Wang et al. (2026) Multidimensional Drought Relationships in the Yangtze River Basin: Causality, Propagation Thresholds, and Drought Resistance Capacity

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Identification

• Journal: Agriculture
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-02
• Authors: Tian Wang, Bo Shi, L. Li, Zhaoqiang Zhou, Yibo Ding
• DOI: 10.3390/agriculture16010118

Research Groups

• Not specified in the provided text (typically involves departments of Hydrology, Water Resources, or Environmental Science).

Short Summary

This study investigates the propagation patterns and thresholds between meteorological, agricultural, and groundwater droughts across the Yangtze River Basin using multi-source data and Copula functions. The findings reveal significant mutual feedback between agricultural and groundwater droughts and identify specific regional thresholds for drought escalation.

Objective

• To assess the characteristics and propagation mechanisms of meteorological drought (MD), agricultural drought (AD), and groundwater drought (GD) within the Yangtze River Basin (YRB).

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Yangtze River Basin (YRB), China, categorized into Source (SR), Upstream (UR), Midstream (MR), and Downstream (DR) regions.
• Temporal Scale: Monthly resolution (analysis of drought durations ranging from approximately 2.6 to 8.36 months).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Pearson correlation analysis, cross-convergence mapping systems, and Copula functions.
• Data sources: Multi-source data approach (incorporating satellite observations, ground-based observations, and reanalysis data).

Main Results

• Regional Severity: The Upstream Region (UR) experiences the highest drought severity (3.25–6.49) and longest durations (2.6–5.4 months).
• Drought Feedback: A mutual feedback relationship between agricultural drought (AD) and groundwater drought (GD) exists in 79.92% of the basin.
• MD to AD Propagation: Under extreme conditions, the duration propagation threshold is highest in the Source Region (5.95–8.36) and Midstream Region (5.68–7.39).
• AD to GD Propagation: Under extreme conditions, the severity propagation threshold is highest in the Midstream Region (11.8–16.5) and Downstream Region (14.5–20.2).

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive analysis of the "propagation chain" between three distinct drought types (MD, AD, and GD).
• Quantifies specific propagation thresholds for different sub-regions of the Yangtze River Basin, offering a scientific basis for regional water resource allocation and drought mitigation policies.
• Identifies the high spatial prevalence of mutual feedback between soil moisture (AD) and groundwater (GD) systems.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Wang2026Multidimensional,
  author = {Wang, Tian and Shi, Bo and Li, L. and Zhou, Zhaoqiang and Ding, Yibo},
  title = {Multidimensional Drought Relationships in the Yangtze River Basin: Causality, Propagation Thresholds, and Drought Resistance Capacity},
  journal = {Agriculture},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/agriculture16010118},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16010118}
}

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