Meteorological and hydrological drought from 1987 to 2017 in Doce River Basin, Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Meteorological drought is a natural hazard characterized as below-average precipitation from expected or normal that can affect various economic sectors, and lead to period with inadequate streamflow for established uses of the water (hydrological drought). We aimed to apply the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI) to identify the occurrence and the intensity of droughts in Doce River Basin (DRB), Southeastern Brazil. For this purpose, 71 rain gauge stations and one streamflow station were selected with 30-year monthly historical series (1987 to 2017). The SPI and SSI were calculated for the hydrological year (October-September) and the seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter). SPI mapping was performed by geostatistical procedures. Pearson's coefficient was calculated to analyze the influence of meteorological on hydrological drought. The main meteorological drought events, observed in the hydrological years of 1994/95, 2000/01, and a recent and consecutive period of four hydrological years (2013-2017), were mainly influenced by events in spring and summer and, to a lesser extent, in fall. It was observed the influence of the meteorological drought on the hydrological drought on an annual and seasonal scale, except winter, where low precipitation does not influence in the streamflow.