Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, China
Flash droughts, characterized by rapid onset, rapid intensification, and severe environmental and socioeconomic impacts, have exhibited a rising global trend amid climate change. However, their spatially heterogeneous drivers remain insufficiently understood. The objective of this study is to examin...
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006752 |
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| author | Dehe Xu Menglong Wang Qi Zhang Shiwen Wu Linjing Zhang |
| author_facet | Dehe Xu Menglong Wang Qi Zhang Shiwen Wu Linjing Zhang |
| author_sort | Dehe Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Flash droughts, characterized by rapid onset, rapid intensification, and severe environmental and socioeconomic impacts, have exhibited a rising global trend amid climate change. However, their spatially heterogeneous drivers remain insufficiently understood. The objective of this study is to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of flash droughts and to reveal the spatial variability of their meteorological drivers in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Flash droughts were identified based on soil moisture percentile thresholds and decline rates. Theil-Sen slope and Mann-Kendall tests were used to analyze trends. The Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model was applied for the first time to assess spatial variations in meteorological influences on drought duration. Key findings are as follows:(1) Flash droughts in the YRB occurred with an average annual frequency of 4,161.6 events and a mean duration of 7.7 pentads, indicating widespread occurrence across the region. (2) The proportion of the basin affected by flash droughts increased significantly at a rate of 0.1 per decade (p < 0.05), with 76.8 % of the area showing increasing trends in frequency and 64.2 % exhibiting extended durations. (3) The GWR model revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity in meteorological drivers influencing drought duration. (4) Precipitation was identified as the dominant driver in 42.2 % of the region, followed by temperature (24.1 %) and evapotranspiration (15.6 %), with regression coefficients varying considerably across space. These findings improve understanding of flash drought mechanisms in the YRB and provide a scientific basis for region-specific water resource management and drought mitigation strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9bea734820424f70a5b183fada7e0640 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-9bea734820424f70a5b183fada7e06402025-08-20T02:43:25ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-08-0117711374510.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113745Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, ChinaDehe Xu0Menglong Wang1Qi Zhang2Shiwen Wu3Linjing Zhang4College of Surveying and Geo-informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, ChinaCollege of Surveying and Geo-informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, ChinaCollege of Surveying and Geo-informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, ChinaCollege of Surveying and Geo-informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, ChinaFlash droughts, characterized by rapid onset, rapid intensification, and severe environmental and socioeconomic impacts, have exhibited a rising global trend amid climate change. However, their spatially heterogeneous drivers remain insufficiently understood. The objective of this study is to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of flash droughts and to reveal the spatial variability of their meteorological drivers in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Flash droughts were identified based on soil moisture percentile thresholds and decline rates. Theil-Sen slope and Mann-Kendall tests were used to analyze trends. The Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model was applied for the first time to assess spatial variations in meteorological influences on drought duration. Key findings are as follows:(1) Flash droughts in the YRB occurred with an average annual frequency of 4,161.6 events and a mean duration of 7.7 pentads, indicating widespread occurrence across the region. (2) The proportion of the basin affected by flash droughts increased significantly at a rate of 0.1 per decade (p < 0.05), with 76.8 % of the area showing increasing trends in frequency and 64.2 % exhibiting extended durations. (3) The GWR model revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity in meteorological drivers influencing drought duration. (4) Precipitation was identified as the dominant driver in 42.2 % of the region, followed by temperature (24.1 %) and evapotranspiration (15.6 %), with regression coefficients varying considerably across space. These findings improve understanding of flash drought mechanisms in the YRB and provide a scientific basis for region-specific water resource management and drought mitigation strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006752Yellow River BasinFlash droughtSoil moistureDriving factorsGeographically Weighted Regression |
| spellingShingle | Dehe Xu Menglong Wang Qi Zhang Shiwen Wu Linjing Zhang Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, China Ecological Indicators Yellow River Basin Flash drought Soil moisture Driving factors Geographically Weighted Regression |
| title | Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, China |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, China |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, China |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the Yellow River Basin, China |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal characteristics and meteorological driving factors of flash droughts in the yellow river basin china |
| topic | Yellow River Basin Flash drought Soil moisture Driving factors Geographically Weighted Regression |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006752 |
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