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Drought

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Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

Drought is a severe natural hazard that affects more people than any other natural disaster. It is usually only recognized as a natural hazard when social, economic, or environmental impacts become apparent. Drought is different from many other natural hazards in that it lacks easily identified onsets and terminations (Maybank et al., 1995). It is also unusual in that it is a hazard of scarcity rather than one of excess. Drought is a natural, recurring pattern of climate that occurs within nearly all climatic regions. However, it is not just a physical phenomenon or natural event caused by changes in climatic conditions. Rather, drought results from a connection between the natural event of lower than expected precipitation, and the demand of human usage on water supplies (Wilhite, 2000). Anthropogenic activities can exacerbate the severity and impacts of drought, but within a natural variability range.

Drought does not have a universal definition; rather it has hundreds, as...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Environmental Research, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, New Illawarra Road, 2234, Lucas Heights, NSW, Australia

    Dr. Suzanne Hollins (Senior Research Scientist) & Prof. John Dodson (Head)

Authors
  1. Dr. Suzanne Hollins
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  2. Prof. John Dodson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suzanne Hollins .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada

    Peter T. Bobrowsky

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Hollins, S., Dodson, J. (2013). Drought. In: Bobrowsky, P.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4399-4_98

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