Drought: the unspoken killer.
Defined as a period of below-average precipitation sometimes coupled with increased temperatures, drought is an issues that has arisen for a multitude of reason throughout the years.
Known to last several years – the longest recorded one lasted over 400 – droughts can have a dramatic effect on agricultural, the environment and local socio-economics.
From the seasonal droughts that befall those in the dry tropics, to more rare large scale events in various areas around the world, droughts are a serious issue that doesn’t often get much attention.
Apart from the obvious problem caused by a drought: land degradation, reduction of available water resources, potential for crop failures and livestock death as well as negative effects on our own wellbeing, there are also many other dangerous side-effects.
Whilst some are a seasonal by-product of natural El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or other local meteorological factors, climate change has exacerbated many environments and pushed local ecology to its limits with unusual droughts.
Meteorological droughts are the first stage of droughts, and are brought about when there is a prolonged time with less than average precipitation.
These droughts can also be caused by poor soil conditions, land degradation or a lack of normally available water.
This brings us to the final, much more severe type of drought which scientists believe will become more common in the future: hydrological droughts.
These droughts, which have already happened in several countries after years of climate change induced alterations to local climate – to name a few: Syria, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela and Australia.