Streamflow droughts in the Iberian Peninsula between 1945 and 2005: spatial and temporal patterns

Abstract. In this study we analyzed the spatiotemporal variability of streamflow droughts in the Iberian Peninsula from 1945 to 2005. Streamflow series belonging to 187 homogeneously distributed gauging stations across the study area were used to develop a standardized streamflow index (SSI), which facilitated comparison among regimes and basins, regardless of streamflow magnitudes. A principal component analysis was performed to identify homogeneous hydrological regions having common features based on the temporal evolution of streamflows. Identification of drought events was carried out using a threshold level approach. We assessed the duration and magnitude of drought episodes and the changes that occurred between two contrasting periods for each hydrological region. The results showed a trend toward increased drought severity in the majority of regions. Drought duration, magnitude and spatial coverage were found to depend mainly on climatic conditions and the water storage strategies in each basin. In some basins these strategies have altered river regimes, and in others created a high level of dependence on storage and water transfer rates.

[1]  John L. Nieber,et al.  Hydrologic regionalization to assess anthropogenic changes , 2011 .

[2]  J. Corte-Real,et al.  Interannual variability of precipitation distribution patterns in Southern Portugal , 2010 .

[3]  T. Piechota,et al.  Streamflow Regionalization: Case Study of Turkey , 2008 .

[4]  S. Vicente‐Serrano,et al.  The impact of droughts and water management on various hydrological systems in the headwaters of the Tagus River (central Spain) , 2010 .

[5]  L. Tallaksen,et al.  Space–time modelling of catchment scale drought characteristics , 2009 .

[6]  S. Vicente‐Serrano,et al.  Dam effects on droughts magnitude and duration in a transboundary basin: The Lower River Tagus, Spain and Portugal , 2009 .

[7]  George Tsakiris,et al.  Assessment of Hydrological Drought Revisited , 2009 .

[8]  Simon Parry,et al.  Examining the large‐scale spatial coherence of European drought using regional indicators of precipitation and streamflow deficit , 2011 .

[9]  S. Vicente‐Serrano,et al.  River regimes and recent hydrological changes in the Duero basin (Spain) , 2011 .

[10]  G. Obasi,et al.  WMO's Role in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction , 1994 .

[11]  E. Kahya,et al.  Assessment of streamflow variability modes in Turkey: 1964-1994 , 2006 .

[12]  S. Vicente‐Serrano,et al.  Recent trends in Iberian streamflows (1945-2005) , 2012 .

[13]  Kerstin Stahl,et al.  Linking streamflow drought to the occurrence of atmospheric circulation patterns , 1999 .

[14]  Fernando Arroyo Ilera.  Territorio, Tecnología y Capital. La regulación hidroeléctrica de los ríos españoles (1900-1970) , 2007 .

[15]  Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano,et al.  Hydrological response to different time scales of climatological drought: an evaluation of the Standardized Precipitation Index in a mountainous Mediterranean basin , 2005 .

[16]  T. McKee,et al.  THE RELATIONSHIP OF DROUGHT FREQUENCY AND DURATION TO TIME SCALES , 1993 .

[17]  Santiago Beguería,et al.  Hydrological response to climate variability at different time scales: A study in the Ebro basin , 2013 .

[18]  V. Singh,et al.  A review of drought concepts , 2010 .

[19]  Kerrylee Rogers,et al.  The impacts of river regulation and water diversion on the hydrological drought characteristics in the Lower Murrumbidgee River, Australia , 2011 .

[20]  J. Martín-Vide,et al.  Iberia winter rainfall trends based upon changes in teleconnection and circulation patterns , 2008 .

[21]  Emilio Custodio,et al.  Aquifer overexploitation: what does it mean? , 2002 .

[22]  Michael J. Hayes,et al.  Understanding the complex impacts of drought: A key to enhancing drought mitigation and preparedness , 2007 .

[23]  T. McKee,et al.  Drought monitoring with multiple time scales , 1995 .

[24]  Anthony J. Jakeman,et al.  RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CATCHMENT ATTRIBUTES AND HYDROLOGICAL RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS IN SMALL AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAIN ASH CATCHMENTS , 1996 .

[25]  R. Preisendorfer,et al.  Principal Component Analysis in Meteorology and Oceanography , 1988 .

[26]  R. P. Pandey,et al.  Streamflow Drought Severity Analysis of Betwa River System (India) , 2008 .

[27]  J. Martín-Vide,et al.  The Western Mediterranean Oscillation and rainfall in the Iberian Peninsula , 2006 .

[28]  D. Hannah,et al.  Regional hydrological drought in north‐western Europe: linking a new Regional Drought Area Index with weather types , 2011 .

[29]  T. Piechota,et al.  Five Hundred Years of Hydrological Drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin 1 , 2007 .

[30]  A. Samal,et al.  Trend Analysis of Streamflow Drought Events in Nebraska , 2008 .

[31]  Manfred Mudelsee,et al.  Long memory of rivers from spatial aggregation , 2007 .

[32]  Kerstin Stahl,et al.  Have streamflow droughts in Europe become more severe or frequent? , 2001 .

[33]  P. Jones,et al.  SUMMER MOISTURE VARIABILITY ACROSS EUROPE, 1892-1991 : AN ANALYSIS BASED ON THE PALMER DROUGHT SEVERITY INDEX , 1994 .

[34]  Henrik Madsen,et al.  On the definition and modelling of streamflow drought duration and deficit volume , 1997 .

[35]  S. Vicente‐Serrano.  Spatial and temporal analysis of droughts in the Iberian Peninsula (1910–2000) , 2006 .

[36]  R. Trigo,et al.  Potential predictability of an Iberian river flow based on its relationship with previous winter global SST , 2010 .

[37]  D. Wilhite,et al.  CHAPfER2UNDERSTANDING THE DROUGHT PHENOMENON:THE ROLE OF DEFINITIONS , 1985 .

[38]  Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano,et al.  Accurate Computation of a Streamflow Drought Index , 2012 .

[39]  P. Maheras.  Changes in precipitation conditions in the western mediterranean over the last century , 1988 .

[40]  Gwyn Rees,et al.  Sustainable water use in Europe. Part 3: Extreme hydrological events: floods and droughts. , 2001 .

[41]  M. Brunetti,et al.  A new tool for monthly precipitation analysis in Spain: MOPREDAS database (monthly precipitation trends December 1945–November 2005) , 2011 .

[42]  R. Batalla,et al.  Reservoir-induced hydrological changes in the Ebro River basin (NE Spain) , 2004 .

[43]  L. Garrote,et al.  Challenges to Manage the Risk of Water Scarcity and Climate Change in the Mediterranean , 2007 .

[44]  S. Demuth,et al.  A global evaluation of streamflow drought characteristics , 2005 .

[45]  S. Vicente‐Serrano,et al.  The response of Iberian rivers to the North Atlantic Oscillation , 2011 .

[46]  Irene A. Stegun,et al.  Handbook of Mathematical Functions. , 1966 .

[47]  K. Stahl,et al.  Low-frequency variability of European runoff , 2011 .

[48]  Ian T. Jolliffe,et al.  PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE — I. Introduction and application , 1990 .

[49]  Michael B. Richman,et al.  Climate regionalization and rotation of principal components , 2007 .

[50]  Miquel Canals,et al.  Mediterranean river systems of Andalusia, southern Spain, and associated deltas : A source to sink approach , 2005 .

[51]  S. Sabater,et al.  Response of community structure to sustained drought in Mediterranean rivers , 2010 .

[52]  S. Vicente‐Serrano,et al.  Influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on water resources in central Iberia: Precipitation, streamflow anomalies, and reservoir management strategies , 2007 .

[53]  C. Johnston,et al.  Regionalization, seasonality, and trends of streamflow in the US Great Lakes Basin , 2008 .

[54]  Manuel de Castro,et al.  El clima de España: Pasado, presente y escenarios de clima para el siglo XXI , 2005 .

[55]  Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano,et al.  Differences in Spatial Patterns of Drought on Different Time Scales: An Analysis of the Iberian Peninsula , 2006 .

[56]  S. Shukla,et al.  Use of a standardized runoff index for characterizing hydrologic drought , 2008 .

[57]  Undala Z Alam.  Drought and water crises: Science, technology, and management issues edited by Donald A. Wilhite, 2005. CRC Press, 406 pp. ISBN 0 8247 2771 1 , 2006 .

[58]  Antonio Valero,et al.  The economic unsustainability of the Spanish national hydrological plan , 2003 .

[59]  L. Tallaksen,et al.  Understanding hydrological winter drought in Europe , 2000 .

[60]  Kil Seong Lee,et al.  On the statistical characteristics of drought events , 1980 .

[61]  Ana Iglesias,et al.  The economic value of drought information for water management under climate change: a case study in the Ebro basin , 2011 .

[62]  H. Wanner,et al.  Wet season Mediterranean precipitation variability: influence of large-scale dynamics and trends , 2004 .