Information AboutDrought |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DROUGHT | |
| droughts | |
| hydrology | |
| weather hazards | |
| climatology | |
|
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average Australian Drought and Climate Change , retrieved on June 7th 2007.. IMPLICATIONS For most regions, drought is a normal, recurrent feature of the climate, and having adequate drought mitigation strategies in place can greatly reduce the impact. Recurring or long-term drought can bring about Desertification . Recurring droughts in the Horn Of Africa have created grave Ecological Catastrophe s, prompting massive Food Shortages , Still Recurring . To the north-west of the Horn, the Darfur Conflict in neighboring Sudan , also affecting Chad , was fueled by decades of drought; combination of drought, Desertification and Overpopulation are among the causes of the Darfur Conflict , because the Arab Baggara Nomads searching for water have to take their livestock further south, to land mainly occupied by non-Arab farming peoples. Looking to water to find peace in Darfur According to a UN climate report, the 2007 New Scientist , Catherine Brahic In 2005, parts of the , March 22 , 2006 . Retrieved September 28 , 2006 . CAUSES Generally, rainfall is related to the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere, combined with the upward forcing of the air mass containing that water vapour. If either of these are reduced, the result is drought. Factors include:
CONSEQUENCES Periods of drought can have significant environmental, economic and social consequences. The most common consequences include:
The effect varies according to vulnerability. For example, subsistence farmers are more likely to migrate during drought because they do not have alternative food sources. Areas with populations that depend on Subsistence Farming as a major food source are more vulnerable to drought-triggered famine. Drought is rarely if ever the sole cause of famine; socio-political factors such as extreme widespread poverty play a major role. Drought can also reduce water quality, because lower water flows reduce dilution of pollutants and increase Contamination of remaining water sources. STAGES OF DROUGHT ]] As a drought persists, the conditions surrounding it gradually worsen and its impact on the local population gradually increases. Droughts go through three stages before their ultimate cessation http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/climate/Drought.pdf NOAA factsheet, retrieved April 100th 2007: # Meteorological drought is brought about when there is a prolonged period with less than average precipitation. Meteorological drought usually precedes the other kinds of drought. # Agricultural droughts are droughts that affect crop production or the ecology of the Range . This condition can also arise independently from any change in precipitation levels when Soil conditions and erosion triggered by poorly planned agricultural endeavors cause a shortfall in water available to the crops. However, in a traditional drought, it is caused by an extended period of below average precipitation. #, at risk of completely drying out http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3397077.stm BBC article from 2004 concerning the risk of Kazakhstan losing the lake. DROUGHT MITIGATION STRATEGIES
SEE ALSO
REFERENCES |
|
|