Climate Sense

[

] 216

isk

oveRnance

and

anaGeMent

land’s natural potential in regions that are not adjusted

to water scarcity. Drought’s consequences accumulate

slowly and over long periods of time.

In general there are four different types of drought:

meteorological, agricultural, hydrological and socio-

economic. Each type requires an adjusted approach to

monitoring. Meteorological drought is defined by the

level and duration of precipitation deficit. Agricultural

drought refers to situations with insufficient soil mois-

ture levels to adequately nourish crops during the

vegetation period. Soil moisture levels and consequent

severity of agricultural drought are related not only to

precipitation deficit but also to the difference between

actual and potential evapotranspiration. The actual

water requirement depends on the weather situation

(temperature, relative humidity, wind, global radia-

tion), the biological structure of the plant and soil type.

Hydrological drought occurs after a longer period of

precipitation deficit, usually after meteorological and

agricultural drought. Socioeconomic drought occurs

when water deficiency starts to affect human life. It

connects economic standards with elements of mete-

orological, agricultural and hydrological drought.

Defining drought is a complex task due to the variety of

influencing factors. The process should allow for differ-

ences in regions, needs and disciplinary perspectives. The

absence of a single and universal definition of drought

makes it difficult to determine onset and duration. It is

So how do we cope with drought? By the improvement of existing

early drought-detection monitoring systems and the establishment

of new ones, as well as the application of an approach to deploy

sustainable agricultural practices, achieve sustainable forest manage-

ment and stop biodiversity loss. To achieve this goal awareness and

preparedness must be strengthened by training and technology

transfer, in order to increase the knowledge base. Since drought is

a regional phenomenon with diverse and complex impacts at the

local level, appropriate mitigation and responses must also be locally

based. However, the development of appropriate action and poli-

cies can be facilitated through the collaboration of countries in the

region that share similar problems. This idea led to the establish-

ment of the Drought Management Centre for Southeastern Europe

(DMCSEE).

Slovenia was entrusted with the organization of the

centre. Its mission is to coordinate and facilitate the development,

assessment and application of drought risk management tools and

policies in Southeastern Europe, with the goal of improving drought

preparedness and reducing impact.

Monitoring drought

Drought is usually defined as a naturally occurring phenomenon

resulting from precipitation being significantly below normal

recorded values, causing serious hydrological and agrological

imbalances that adversely affect land resource production systems.

Drought is a temporary aberration – unlike aridity, for example,

which is a permanent feature of the climate. Seasonal aridity, which

is to say a well-defined dry season, also needs to be distinguished

from drought. Often long-lasting drought causes deterioration of the

Estimation of drought impact of a small region in western Slovenia

An attempt to assess the categorical vulnerability to drought impact of a small region in western Slovenia. Estimation of vulnerability and risk is not a well

defined, straight-forward process. One possible approach is to combine various factors that influence risk

Source: University of Nova Gorica