Which drought type is most rapidly affected by changes in precipitation?

Which drought type is most rapidly affected by changes in precipitation?

• A. Meteorological drought
• B. Hydrological drought
• C. Agricultural drought
• D. Economic drought

Answer: (A)

Meteorological drought responds immediately to precipitation changes because it is defined directly by precipitation deficits. When rainfall is below normal, this drought type appears right away as a signal of precipitation shortfall. Other drought types lag because they depend on how long it takes for water storage (in rivers, lakes, and groundwater) or soil moisture to decline and for those effects to translate into impacts on crops or the economy. Hydrological drought builds as storages dwindle and groundwater levels fall, agricultural drought follows as soils dry and crops experience water stress, and economic drought emerges from the cascading impacts on production and markets. So the quickest change with shifting precipitation is meteorological drought.

Meteorological drought responds immediately to precipitation changes because it is defined directly by precipitation deficits. When rainfall is below normal, this drought type appears right away as a signal of precipitation shortfall. Other drought types lag because they depend on how long it takes for water storage (in rivers, lakes, and groundwater) or soil moisture to decline and for those effects to translate into impacts on crops or the economy. Hydrological drought builds as storages dwindle and groundwater levels fall, agricultural drought follows as soils dry and crops experience water stress, and economic drought emerges from the cascading impacts on production and markets. So the quickest change with shifting precipitation is meteorological drought.