The Ever-Present and Growing Threat of Flash Drought

Not all droughts are the same. In some cases, drought rapidly intensifies at subseasonal to seasonal scales with significant impacts to agriculture and water resources along with the increased propensity for heatwaves and wildfires. Flash drought begins with a precipitation deficit. However, both evaporative demand and soil moisture are critical flash drought variables, and identifying and monitoring the drying of the land surface is key to determine flash drought development and associated impacts. While recent advances in flash drought knowledge and monitoring have occurred, fundamental questions remain in the state of the science. What are the overall mechanistic relationships between atmospheric demand, evaporative stress, terrestrial drying, and precipitation that drive flash drought progression? Do regional characteristics of the environment impact the evolution of flash drought? What are the scales of flash drought predictability? Finally, how will flash drought frequency and intensity evolve?

In this virtual seminar, Dr. Jeffrey Basara, Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, will present on "The Ever-Present and Growing Threat of Flash Drought." 

About the Seminar Series

This event is part of the NOAA Drought Seminar Series, a collaborative effort between NOAA Research's Physical Sciences Laboratory, the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), and the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. The series aims to enhance NOAA's capability to monitor, predict, and understand drought behavior. Drought is a key part of NOAA Research's science priorities aimed at confronting the challenges of a changing planet. It is also a key focus of National Weather Service operational forecast products and services, supporting stakeholder decision-making and reducing drought-related costs and impacts.

Each session will feature a speaker presentation, a question and answer period with the presenter, and general updates on activities within the drought science and services community. Individual session information, including connection details, is available on the NOAA Drought Seminar Series web page. These seminars will be recorded.

The Physical Sciences Laboratory (PSL) and National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) are part of NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.

For additional information, please contact Andy Hoell with NOAA Research's Physical Sciences Laboratory.