Spatial–Temporal–Synoptic Analysis of Meteorlogical Drought in Kurdistan Province
Subject Areas : Climatology
Esmail Jalili
1
,
Mehry Akbary
2
*
,
Vahideh Sayyad
3
1 - Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geography, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geography, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Armed Forces Geographical Organization
Keywords: Meteorlogical Drought, Spatiotemporal analysis, SPI, Kurdistan. ,
Abstract :
Due to its geographical location, Kurdistan province is one of the drought-prone areas in the west of Iran, and the study of drought in it is important. Accordingly, the current research has been carried out with the aim of spatiotemporal evaluation of drought in Kurdistan province and the synoptic patterns affecting it in the period from 1990 to 2019. In this regard, ECMWF reanalysis v5 (ERA5) grid data for 9 regional synoptic stations as well as the standardized precipitation index (SPI) have been used to monitor monthly and annual droughts. Based on the results, mild drought conditions have been dominant in this period, and severe drought occurred in 1999, 2000, and 2008. Moreover, the drought has had an alternating trend in different periods, but generally the eastern areas have suffered more droughts than the western areas. On the other hand, the analysis of synoptic patterns indicated the high influence of tropical and subtropical systems and their strengthening in the western borders of the country on the occurrence of dry conditions in the province. Our results can highlight the temporal and spatial characteristics of drought in Kurdistan province and help to develop forecasting tools and adopt measures to deal with drought.