The Drought

By group 3
WHAT IS A DROUGHT?
• A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region, resulting
in prolonged shortages in its water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water
or ground water. A drought can last for months or years, or may be declared
after as few as 15 days. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and
agriculture of the affected region and harm to the local economy.
• Many plant species, such as those in the family Cactaceae (or cacti), have
adaptations like reduced leaf area and waxy cuticles to enhance their ability to
tolerate drought. Some others survive dry periods as buried seeds. Semi-
permanent drought produces arid biomes such as deserts and grasslands.
WHAT CAUSES DROUGHTS?
THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR DROUGHTS TO OCCUR :
• PRECIPITATION DEFICIENCY
• DRY SEASON
• EROSION AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES
• CLIMATE CHANGE
Precipitation deficiency
• Mechanisms of producing precipitation include convective, stratiform , and
orographic rainfall. Precipitation can be divided into three categories, based on
whether it falls as liquid water, liquid water that freezes on contact with the
surface, or ice.
• drought can be triggered by a high level of reflected sunlight and above average
prevalence of high pressure systems, winds carrying continental, rather than
oceanic air masses, and ridges of high pressure areas aloft can prevent or restrict
the developing of thunderstorm activity or rainfall over one certain region.
• Once a region is within drought, feedback mechanisms such as local arid air, hot
conditions which can promote warm core ridging, and minimal
evapotranspiration can worsen drought conditions.
Dry season
• Within the tropics, distinct, wet and dry seasons emerge due to the
movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone or Monsoon trough.
The dry season greatly increases drought occurrence, and is
characterized by its low humidity, with watering holes and rivers
drying up.
• Since water vapor becomes more energetic with increasing
temperature, more water vapor is required to increase relative
humidity values to 100% at higher temperatures (or to get the
temperature to fall to the dew point). Periods of warmth quicken the
pace of fruit and vegetable production, increase evaporation and
transpiration from plants,and worsen drought conditions.
Erosion and human activities
• Human activity can directly trigger exacerbating factors such as over
farming, excessive irrigation, deforestation, and erosion adversely
impact the ability of the land to capture and hold water. In arid
climates, the main source of erosion is wind.Erosion can be the result
of material movement by the wind. The wind can cause small
particles to be lifted and therefore moved to another region
(deflation). Suspended particles within the wind may impact on solid
objects causing erosion by abrasion. Wind erosion generally occurs in
areas with little or no vegetation, often in areas where there is
insufficient rainfall to support vegetation.
Climate changes
• Activities resulting in global climate change are expected to trigger
droughts with a substantial impact on agriculture throughout the
world, and especially in developing nations. Overall, global warming
will result in increased world rainfall. Along with drought in some
areas, flooding and erosion will increase in others.
Major drought prone areas of the world
1. Ethiopia
Almost certainly the poorest country in the world, Ethiopia has the most
vulnerability towards drought. It’s been ranked at 172nd position out of 174
regarding overall development which proves its absolute poverty.
2. Eritrea
Located on the horns of the African continent and mostly caught in the hands of
war, Eritrea is another country with an alarming rate of poverty all around.
3. Somalia
Located in the horns of African continent alongside Eritrea, the federal republic of
Somalia has faced one of most catastrophic droughts in the history.
Common consequences of drought include:
• Diminished crop growth or yield productions and carrying capacity for
livestock.
• Dust bowls, themselves a sign of erosion, which further erode the
landscape.
• Dust storms, when drought hits an area suffering from desertification
and erosion.
• Famine due to lack of water for irrigation.
• War over natural resources, including water and food
• Hunger, drought provides too little water to support food crops.
• Snake migration, which results in snakebites.
• The components of a drought preparedness and mitigation plan are the
following:
1.Prediction
2.Monitoring
3.Impact assessment
4.Response.
bibliography
• Causes of drought-Wikipedia.com
• Major drought prone areas-toplistenz.com
• Consequences of droughts-wikipidia.com
• Mitigation-threeissues.sdsu.edu

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