There is growing concern with evidence that droughts have been intensified due to climate change/variability and with ongoing land development driven by population growth. This has correspondingly aggravated water scarcity, which threatens the long-term sustainability of water resources. Since the U.S. is one of the largest in terms of water footprint, the country is very vulnerable to moderate and severe drought. To mitigate the drought vulnerability, an effective drought monitoring and forecasting system with assessment of drought recovery time is critical for decision makers. The study relies on a variety of massive earth and environmental observational data in connection with advanced dynamical and Bayesian modeling accounting for uncertainties to provide reliable drought estimation with the goal to further freshwater resource sustainability.
This project supported in part by funding from the National Science Foundation and the PSU Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program