Drought

• What is drought?

  The shortfall or deficiency of water over an extended period of time
• The set criteria for Drought varies between countries due their common climate
• What defines drought in the UK?

  15 or more days with less than 0.2mm of rain
• What defines drought in the Sahel?

  2 or more years of below average rainfall
• What are the 3 different types of drought?

  meteorological, agricultural and hydrological
• Meteorological drought

  Shortfalls of precipitation, evident in arid and semi-arid regions like the Sahel
• Agricultural drought

  Deficiency of soil moisture, which has a knock on effect on plants growth and reduction in biomass
• Hydrological drought

  Reduced stream flows and groundwater levels, leading to salinisation and poor quality water
• What kind of hazard are droughts referred to as?

  A creeping hazard, as they usually have a long period of onset
• Teleconnections look at climate anomalies which relate to each other over large distances, such as El Niño