The lack of comprehensive hydrological observations at regional and global scales has promoted the use of proxy indices solely based on precipitation to quantify hydrological drought (i.e. drought in groundwater, streamflow, lakes & reservoirs). In this presentation I discuss the suitability of precipitation-based indices to quantify groundwater drought (based on regional datasets in the Netherlands and Germany), present controls on streamflow drought severity (based on regional datasets in Austria), and show the non-linearity of hydrological drought development on a global scale (based on global-scale model data). These studies show the large spatial variability of hydrological drought, which can hardly be captured by precipitation-based indices.

 

 

Dr. Anne Van Loon is a Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Birmingham. Anne is a catchment hydrologist and hydrogeologist working on drought. She studies the relationship between climate, landscape/ geology, and hydrological extremes and its variation around the world. She is especially interested in the influence of storage in groundwater, human activities, and cold conditions (snow and glaciers) on the development of drought.

 

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