Glossary
The English version of our glossary is currently under construction and will be regularly updated.
Drought
Drought refers to a lack of water, most often caused by insufficient precipitation and / or increased evaporation due to higher temperatures (or wind).
Drought refers to a lack of water, most often caused by insufficient precipitation and / or increased evaporation due to higher temperatures (or wind). Depending on the duration and resultant effects, droughts are subdivided into different categories:
- Meteorological droughts primarily involve prolonged precipitation deficits (one to two months of drier-than-average conditions),
- Agricultural droughts refer to moisture deficits in roughly the top 1 metre of the soil (the root zone; if it remains dry two months or longer, it can lead to crop losses) that affect crops,
- Hydrological droughts refer to below-average flows, seawater or groundwater levels (after four months, also affects the groundwater and water level)
- Socioeconomic droughts (after a year, the lack of water slows the manufacturing industry)
A mega-drought is an extremely prolonged and widespread drought that lasts far longer than normal – often a decade or more.
You can find more information here: Drought Monitor.