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (1950-2014) with a focus on recent trends (1990-2014).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Non-stationary multivariate analysis using the Generalized Additive Model for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS).
• Data sources: Observational data from 56 stations in the Yangtze River Basin.

Main Results

• The recovery rates of hydrological droughts decreased significantly over the past few decades due to climate change.
• Climate change affects the recovery patterns of hydrological droughts, with warmer temperatures and increased precipitation variability contributing to slower recovery.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the impact of climate change on hydrological drought recovery patterns, which is essential for improving drought management strategies in a changing environment.

Funding

• National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51509242)
• Ministry of Water Resources of China (Grant No. 201501001)

Citation

@article{Chen2026Understanding,
  author = {Chen, Yeting and Peng, Tao and Singh, Vijay P. and Liu, Ji and Dong, Xiaohua and Lin, Qingxia and Guo, Jiali and Song, Chao and Li, Changwen and Li, Yinghai and Yu, Dan and Wei, Chong and Huang, Yan},
  title = {Understanding hydrological drought recovery patterns in a changing environment: Insights from a non-stationary multivariate analysis},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136370},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136370}
}